The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in a high-level panel discussion organized by the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) under the theme “From Manuscripts to Dialogue.” The event was held at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Lisbon, Portugal, and brought together a number of leading specialists in religious manuscripts, history, cultural heritage, philology, and interreligious dialogue.

The scientific session, held on Friday, 26 June 2026, opened with remarks by Dr. Idham Hanash, Director of the Calligraphy and Manuscripts Center at ICESCO, who presented the keynote paper titled “The Aesthetics of Manuscripts: Bridges for Cultural Exchange and Foundations of Human Harmony.” In his presentation, he emphasized that manuscripts are among the foremost civilizational testimonies preserving the course of human knowledge throughout history. Far from serving merely as vessels for the transmission of science, literature, and the arts, they have also constituted spaces for civilizational interaction and cultural exchange among nations and peoples.

Dr. Hanash explained that manuscripts represent one of the most significant manifestations of humanity’s civilizational memory, embodying intellectual, aesthetic, and cultural values. He stressed that they are not only vessels of knowledge but also works of art, cultural symbols, and mediums for communication and dialogue. Concluding his presentation, the Head of the Calligraphy and Manuscripts Center called for the organization of an international scientific forum on the aesthetics and cultures of manuscripts, to be jointly organized by ICESCO and KAICIID.

For his part, Dr. Hani Al Balawi, Expert at ICESCO’s Center of Civilizational Dialogue, underscored the importance of strengthening international and regional partnerships in the preservation and digitization of manuscripts. He highlighted the complementary relationship between manuscripts and civilizational dialogue, while presenting the Center of Civilizational Dialogue’s flagship initiatives and projects aimed at fostering understanding among cultures and religions.