Kuwait research center still restoring historic documents
800,000 Islamic docus restored
KUWAIT CITY, April 2, (KUNA): Center for Research and Studies on Kuwait (CRSK) exerts great efforts to restore damaged manuscripts and documents due to their historic significance in Kuwait’s culture and heritage. CRSK targets the conservation and restoration of manuscripts and documents kept inside the center itself or in Kuwait’s ministries. The process requires wide knowledge of substances used in creating manuscripts in order to use the right method when restoring, to avoid creating extra damage.
Speaking to KUNA on Monday, head of the restoration department at CRSK Sheikha Al-Suaidan said that the first step is sterilizing the documents using a special device to get rid of insects and other living organisms that cause damage.
Such residues could not be traced by the naked eye. The process is then followed by the cleaning phase to remove dust and other dirt from the surface of manuscripts using brushes and sponges hooked to special machines, she said.
Meanwhile, Al-Suaidan noted that the center uses manual restoration, which is far more expensive than mechanical; using natural Japanese paper similar to the substances used in the old manuscripts.
The final phase is conservation and storing, where documents and manuscripts are stored under specific conditions, including fixed lighting and temperatures.
The center had restored over 15 million historic documents and manuscripts belonging to Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, 850,000 on the Iraqi Invasion, over 800,000 Islamic documents for the National Library of Kuwait and many more.
CRSK was established in December 1992 by an Amiri decree, aiming to be a main source for knowledge on Kuwait’s history and heritage. The center’s goal is to conduct research on Kuwait and publish them both locally and internationally.