Expo 2020 Dubai’s massive site is full of hidden treasures—and for history buffs, here’s another one to add to your list you won’t want to miss.
A super-rare copy of the Holy Quran is on display at the United States’ pavilion, a translation that was owned by none other than Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, printed in 1764.
Jefferson, one of the United States’ founding fathers, wrote the American Declaration of Independence, one of history’s most famous documents.
Jefferson’s English translation of the Islamic holy book is one of the significant highlights of the Expo’s US Pavilion, themed “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of the Future,” a riff on Jefferson’s famous phrase from the Declaration of Independence.
Library staff installed the two-volume, 1764 copy of the Quran in a secured case as the first object on display after guests emerge from a sound and light experience that showcases the U.S. founding principles, particularly its innovations.
“Thomas Jefferson was widely interested in and curious about a variety of religious perspectives,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.
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