King Abdulaziz Archive Restores 10,861 Rare Documents and Manuscripts
The Restoration and Conservation Center at the King Abdulaziz Public Library successfully restored and conserved 10,861 historical and documentary items from the library’s collections, including manuscripts, rare books, documents, photographs, maps, newspapers, and periodicals. These specialized efforts aim to protect the holdings from deterioration and preserve their historical and intellectual value.
The items treated included rare artifacts, some dating back more than two and a half centuries. Among them was a historical map of the Arabian Peninsula originating from 1771, alongside photographs documenting the Two Holy Mosques and Saudi cities, as well as press publications recording significant milestones in the Kingdom’s history.
The restoration work encompassed a collection of historical photographs documenting the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, as well as the urban transformations that Mecca and Medina underwent during various historical periods. The center also treated historical images of Arabian horses and royal stables associated with several kings and princes of the Kingdom, along with old photographs of Taif that document its landmarks, urban development, and scenes from its social life.
These restoration efforts aim to protect this visual heritage from damaging factors and preserve it as a historical resource that can be utilized in specialized studies and research.
The center’s work extended to restoring rare newspapers, magazines, and periodicals affected by the passage of time. This included a special edition of Al-Riyadh newspaper titled “Al-Riyadh: Between the Past and the Present,” whose pages were rehabilitated while preserving its original characteristics and appearance. The center also restored the fourteenth issue of Al-Sawt Al-Sharq (Voice of the East) magazine, published in 1953 and dedicated to the Kingdom during the reign of King Saud, as well as issue number 960 of Al-Khawatir newspaper, published on March 29, 1975, which documented the death of King Faisal bin Abdulaziz.
These publications underwent precise cleaning, conservation, and reinforcement processes to halt signs of deterioration and preserve their original components and documentary value.
