Director General of IRCICA Prof. Mahmud Erol Kılıç was invited to give a lecture in Cairo, during the cultural function organized by the Turkish Embassy on the occasion of the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Egypt and Türkiye. The event titled ‘Treasures of Shared History: Manuscripts in Egypt and Turkey’ held on 2 February 2025 was open to public. Professor Kılıç started his lecture alluding to the history of development of manuscript literature in the Muslim world starting from the dissemination of the Holy Qur’an and the Hadith of the Prophet (saw) in written form across continents and expanding with the advancements of religious sciences and natural sciences. The inestimable legacy of historical manuscripts inherited from this process constitutes authentic evidence of intellectual activity and the progress of knowledge until printing became available. Therefore, the study, publication and digitization of manuscripts from this historical heritage are crucial to make them accessible to interested audiences. Prof. Kılıç pointed out that Egypt and Türkiye are two countries where important collections of Islamic manuscripts are preserved, giving the examples of two major historical libraries, Dar al-kutub al-Misriyya in Cairo and Süleymaniye Manuscripts Library in Istanbul. In the last part of the lecture, Prof. Kılıç outlined IRCICA’s bibliographic studies on historical manuscripts and its research projects based on manuscript sources. The lecture was attended by a large, learned, and highly interested audience.
During this visit to Cairo, Director General Prof. Kılıç also visited the Cairo International Book Fair that held its 56th edition from 23 Jan.-5 Feb. 2025, got informed of new publications in IRCICA’s fields of interest, met with many publishers, and also gave interviews to various TV, radio, and press media.
