SHARJAH – One of the oldest manuscripts of the holy Qur’an is drawing a huge number of visitors to the Sharjah International Book Fair, driven by hope to see the 1350-year-old replica.

The replica on display at the UK’s University of Birmingham stand at the fair is a copy of the original, that has been carbon-dated to 468-645AD, Gulf News reported.

In July 2015, fragments of what is believed to be the world’s oldest Qur’an have been found in the University of Birmingham with experts saying the manuscripts date back to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) era, some 1370 years ago.

The manuscripts of the Muslim holy text were found in the university’s library and are believed to date as far back as 1,370 years.

The announcement followed radiocarbon analysis which proved that they were written in the period between 568CE and 645CE, with 95.4% accuracy.

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is believed to have lived between 570CE and 632CE, meaning the text found at the university was written during the Prophet’s life.

The manuscripts consist of parts of Suras [chapters] 18 to 20 of the holy book, written in an early form of Arabic script known as Hijaz.

At the Quran stand, located in Hall 5, there are also interactive touchscreens that allow visitors to explore the background, details, and facts regarding the manuscript.

The University of Birmingham’s Quran script will be on display throughout the duration of the 11-day fair, which ends on November 11.

This year’s edition of the world’s third largest book fair is witnessing the participation of 1,650 publishing houses from 60 countries. More than 1.5 million titles are on display at the event.