Threatened Torah parchments in Iraq

Iraq

In 2019 the Revival of Kurd’s Heritage Foundation (RKHO), working in close coordination with the Sulaymaniyah Directorate of Antiquities, carried out a project for the preservation of 25 Torah parchments dating approximately between the 17th and the 19th Century AD. These parchments, which were preserved at the Sulaymaniyah Museum under precarious storage conditions, represent valuable relics of the religious and cultural life of the Jewish community that inhabited Iraqi Kurdistan until the mid-20th Century. Humidity and insects, coupled with recurring earthquakes in the wider region, pose a threat to the preservation of these documents.

Over the course of four months, RKHO’s staff has received tailored training on disaster preparedness; designed and manufactured custom-made boxes; and prepared and safely store the parchments in a dedicated space.