10/05/2026

NATIONAL 6 theSun on Sunday MAY 10, 2026

Awe over 1,000-year-old manuscript

Hand-written Quran artefact reflects use of natural materials and resourcefulness of early Muslim communities

authenticity of this treasure.” Nik Ilham said the manuscript began its journey from Yemen to the Malay Archipelago during the era of early Islamic preacher Sheikh Jumadil Kubra. According to him, the manuscript was preserved in Indonesia for over 500 years before being brought to Narathiwat about five years ago during the Covid-19 pandemic. “To ensure this invaluable heritage of Islamic civilisation continues to be preserved, strict security procedures are implemented and visitors are not allowed to touch the artefact,” he added.

forest,” he said. As the manuscript was produced entirely from ancient organic elements, preserving it requires thorough methods, free from modern chemicals and solvents. Cleaning and restoration works are carried out every six months, Bernama reported. “The surface of these animal skin pages is extremely sensitive. The use of chemicals or alcohol-based liquids could cause the original ink to crack while the texture of the sheets could also be damaged. “That is why we only use organic preservation methods to maintain the value and

“All the basic materials were specially sourced from Hadhramaut in Yemen.” The manuscript reflects the use of natural materials and the resourcefulness of early Muslim communities in using elements from their surroundings. Written entirely by hand in ancient Kufi script, the manuscript used organic carbon ink produced from natural sources. “People in the past used materials obtained directly from nature. A mixture of wood and date palm bark was burned to produce ink before being combined with several other organic materials from the

NARATHIWAT: Quran manuscript believed to be more than 1,000 years old and displayed at the Museum of Islamic Cultural Heritage and Al-Quran Learning Centre here not only holds immense Islamic historical value, but also reflects the ingenuity of early civilisations in utilising natural organic materials to produce the sacred text. Weighing about 50kg, the manuscript was produced A

during the Abbasid era using 346 sheets made from animal skin and carbon-based ink derived from natural materials, placing it among rare and valuable ancient Islamic artefacts preserved in the region. Museum officer Nik Ilham Nik Yusup said the manuscript was produced with exceptional craftsmanship using hundreds of processed animal skins to create durable sheets for writing.

Additional 186 trains for Aidiladha, school holidays

May 29 to 31 and June 1 to 7, while 9,180 tickets are available for the Klang-Ipoh-Klang EMU Plus route for journeys from May 22 to 24, May 29 to 31 and June 5 to 7. Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd CEO Datuk Azlan Shah Al Bakri said response for previous additional train service during Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Aidilfitri was encouraging, especially for high demand routes such as in the Johor Bahru sector, Bernama reported. He said the government initiative, through the Road to Rail campaign, has had a positive impact in encouraging the public to use public transport, especially train services, which are safer, comfortable and efficient. “The rise in demand reflects passenger confidence towards the national rail service.” Meanwhile, sales for the Ekspres Lambaian Aidiladha to the East Coast, announced on

KUALA LUMPUR: Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd has prepared an additional 186 trains for the Electric Train Service and EMU Plus for Hari Raya Aidiladha and school holidays from May 22 to June 7. It said the additional trains will create 58,380 seats for increased passenger demand, with tickets being sold beginning yesterday via the KITS Style app, its official website and its ticket kiosks at selected stations. The KL Sentral-Padang Besar-KL Sentral route is offering 15,702 tickets for journeys from May 22 to 26, May 29 to 31 and June 4 to 7. There are also 7,584 tickets each for the KL Sentral Butterworth-KL Sentral and KL Sentral-Ipoh-KL Sentral routes for the same period. In addition, 18,960 tickets for the KL Sentral-JB Sentral-KL Sentral route are available for journeys from May 22 to 26,

Azlan said response for previous additional train service during Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Aidilfitri was encouraging, especially for high demand routes such as in the Johor Bahru sector. – BERNAMAPIC

KL Sentral, limited to 274 seats from tomorrow, with tickets priced as low as RM56 compared with the original RM80.

is also offering a 30% discount on tickets for the Ekspres Lambaian Aidiladha Superior Seater train ride from Tumpat to

April 24, was positively received, with 447 out of 912 tickets being sold. Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd

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