US Ambassador Impressed by Work of Kazakhstani Restorers

The main objective of the center is to acquire, restore and store samples of the ancient book heritage of the Kazakhs. In order to identify and obtain copies of important historical materials, the center’s specialists have already visited 12 countries; research work is being conducted in major foreign libraries and archives. As a result, more than 200 ancient manuscripts and archival documents on the history of Kazakhstan have been acquired. The center is establishing international relations with its foreign colleagues. Restoration and conservation of documents are also actively carried out. Restoration specialists have been trained in Russia, Iran, South Korea, and Armenia.

– To expand cooperation on a permanent basis, we invite ambassadors from different countries. In recent years, the center has been visited by more than 20 representatives of foreign countries. As a result of each such visit, it is possible to conduct negotiations on mutually beneficial cooperation, establish bilateral research work, – says the director of the National Center of Manuscripts and Rare Books Zhandos Boldykov.

During the visit, the US Ambassador was pleasantly surprised by the scale of the work on studying the ancient history of Kazakhstan. The guest was introduced to the exhibition “Heritage of the Great Steppe”, shown ancient manuscripts, and also presented with a unique laboratory for the restoration and conservation of written sources, in which Daniel Rosenblum himself was able to “work” for a short time as a restorer.

At the end of the meeting, Daniel Rosenblum thanked the center’s staff, emphasizing the strategic importance of its activities and all the work on returning ancient Kazakh manuscripts from abroad to their homeland. According to him, libraries and archives in the United States contain a large number of manuscripts, books and archival documents on the history of our country. Daniel Rosenblum promised that he would make every effort to establish the necessary connections between American archives and the National Center of Manuscripts and Rare Books of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and would also support the cause of strengthening cultural ties between the United States and Kazakhstan.