RIYADH: The King Abdul Aziz Foundation “Darat” has revealed how a Saudi researcher succeeded in saving a number of valuable manuscripts which were being stored in poor conditions at a mosque in Hail. It said the researcher handed over the precious manuscripts to the Foundation. They are now being showcased at the Exhibition of the Kingdom's Heritage being held at the Darat's headquarters in Riyadh. The story began with Bahssan Bin Ibrahim Al-Redan, a Saudi citizen living close to a mosque in Hail. Al-Redan discovered the manuscripts and historical documents and contacted the researcher. When he went to the mosque he found the manuscripts piled up in the room of the guard of the mosque because renovations were being carried out. He later found that the manuscripts were moved from the Khayria Library in Hail which was established by Sheikh Sulaiman Bin Amer Al-Amer at the Al-Magil Mosque in Hail in 1973. At this point, the researcher asked the guard for permission to take the 28 manuscripts and to restore them. He also authored a book about the documents called, “The Index of the Original Manuscripts in Hail”. The Darat published the book last year among a series of its scientific publications. In his book he said that after 10 months he handed the manuscripts to the Darat. He said he was encouraged by the fact that the Darat has many years' experience in preserving and restoring manuscripts.
