On the second day, they found a fresh spring in Jiezi. The camel was found lying by the spring, having become a big white stone. The water in the spring tasted just like the water back home for the Salars, so they decided to settle around the waterway, naming it Camel Spring, he said.

After that, the Koran was stored in the small town guarded by Salars, more recently managed for preservation by cultural authorities and occasionally exhibited.

The volumes excited the Muslim world when they were shown at an international exhibition in Syria 70 year ago, Nurimani said. But the years took their toll, and the Koran's long-term preservation was only ensured when a project began to repair it and put it on regular display to the public.

"The volumes were kept in a coffer, and damaged during their long history. They got wet, dented, and some paper broke off," Nurimani said.

They were taken out of the safebox in 2006 for repair by Xi Sancai, an expert in paper heritage and director of the culture protection technology institute of Nanjing Museum in eastern Jiangsu Province. After the work, the volumes were listed as a National Precious Ancient Book by Chinese authorities.

In 2009, the Hand-written Koran Museum was built to protect the volumes in a more scientific way, with just a few held in glass cases and the rest placed in specially designed storage away from public eyes. The attraction has registered more than 600,000 visitors each year since then, according to Nurimani.

"As a Muslim Salar, to guard the Koran is our honored responsibility," said the elder.

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