500-year-old copy of Holy Quran to be published online

 MANCHESTER: A rarely-seen manuscript of one of the world's most important copies of the Holy Quran is to be published online.

The hand-written holy book, estimated to be around 500 years old, is so precious and fragile scholars have been unable to put it on display.

Now experts at the University of Manchester's John Rylands Library are using digital technology to photograph each page and publish the book online to enable scholars and students to study it.

The fragile 470-page book is kept by in the University of Manchester’s John Rylands Library.

Each of the 470 pages measures 35in by 24in, the size of
a large plasma screen TV. 
The ornate book was written by several scribes and illuminators for Kansuh al-Ghuri, the penultimate Mameluke sultan of Egypt.

Historians disagree on when it was written, with estimates ranging from the second half of the 14th century to 1500.

At least 950 images will be captured – which will be between 80 and 120MB each – allowing their study in intricate detail.