Cultural heritage institute restores Buddhist scriptures on bark at Mongolia's request

A conservation scientist cleans a Buddhist scripture written on bark from Mongolia at the Cultural Heritage Conservation Science Center. / Courtesy of National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage

By Kwon Mee-yoo

The Cultural Heritage Conservation Science Center in the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (NRICH) finished conservation treatment on 17th-century Buddhist scriptures from Mongolia.

The Institute of History and Archaeology at Mongolian Academy of Sciences requested restoration of the Buddhist scriptures written on bark and paper, which had been excavated in 2019 from the archaeological site Sum Tolgoi in Tes soum, Zavkhan Province in western Mongolia.

The Buddhist scriptures were excavated as part of the "Cities of Mongolia in the 17th century" project led by Chuluun Sampildondov, the current Mongolian minister of culture, who served as director of the institute from 2018 to 2019.

The Mongolian institute sent 21 artifacts including the bark and wood scriptures to Korea's NRICH as the two signed the Arrangement on the Korea-Mongolia Joint Project for Research and Preservation of Cultural Heritage in 2019.

Buddhist scripture on bark from Mongolia before restoration / Courtesy of National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage

The Buddhist scriptures were excavated from dry soil and thus were torn to pieces or crumpled and the contents were illegible. The NRICH's conservation center removed pollutants and unfolded the scriptures and strengthened against tears with restoration paper made from Korean mulberry.

The center also used cellulose resin to consolidate the surface of the bark scriptures to restore them to a legible state, revealing the contents.

The restoration team also found clearly identified letters from infrared images and components of the pigment containing ink, silver and iron. Radiocarbon dating suggested that the paper scriptures are from around the 15th to 17th century. The Mongolian institute will continue research on the Buddhist scriptures based on results from the conservation treatment and scientific research conducted in Korea.

Buddhist scripture on bark from Mongolia after restoration / Courtesy of National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage

The two institutes will continue to collaborate on research.

"Taking this opportunity, we will try to newly prepare the plan for educational support human resources who are engaged in conservation treatment for organic materials relatively in inadequate environments to solidify amicable cultural relations between both countries," the NRICH said in a statement.

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