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Qatar's cultural mission in Berlin revives Islamic civilization's scientific heritage
Qatar's cultural mission in Berlin, Ed-Divan, is bringing the 11,000 Arabic manuscripts at the Berlin State Library to the forefront through 'common human heritage' dialogues. The project aims to transform perspectives in Europe by highlighting Islamic civilization's contributions to medicine, astronomy, and philosophy.
Ed-Divan – Arab Cultural House, affiliated with the Embassy of Qatar in Berlin, has launched a major project in the German capital that revives the scientific memory of Islamic civilization. The dialogue series titled 'Arabic Manuscripts: A Common Human Heritage' places the Arabic manuscripts housed at the Berlin State Library, one of the largest collections in Europe, at the center of contemporary discussions.
The events, which began in March 2026 and will run until October, were opened by Qatar's Ambassador to Germany, Abdullah bin Ibrahim al-Hamar. The project aims to present the manuscripts not merely as archival material, but as living witnesses to the transfer of knowledge between civilizations.
Scientific Evidence of Islamic Civilization
Dr. Christoph Rauch, Head of the Oriental Manuscripts Department at the Berlin State Library, stated that the institution houses approximately 11,000 Arabic manuscripts. Citing a manuscript by the Andalusian physician Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi containing 10th-century drawings of surgical instruments, Rauch said, 'This document materially proves the advanced level Islamic civilization had reached in medicine and surgery; at that time, Europe was still far from this level.'
Ed-Divan Director Dr. Lawrence al-Hinnawi emphasized that the project's purpose goes beyond promoting Arab culture. 'Our aim is to show that Arabic manuscripts are part of the intellectual memory that contributed to building the modern world,' said al-Hinnawi, drawing attention to the process by which sciences such as philosophy, medicine, and astronomy were transmitted from Arabic into European languages.
Qatar's Cultural Diplomacy Investment
Al-Hinnawi stated that this initiative is a long-term cultural diplomacy investment by Qatar. He said they measure success not by visitor numbers, but by the transformation in the European audience's perspective on Arab and Islamic heritage. He shared the example of a young German who attended a session on 'Kalila and Dimna' and was impressed by the questions the text raised about power, knowledge, and the transmission of ideas.
Rather than seeing manuscripts as 'silent books,' al-Hinnawi likened them to an ancient social network. He noted that the traces of a weary copyist, the reader's marginal notes, and the book's journey from city to city show that the text was constantly being reshaped.
Digital Networks and Future Plans
Dr. Christoph Rauch also mentioned the 'Qalamos' project, which documents Arabic manuscripts in German libraries and provides digital access. He said the platform allows researchers, especially those who do not know Arabic, to trace the journey of texts and analyze commentary networks.
Touching on the importance of the Qatari partnership, Rauch said, 'While the library alone remained an archival institution, cooperation with Ed-Divan moved the manuscripts from the realm of preservation to the realm of public dialogue.'
The project coordinators plan to continue work along three main axes after the current series ends in October 2026:
- Digitization and cataloging: Developing joint projects that will link the collections in Berlin with their counterparts in Istanbul, Cairo, Doha, Paris, and London.
- Institutional cooperation: Establishing a communication network between Arab and European libraries to bring together the scattered fragments of Arab memory across different institutions worldwide.
- Academic support: Training a new generation of researchers capable of combining manuscript studies, digital humanities, and cultural theory.
Ed-Divan's initiative shows that Qatar's cultural presence in Europe is evolving from seasonal events to long-term knowledge partnerships. The dialogue series in Berlin aims to make Arab and Islamic manuscripts once again a part of contemporary knowledge production.
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