From sandy beaches to busy stock markets—people read the Quran in unusual places

The world has discovered the oldest Quran.

London’s University of Birmingham has found two folios of the Islamic holy text—kept since 1936 in its manuscript collection. Both appear to be from the same era as Islam’s founder, the Prophet Muhammad, who is generally thought to have lived between AD 570 and AD 632.

As the world’s historians deal with the excitement of this discovery, Quartz brings you a collection of photos of people reading the holy text in the most unusual places—from war zones and refugee camps to stock markets and beaches.