Vatican envoy Jean Paul Gobel visits Islamic library in Qom

The library, which is one of Iran’s greatest Islamic libraries, is also home to a priceless collection of numerous rare manuscripts and volumes.

Gobel said that he was impressed by his visit to the library, the Persian service of the Public Relations Office of the Qom Seminary reported on Saturday.

He found his visits to Iranian scientific and cultural centers very enlightening and also said that meeting Iranian cultural figures has always been valuable and enriching to him.

Gobel praised Ayatollah Marashi Najafi for his efforts in gatherng the invaluable collection of rare Islamic manuscripts. 

According to Gobel, the Vatican Library also possesses a large collection of Islamic manuscripts.

He said that a 1200-volume collection on tazieh, the Iranian passion play, is kept at the library.

Most of the books were donated to the library by Enrico Cerulli, the former Italian ambassador to Iran from 1950 to 1954, he explained.

Gobel said that there are no examples of such books in Iran and added that the collection is kept in a place equipped with the necessary advanced devices for preservation of rare manuscripts and books.

He urged the safeguarding of religious manuscripts and volumes as a part of human cultural heritage.

MMS/YAW

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MNA