In the presence of His Excellency Prof. Hamid M.K. Al Naimiy, Chancellor of the University of Sharjah, the Sharjah International Foundation for the History of Arab and Muslim Sciences (SIFHAMS) organized a training workshop entitled First Concepts in the Verification of Manuscripts. This in cooperation with the Juma Al Majid Center for Culture and Heritage in Dubai and the Department of History and Islamic Civilization at the University's College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

His Excellency the University Chancellor welcomed the attendees, noting the importance of studying ancient manuscripts for the Arab Research Library. He pointed out that the University of Sharjah has a collection of those rare manuscripts, which were previously donated to the University by its President His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. His Highness donated the collection to enable researchers and graduate students to study and link their teachings to the present and the future due to their scientific and historical importance.

Prof. Mesut Idris, Director of SIFHAMS and Head of the Department of History and Islamic Civilization, headed this Workshop. Dr. Saleh Al-Lahibi, Deputy Assistant Director of the University of Sharjah for Branches Affairs, and Ms. Sheikha Al-Mutairi, Head of the Department of National Culture and Documentation at the Juma Center Al-Majid for Culture and Heritage, participated in the Workshop. It aimed to provide an overview for beginners in the science of manuscript verification, identified the most important issues contained in dealing with the manuscript, and introduced the elements of verification. It also highlighted several models to help enhance concepts related to manuscript verification and dissecting the parts of the manuscript to understand their nature.