GAZI HUSREV BEG LIBRARY, SARAJEVO (SEP 16-17, 2019) International Conference on the Protection of Written Heritage

Considering that much of Bosnia and Herzegovina's history was part of the Ottoman Empire and that the majority was, and still is, Islamic, it is logical to conclude that a large number of Islamic manuscripts and documents have been preserved in the local libraries and archives. There are several institutions in Sarajevo alone that have very significant manuscript collections. The most notable is the Gazi Husrev Beg Library with over 10,000 manuscripts in Arabic, Turkish, Persian and Bosnian. Other institutes include the Sarajevo Archive, the Bosniak Institute, and the National Library who also have remarkable manuscript collections. Unfortunately, during the Bosnian war, the collection of the Oriental Institute with over 5000 manuscripts was destroyed by the Serbian military forces.

Due to the sensitivity of archival material and its exposure in times of war and natural disasters, the needs of protection require different types of interventions and methods that are in line with scientific and technological developments in the fields of restoration, storage, and physical protection. Given the Bosnian experience of the war and all difficulties faced by the Sarajevo collections, it is expected that such a conference would take place in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina and bring together relevant experts from major European libraries and universities that work in a field of protection of handwriting treasures, to share their knowledge and experience with the general and professional public. The conference was also a great opportunity to connect Bosnian institutions with those from Europe and other parts of the world for future cooperation.

Highlights from the Conference

Mandana Barkeshli. Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

A slide from the presentation by Mandana Barkeshli: Persian Lacquered Bookbinding: Material Technology & Conservation Issues / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Kristine Rose-Beers (Chester Beatty Library in Dublin). Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

A slide from the presentation by Kristine Rose-Beers: Parchment, Pigments and Perforations: Developing a Treatment Methodology for an 8th Century Qur'an Manuscript at the Chester Beaty. Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Another slide from the presentation by Kristine Rose-Beers. Photo © Islamic Arts MagazinePhoto © Islamic Arts Magazine

Cazim Hadzimejlic. Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

A slide from the presentation by Cazim Hadzimejlic. Front and Back Pages: Art, Restoration, Conservation. Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Alessandro Sidoti. Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

A slide from the presentation by Alessandro Sidoti: The Florence Shahnama Conservation Project. Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Karin Schepper. Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

A slide from the presentation by Karin Schepper: Balancing Conservation Decisions. Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Ahmet Sacit Acikgozoglu. Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Ahmet Sacit Acikgozoglu presenting his paper: Book Conservation and Repair Tradition in the Ottoman Library Foundation Certificates Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

Ruhulah Hodzic. Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

A slide from the presentation by Ruhulah Hodzic: Conservation and Restoration of the Manuscripts at the Gazi Husrev Beg Library. The photo shows a manuscript with a note by Gazi Husrev Beg. Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

The participants presented their papers on the topic of preservation and protection of manuscripts, from the presentation on institutional protection to the most sophisticated restorative interventions on the manuscripts themselves.

• About Establishment of Conservation and Restoration Department in the Gazi Husrev Beg Library - Mevludin Kost

• Challenges in Establishing a Sustainable Library Disaster Protection System, based on an example of the National and University Library in Zagreb - Dragica Kristic

• Works of Art on Paper and Parchment: Conservation and Restoration at ISCR (Services with Instituto Superiore Per La Conzarvasione) - Maria Speranza Storace

• Condition Reports and Planning strategies in Restoration and Conservation by Fatma Banu Cakan (from the Istanbul University)

• Laboratory for Conservation of Paper and Parchment of the National Library of Serbia - Zeljko Mladicevic and Katarina Sucur

• Parchment as a Substrate for Writing, Printing and Painting by Sanja Serhatlic (from the Croatian Restoration Institute, Dubrovnik)

• A Possible Solution for Paperback Binding - Rita Udina (Conservator from Spain)

• Beyond Conservation Treatment: the role of the Conservator-Restorer in Preservation and Promotion - Paola Fagnola (Italy)

• Manuscript Conservation Methods at Noor Microfilm International Center, India - Mehdi Khajepiri

• Persian Lacquered Bookbinding: Material Technology & Conservation Issues - Mandana Barkeshli

• Parchment, Pigments and Perforations: Developing a Treatment Methodology for an 8th Century Qur'an Manuscript at the Chester Beaty - Kristine Rose-Beers (Chester Beatty Library in Dublin)

• Front and Back Pages: Art, Restoration, Conservation - Cazim Hadzimejlic (Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo)

• The Florence Shahnama Conservation Project - Alessandro Sidoti (National Central Library of Florence)

• Balancing Conservation Decisions - Preserving Material Evidence of Original Structures and Repair Techniques in a Yemeni Manuscripts - Karin Scheper (University Library Leiden)

• Book Conservation and Repair Tradition in the Ottoman Library Foundation Certificates - Ahmet Sacit Acikgozoglu (Faculty of Letters of Marmara University)

• Conservation and Restoration of the Manuscripts at the Gazi Husrev Beg Library - Ruhulah Hodzic