At the Ostroh Museum of Book and Printing in Rivne region, an exhibition about the city’s Tatar community will open on Friday, October 31, with the Ostroh Quran of 1804 as the main exhibit.
This was announced by the head of the Rivne Regional Council, Andriy Karaush.
“The Ostroh Quran of 1804 will be the central piece of the exhibition — it is the only known manuscript of the Quran created in Volhynia and, likely, in western Ukraine as a whole,” Karaush wrote.
According to him, the Museum of Book and Printing in Ostroh will unveil a renewed space dedicated to one of the least-discussed chapters in the region’s history — the past and present of the city’s Tatar community. The interactive space, titled ‘Ostroh Tatars’, will be presented on October 31.
Karaush explained that the exhibition aims to break stereotypes about the role of Tatars in Ukrainian history, highlighting the importance of the local Tatar community as defenders of the city and its residents, while also showcasing peaceful life, trade, and cultural interactions.
There will be four thematic sections: “Ostroh Tatars – Skilled Warriors and Traders” (covering the historical circumstances of the Tatars’ arrival in Ostroh, including the decision of the Grand Hetman of Lithuania, Konstanty Ostrogski, to settle captured Tatars in the city after the Battle of Vyshnivets in 1512 and the subsequent integration of the community into local life), Ethnography, Interactions, and Library.
The exhibition will feature around fifty museum artifacts, enhanced with an interactive book, a sensory table, and a touchscreen station. Visitors will be able to write a short text in Ukrainian and translate it into Arabic script, as seen in the preface of the Ostroh Quran.
