XINING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's oldest manuscript of the Koran has attracted thousands of visitors since it went on display at a scenic site in northwest China's Qinghai Province last month.
The one-month exhibition of the valuable work -- which dates back to around 1,000 years ago -- started on Jan. 23 at the tourist service center of the Camel Spring scenic area in the Salar Autonomous County of Xunhua. It is part of the county's cultural and tourism events.
The 867-page sacred book in 30 volumes has been stored at the Jiezi mosque in the county. It underwent restoration by domestic experts in 2007.
"This time, I took my relatives with me to the exhibit. It is a treasure of our ethnic group and country," said Han Guolong, a local villager of ethnic Salar minority group. "Seeing the manuscript, I feel deeply impressed."
Every day, the exhibit attracts about 6,000 visitors, who mainly come from Xining, the provincial capital of Qinghai and Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture in neighboring Gansu Province.
Camel Spring is named after the white camel which, according to legend, carried the Koran copy for the ancestors of the Salar group who left their homeland in central Asia and settled in Xunhua in the 13th century.
