Thanks to Prince Salman bin Abdulaliz Restoration and Preservation Center, which is affiliated to the King Abdulaziz Foundation, over 10 million ancient documents are coming back to life. The organization has renovated, sterilized and photographed millions of ancient papers, rolls and manuscripts, many of them dating back more than 900 years.

The center deals with these kind of documents and manuscripts through a number of young Saudi experts, who specialize in the preservation of heritage materials.

The work is done in six stages that include sterilization, treatment, renovation and micro filming, among other specialized treatments. The center receives documents, rare books and manuscripts from individuals and restores them in return of a small fee that covers the cost of the materials.

The center has restored and archived more than 21,000 documents and historical papers, as well as more than 200,000 books.

Prince Salman center's director, Sultan bin Hamad Al-Awaridi, said the organization's employees have been trained outside the Kingdom on how to treat and handle historical documents. Employees at the center, Al-Awaridi explained, use ozone and chemical discs to sterilize documents from pests that infest them after decades or centuries of neglect.

The materials are then subjected to a special chemical treatment to bring them back to their natural condition and clean them from dust, dirt or acidic substances. The department has been provided with an anti-forgery machines and chemical materials needed for the treatment process, in addition to paper separation devices, water desalination and withdrawal of gases.

Materials are then sent for partial or complete restoration depending on the extent of damage. Afterward, documents are microfilmed to preserve them for long periods in special lockers with controlled temperatures, between 21 and 23 degrees Celsius.

The restored materials are then taken to the binding section, to be bound in natural or synthetic leather and ornamented with gold drawings; documents and important historical materials are kept in boxes with special designations.