China Holds 'World's Oldest Manuscript of the Holy Quran'
Al-Anbat – Karam Al Hjouj
The earliest Holy Quran manuscript discovered in China to
date is kept at the Jihtsi Mosque in the Xinhua Autonomous Prefecture of Salar
in northwest China's Qinghai Province, according to China Daily.
The history of this copy of the Holy Qur'an, written in the
realized script, dates back to between the eighth and thirteenth centuries AD
and was brought to China by the Salar nation's ancestors who migrated from
Central Asia about 800 years ago and settled in the province, according to
academic studies and research.
The cover of this 867 page Qur'anic manuscript, divided
into 30 volumes, was made of rhinoceros leather, and each volume was wrapped in
blue silk.
The text is a testament to the history of Salar's
nationalism as well as the history of cultural contact between China and the
Middle East and Central Asia, according to Han Yi Si Ha, director of the
mosque's management committee.
In 2007, China allocated funds and organized Chinese experts
specializing in the restoration of paper artifacts to carry out the restoration
of this manuscript.
The Holy Quran was placed in a special glass cabinet with a
system of control over the oxygen level, temperature, and humidity for
preservation after it was listed as one of the "National Precious Ancient
Works" in 2009, and a special museum was established for it in the Jihtsi
Mosque that same year.
The mosque also has multiple copies of the Holy Quran on
exhibit, many of which were subsequently penned and printed in the region and
feature traditional Chinese calligraphy.
The population of the Salar nation represents 60 percent of
the population of Xinhua Province in the east of Qinghai Province, most of whom
believe in the religion of Islam, have lived generation after generation in the
province, and throughout the long history have conducted an exchange and
integration with the Hui, Tibet, Han and other nationalities, which is a
typical example of the unity of nationalities of the Chinese nation.