Two Palestinian scholars who saved ancient manuscripts during the war receive Jikji Prize

Rare Palestinian manuscripts have been recovered from buildings shattered by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, and the two people who worked to preserve them will receive UNESCO’s Jikji Prize.

The recipients are historian and manuscript specialist Abdul Latif Abu Hashem and heritage researcher and conservator Haneen Al-Amasi. Cheongju, the South Korean city that hosts the award, said they had worked under extremely difficult conditions to save Palestinian historical documents and literature at risk of disappearing. They are the first individuals to receive the prize rather than an organization.

After the Gaza war intensified in October 2023, the two formed an emergency response team. They searched for rare manuscripts and documents in museums, libraries and mosques damaged or destroyed by bombing. Their work has recovered, preserved and digitized 258 items totaling more than 25,000 pages. The resulting digital archive has been made available worldwide through the Endangered Archives Programme operated by the British Library.

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The two worked to preserve and restore Palestinian ancient documents and literature at risk of disappearing under extremely difficult conditions

Their work included the library attached to the Omari Grand Mosque, Gaza’s oldest Islamic mosque, built in the seventh century. Its collection included Islamic law, legal judgments and prophetic traditions, as well as works on Arabic grammar, literature, astronomy and medicine. It also held Ottoman-era administrative and land records relating to Gaza, along with rare manuscripts.

Cheongju said Palestine nominated the pair, after which a UNESCO international advisory committee reviewed their work. The prize will be awarded during a Jikji Day event on Sept. 4. Walid Siam, the Palestinian representative to South Korea, will accept it for them.

UNESCO established the Jikji Prize in 2004 to promote the Jikji Simche Yojeol, the world’s oldest surviving book printed with movable metal type.

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The two were selected as winners after Palestine nominated them and they underwent review by the UNESCO International Advisory Committee