Preservation of Cultural Heritage

PRESERVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE Such records are an extremely important source of knowledge for understanding events of the past. In this situation, preserving this record of the past becomes essential—both from an academic point of view and from an Islamic point of view. 2. A practical example of preserving cultural or historical records is found in the Quran in connection with Pharaoh. The Quran states that when Pharaoh, who was a contemporary of Moses, drowned and died, God said to him: “We shall save your body this day, so that you may serve as a sign for those who come after you: for many people are indeed heedless of Our signs.” (10:92) This verse clearly shows the significance of preserving historical remains so that later generations may learn from them. As is known, the body of this Pharaoh was mummified after death according to Egyptian custom and placed in a pyramid. This mummified heritage of Egyptian culture was preserved under God’s plan until it was taken out from an Egyptian pyramid in the late nineteenth century. Using the modern method of carbon dating, it was established that this was the same Pharaoh who drowned during the time of Moses. This preserved body of Pharaoh is still kept in the Cairo