China publishes revision of its oldest hand-written Koran

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China on Thursday published a revised edition of its oldest hand-written copy of the Koran.

The book comes in at 870 pages. It is the oldest Koran China preserves, according to Zhong Jikun, doctoral supervisor at Peking University's research papers. The original was transcribed during a period after the 11th century, and was included in a national treasure index in 2009.

Koran with Arabic calligraphy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. /VCG Photo

Legend has it that ancestors of the Salar people, one of China's ethnic minority groups, left central Asia hundreds of years ago, carrying the hand-written Koran, and finally settled down by the Yellow River.

The original copy is acquired by a museum in Xunhua Salar Autonomous county in northwest Qinghai Province, home to more than 100,000 Salar people.

It is a tangible evidence of the Salar ethnic minority group's 800-year-old history and their religious belief.

"The photocopied edition can set a good example for preservation of valuable ancient books in China," said Ma Wenbiao, deputy director with Qinghai's ethnic and religious affairs committee.

(Source: Xinhua)