The blue manuscript

307 pages

English language

Published Dec. 23, 2008 by Verso.

ISBN:
978-1-84467-308-7
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OCLC Number:
227016123

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The Blue Manuscript is the ultimate prize for any collector of Islamic treasures. But does it still exist, and if so, can it be found? In search of answers to these questions, an assortment of archaeologists heads for a remote area of Egypt, where they work with local villagers to excavate a promising site. Interspersed with the testimony of the early medieval calligrapher who created the Manuscript, this narrative builds into a rich tapestry of love, hope, despair, greed, fear and betrayal, intensified at every turn by the uneasy relationship between Islam past and present, and between Islam and the West.

2 editions

Review of 'The blue manuscript' on 'Goodreads'

Bought on now-regretted impulse at the National Book Festival last week. I don't like giving up on books but this is likely to make that cut - wooden characters and too many "did she really write that?" stylistic double-takes.

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Subjects

  • Excavations (Archaeology) -- Egypt -- Fiction.
  • Islamic antiquities -- Fiction.