Algeria recovers rare Islamic manuscript from France
The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on April 5th that authorities have been able to recover a rare, 17th-century Islamic manuscript that was seized by France during the colonial period, reports The National.
The manuscript dates back to 1659 and was seized by France in 1842. It is part of a trove of other manuscripts which have become the basis of a decades long dispute between Algeria and France.
It is believed to have been taken by the French army after an attack on Sufi Islamic scholar and resistance leader Emir Abdelkader El Hassani in the Ouarsenis mountains in north-west Algeria (main picture).
READ: Algeria’s relations with France about to be rebooted
The ministry said in a statement that “the recovery of this manuscript has great historical value and symbolism”. No details on the exact content of the literature were released.
“The recovery of this manuscript and its repatriation to the country are part of the tireless efforts and continuous steps of authorities … that seek to recover all the looted Algerian heritage, out of concern for preserving and safeguarding the national memory,” authorities said.
It also added that “the Algerian authorities highly appreciate this nationalist surge which honors the members of our community abroad, salute in them their high nationalist spirit and their attachment to the history of their country and to the heritage of their great forefathers, and recall that the recovery of this manuscript and its repatriation to the country, are part of the tireless efforts and continuous measures that the highest authorities of the country have constantly deployed, in order to recover all the Algerian heritage spoliated, for the sake of preserving and safeguarding the national memory.”
For more articles about Algeria click here
The National
