Tatar museum recieves first Quran copy printed in Japan

KAZAN, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia

The first copy of the Arabic Quran printed in Japan was handed over on Monday to the Museum of Islamic Civilizations in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan.

Marat Gibattinov, a professor from the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences who negotiated to get the Quran, told Anadolu Agency, "Five hundred copies of the holy book were published in 1934 by Tatar Turks, which gives it great importance for Tatars in Japan."

Kurban Galiev (1892–1972), an ethnic Tatar exiled to Japan from Manchuria, owned Tokyo’s Islamic Printing House, which published the copy of Quran in question.

Gibattinov said the oldest copies of the Quran printed in Tokyo were sent to 33 countries, including Egypt, Afghanistan, and Iraq, adding, “This edition was also presented to Japan’s emperor at that time to convey the message of Islam across the country.”

The vintage leather-bound Quran copy with its gilded edges will be on display at the Museum of Islamic Civilization after restoration.