AP reports form St. Catherine’s in Egypt that authorities reopened on Saturday an ancient library which holds thousands of centuries-old religious and historical manuscripts at the famed St. Catherine Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in South Sinai.
Three years of restoration work was completed on the eastern side of the library that houses the world’s second largest collection of early codices and manuscripts, outnumbered only by the Vatican Library.
The ancient library includes around 3,300 manuscripts of mainly Christian texts in Greek, Arabic, Syriac, Georgian, and Slavonic among other languages. It also contains thousands of books and scrolls dating to the 4th century.
At least 160 of the manuscripts feature faint scratches and ink tints beneath more recent writing.
During the library’s renovation, archaeologists apparently discovered some of Hippocrates’ centuries-old medical recipes. The ancient Greek physician is widely regarded as the “father of western medicine.”
“The most valuable manuscript in the library is the Codex Sinaiticus, (which) dates back to the fourth century,” said the Reverend Justin, an American monk working as the monastery’s librarian. “This is the most precious manuscript in the world,” referring to the ancient, handwritten copy of the New Testament.
The library also held some ancient paintings which are currently on display in the monastery’s museum.
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Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Berthold Werner License: CC-BY-SA
Source: AP
