The Arabic Manuscripts Collection of the School of Arabic Studies-CSIC, Granada: Characterisation of decorative covers using new resources for their documentation

This paper presents a review of the most commonly-used practices for capturing images of decorative drawings from the covers of historical bindings. In particular, the work focuses on studies that are being carried out on 12th-19th Century manuscripts from the Arabic Manuscripts Collection of the Arabic Studies School-Spanish National Research Council (EEA-CSIC) in Granada. The key objective is to establish a methodology in order to optimise these practices, by implementing the latest technological resources and systematising the process of identifying and cataloguing the decorative motifs, as a fundamental part of their conservation. This registration process, together with other intrinsic parameters of conservation, forms part of a broader research process focusing on the material characterization and codicological analysis of the bindings included in this collection.