A law to protect manuscripts of historic and cultural value is essential, a study of the subject in the Kingdom has concluded. Abdul Kareem Al-Zaid, Deputy Director General of King Abdul Aziz Public Library in Riyadh and author of a study of the Kingdom's efforts to protect manuscripts, says that with around 27 percent of all original Islamic and Arabic manuscripts housed in Saudi Arabia, it is of utmost importance to protect them by law. The manuscripts include over 150,000 originals and 188,000 copies on film or paper, with the oldest dating back to the 11th century.
