RIYADH: The newly established restoration center at the King Abdulaziz Public Library in Riyadh has succeeded in preserving more than 3,000 rare scientific materials of cultural heritage. This includes photographs, documents, maps and rare books, as well as manuscripts.
The center was able to restore rare images depicting the old city of Diriyah, showcasing its location surrounded by a sea of palm trees.
The center restored 415 rare images of the city of Jeddah. The team of experts were also able to also restore 117 rare books, including their leather covers and internal pages.
In addition, the center restored a group of Saudi currencies, issued on 14 Dhu Al-Qa’da 1372 AH, corresponding to July 25, 1953 AD, when the Saudi Monetary Agency issued what was then known as the “receipts of pilgrims.” These were lightweight banknotes distributed and used during Hajj, starting at ten Riyals, of which 5,000 were printed with phrases in both Arabic and English.
The restoration center rehabilitated more than 615 rare documents and restored a series of rare magazines.
The center also cleaned up 2,235 rare and valuable maps in preparation for their restoration and preservation. The most notable was a map of the continent of Africa and the Arabian peninsula, drawn by Abraham Ortelius in 1570 AD.
The restoration center was inaugurated in late 2022, and has served as a space to handle artifacts carefully. Careful consideration is given to each item to maintain and preserve these pieces of history for future generations.
