Gaza, Palestine - An international competition testing Muslim students' knowledge of the Koran is underway in Gaza, with participants from 20 countries taking part.
The al-Aqsa International Competition for the Holy Koran sees a panel of Muslim clerics posing questions to 70 competitors over a five day period.
Entrants are asked to recite Koranic verses from memory with the winners sharing $73,000 (£41,000) in prizes.
The competition was opened in Gaza City by Palestinian officials on Sunday.
Over 700 people, including leaders of Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, attended a cultural centre for the launch of the event.
Participants have travelled from countries including Senegal, Nigeria, Holland and Arab states to take part.
Celebrations
"The aim of this is to show our respect to the holy book of the Koran and to create a new generation of believers who are following the rules of the Koran," Yousef Salameh, Palestinian minister of religious affairs, told the Associated Press news agency.
Mr Salameh also praised the non-Arabic speakers among the competitors for their knowledge of the Koran.
The minister said the competition formed part of Palestinian celebrations taking place following Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
"We pray to God that next year, God willing, the competition will take place in the Al-Aqsa Mosque in holy Jerusalem," Mr Salameh added.
Palestinians hope to see East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent Palestinian state.