PARIS: A French auction house has withdrawn from sale a Qur'an manuscript that was taken from Cairo during Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign at the end of the 18th century. Auctioneers Osenat said they had decided not to proceed with the sale in light of strong opposition in Egypt and representations from Cairo’s embassy in Paris.

“We are aware of the feelings that the proposed sale has provoked in Egypt and after friendly exchanges with the embassy, we decided to withdraw the manuscript from this weekend’s sale,” company director Jean-Pierre Osenat said. “It is a decision we took independently.”

The 47-page manuscript of the opening chapters, of the holy book was taken from the Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo by a Middle Eastern specialist who accompanied Napoleon on his Egyptian campaign. Egypt’s ambassador to France, Mohamed Moustafa Kamal, thanked Osenat for his understanding.

“The withdrawal of the said manuscript from the auction scheduled for June 9 reflects a great understanding of the very high moral and cultural value of this manuscript,” the ambassador wrote in a letter to the auction house.