Thailand Looks to Iran for Quran Restoration Skills

IQNA – Thailand has expressed interest in benefiting from Iran’s expertise in preserving and restoring historic Quran manuscripts, as part of growing cultural and religious cooperation between the two nations.

A high-level Thai cultural and religious delegation has expressed strong interest in expanding cooperation with Iran in the field of Quranic manuscript restoration and preservation, during an official visit to the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) in Tehran.

The meeting, held on Tuesday, brought together officials from ICRO with representatives from Thailand, including senior figures from the Thai Quran Museum and cultural organizations.

Opening the session, Hojat-ol-Islam Seyyed Mostafa Hosseini Neishaburi, head of the International Quran and Propagation Center of ICRO, welcomed the delegation and emphasized the central role of the Quran in shaping ethical and spiritual values. “The Quran is a cultural common language among Muslims worldwide. It is a book that promotes friendship and compassion,” he said.

He underlined Iran's achievements in various Quranic fields, including the restoration of ancient Quranic manuscripts. “These accomplishments are visible in Tehran, Mashhad, and Qom,” Hosseini added. He noted that the Islamic Republic is ready to share its experience with Thai partners in areas such as digital archiving and artistic calligraphy.

Highlighting Iran’s scholarly contributions, Hosseini mentioned Tafsir al-Mizan by Allameh Tabataba’i and Tafsir Tasnim by Ayatollah Javadi Amoli as significant works in Quranic interpretation.

The Thai delegation was led by Chakrapong Apimahatham, head of the Command Center for Cultural Relations Development in Southern Thailand. He described the Quran as a unifying element across the Muslim world. “We came to Iran because we have repeatedly heard about the achievements of the Iranian people in Quranic fields,” he stated.

Apimahatham delivered greetings from the Thai King and Prime Minister and spoke about the work of the Thai Quran Museum, which houses manuscripts dating from 100 to over 1,000 years old. These texts have been discovered in various regions of Thailand and are now undergoing restoration.

“We have trained 46 museum staff in manuscript preservation techniques, and we aim to make these works publicly accessible,” he noted.

He also highlighted that the museum includes Quran education programs and is supported by the Thai Ministry of Culture. A key goal of the current visit, he said, is to learn from Iran’s methods in both restoring and digitizing ancient Quranic texts.

Mohammad Amin Heisameh, Director of the Thai Heritage Museum and Quran Education Center, expressed readiness for closer collaboration with Iranian Quranic institutions. “We’ve seen Iranian reciters excel in international Quran competitions. We welcome the opportunity to benefit from their knowledge and experience,” he said.

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