[BKARTS] Conservation of very old Koran...

[CARMIN Jim <jimc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

UPDATED: 16:58, August 28, 2006 By People's Daily Online 

China's oldest Koran manuscript to be repaired in Qinghai


China will repair its oldest manuscript of the Koran, said the Cultural
Relics Bureau of Qinghai Province recently. 

The State Administration of Cultural Heritage has allocated 440,000 yuan
to repair the manuscript and specialists from the Nanjing Museum will
travel to Qinghai to assist in its restoration. 

This version of the Koran has thirty volumes and is kept in a mosque in
Qinghai province. It is believed the Koran was brought into China from
Central Asia 700 years ago. 

Specialists say the book was written in the 14th century or earlier.
However, poor management and the absence of conservation practices have
placed the book in danger of being stolen and of rotting. 

http://english.people.com.cn/200608/28/eng20060828_297522.html

(440,000 yuan is roughly equiv. to $55,000.00 USD)

   Jim Carmin
   John Wilson Special Collections Librarian
   Multnomah County Library
   Room 2M-C
   801 SW 10th Ave.
   Portland, OR 97205
   503-988-6287 (phone)
   503-988-5226 (fax)
   jimc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

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