Syrian woman restores ancient religious manuscripts to the benefit of researchers
Record ID:
1633494
Syrian woman restores ancient religious manuscripts to the benefit of researchers
- Title: Syrian woman restores ancient religious manuscripts to the benefit of researchers
- Date: 24th August 2021
- Summary: PHOTOGRAPHER DISPLAYING PICTURES OF MANUSCRIPTS ON COMPUTER VARIOUS OF PICTURES OF ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS ON COMPUTER SCREEN
- 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: LVA002ERN3UJ9
- 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
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