The Second International Workshop on “Manuscript Collections in Kazakhstan: Preservation and Research” was organized by Nur-Mubarak Egyptian University of Islamic Culture in cooperation with IRCICA and the National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in Almaty, on 24 October 2024. The first workshop was organized by the University and IRCICA in May 2023.
The aim of the workshop was to examine the current status of manuscripts and rare books in Arabic script within various collections across Kazakhstan, evaluate the prospects of future research, and share the latest international developments in studies. 27 papers were presented by specialists of manuscript studies and management of manuscript collections. Prof. Ashirbek Muminov, Consultant for central Asian Studies, IRCICA, presented a study titled “Copies of Hikmats of Khoja Ahmad Yasawi in world Funds”. The papers and discussions revolved around the following topics:
- Ensuring the preservation of unique ancient written materials: storage conditions and challenges of transferring data to a digital format.
- Conservation and restoration of ancient written sources: expansion of funds through purchase and organization of archeological and epigraphic expeditions.
- Ways of training specialists and improving their qualifications: strengthening international cooperation.
- Increasing the accessibility of sources for scientific research: scholarly description and online cataloging of manuscripts.
