Syrian woman restores ancient religious manuscripts to the benefit of researchers

Record ID: 1633493

  • Title: Syrian woman restores ancient religious manuscripts to the benefit of researchers
  • Date: 24th August 2021
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF RAJHA WORKING ON RESTORING MANUSCRIPT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) EXPERT RESTORING ANCIENT RELIGIOUS MANUSCRIPTS, RAJAA RAJHA, SAYING: "Because I work alone, the workflow is very slow. In addition, work conditions became harder than before. For example, there are power cuts, the situation has changed, so I cannot put a timetable to (restore the manuscript), although I should put forward a plan to restore the manuscript." VARIOUS OF RAJHA PICKING UP BOOK / RAJHA OPENING UP BOOK CASE RAJHA SHOWING RESTORED BOOK RAJHA CHECKING BOOK VARIOUS OF BOOKS ON DISPLAY DAMASCUS, SYRIA (AUGUST 23, 2021) (REUTERS) RESTORED MANUSCRIPTS ON SHELVES / SECRETARY OF MANUSCRIPTS AND DOCUMENTS IN GREEK ORTHODOX PATRIARCHATE, JOSEPH ZAITOUN, TALKING VARIOUS OF ZAITOUN HOLDING RESTORED MANUSCRIPT AND TALKING ABOUT IT VARIOUS OF ZAITOUN READING FIRST PAGE OF MANUSCRIPT PAGE IN MANUSCRIPT ZAITOUN'S HANDS HOLDING MANUSCRIPT AS HE TALKS ABOUT IT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SECRETARY OF MANUSCRIPTS AND DOCUMENTS IN GREEK ORTHODOX PATRIARCHATE, JOSEPH ZAITOUN, SAYING: "We might find something in a manuscript that we can not find in today's printed books which talk, for example, about saints. We might find information that is not available in books. This is what we see today through our work in manuscripts." VARIOUS OF RESTORED MANUSCRIPTS AND BOOKS ON SHELVES
  • Embargoed: 7th September 2021 10:41
  • Keywords: Church History Religious manuscripts Researcher Syria
  • Location: DAMASCUS, SYRIA
  • City: DAMASCUS, SYRIA
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Middle East
  • Reuters ID: LVA003ERN3UJ9
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: 57-year-old Syrian restoration expert Rajaa Rajha spends hours huddled in a lab specializing in restoring manuscripts at a small library in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Damascus. Originally a chemist, Rajha manufactures a special kind of paper to be able to restore the manuscripts. “I cannot use the paper that is available in the market because it contains impurities. The material that is added to the manuscript should be acid-free. So I make paper that is safe for the manuscript," she said. Considered a treasure trove for religious researchers wishing to study ancient Greek Orthodox history, the library is home to hundreds of ancient manuscripts. Most of the manuscripts were brought to the Patriarchate in 1860 when a civil war broke out in Damascus and led to the killing of hundreds of people and the damage of hundreds of books and manuscripts. Rajha, one of a few Syrian manuscript restorers, has been working in this domain since 2006, but the civil war that broke out in 2011 forced her to stop. Since resuming her work in 2018, Rajha says she has been facing many problems delaying the process, including constant power cuts. According to the secretary of manuscripts and documents in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate Joseph Zaitoun, Rajha’s work is instrumental as it allows them to find new information that is not available in contemporary printed books.
    (Production: Firas Makdisi, Kinda Makieh)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register