Centuries-Old Copies of Quran Found in Turkish School’s Library

TEHRAN (IQNA) – Two manuscript copies of the Holy Quran, estimated to date back to 700  and 400 years ago, were found in the library of a school in the Zile district of Turkey's Tokat.

The Qurans will be delivered to the Turkish Directorate of Foundations.

Speaking to A Haber news agency about the discovery, Tokat Provincial Director of National Education Murat Küçükali said: "The Quran manuscripts are handwritten. One of them is 700 years old, and experts estimate the other one as around 400 years old because the date from the page was destroyed."

"They were found in the archive of the library of our Zile Imam Hatip High School. The works were immediately set aside to prevent further decay or damage. We contacted the Regional Directorate of Foundations soon after. The works will be delivered to the directorate," he stated.

"These gold leaf artifacts are very precious to us. Experts have already estimated their value. That's why they were immediately put under protection. The books are also important in terms of the hadiths written on the margins."

This news comes after the recent discovery of a historical Quran manuscript in Konya.

The "no school without a library" project was initiated by the Ministry of National Education. The work continues uninterrupted. "The reason why we delivered the works to the General Directorate of Foundations was that the age of works means they should be under the organization's protection. They will be preserved in the Mevlevihane."

Source: Daily Sabah