The Fatimids ruled Egypt until 1171. Because Egypt didn't have printing presses until the early 1800s, many of these old manuscripts are handwritten, in beautiful, surprisingly uniform Arabic script. Professional handwriters earned a living copying books, and students sometimes wrote out several copies of a sheikh's writings. Copying guaranteed that each generation transmitted canonical texts to the next. These manuscripts expound on dozens of subjects, including the sciences, medicine, literature, language, even cooking and fashion.
Some manuscripts have yellowing, torn pages with notes scrawled around the margins.
One large copy of the Koran, with majestic Arabic writing and gold-leaf designs, resembles Ireland's Book of Kells. A smaller, older version is written in thick, neat handwriting on deer leather. Officials hope this project will help preserve the texts, which have been handled for centuries by scholars and researchers. Scholars hope that opening the manuscripts to widespread study of Islam might lead to new discoveries. Perhaps you will find something completely new.