TEHRAN –Three sets of manuscripts of the Holy Quran have recently been restored to their original state in the western province of Kermanshah, the provincial tourism chief has announced. 

“The manuscripts, which have been damaged through the years, belong to three villages throughout the province,” Jabbar Gohari said on Wednesday.

A budget of 450 million rials ($1,500) has been allocated to the restoration project, the official added.

The project involved cleaning old restorations, removing stains, removing surface dust deposits, and reversing the effects of physical and chemical corrosion, he noted. 

By maintaining work integrity and preserving it with as little intervention as possible and using little chemicals, the artistic and historical originality of each work was preserved, he mentioned.

Kermanshah embraces a variety of awe-inspiring historical sites, of which Bisotun and Taq-e Bostan are both on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Inscribed into the base of a towering cliff, Taq-e Bostan comprises extraordinary Sassanian bas-reliefs of ancient victorious kings divide opinions. Late afternoon is the best time to visit, as the cliff turns a brilliant orange in the setting sun, which then dies poetically on the far side of the duck pond.

Bisotun is a patchwork of immense yet impressive life-size carvings depicting king Darius I and several other figures. UNESCO has it that Bisotun bears outstanding testimony to the important interchange of human values on the development of monumental art and writing, reflecting ancient traditions in monumental bas-reliefs.

ABU/AFM