Kyrgyz national has been detained for an attempt to take ancient copy of Quran out of Tajikistan.

According to the Customs Service under the Government of Tajikistan, a 27-year-old resident of Kyrgyzstan’s Batken region was detained at the crossing checkpoint on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border in the Tajik northern Sughd province.

An 18th century manuscript Quran was reportedly found hidden in his Toyota Estima. 

Criminal proceedings have been instituted on the provisions of two articles of Tajikistan’s Penal Code: Article 32 – preparation for crime, and Article 289 – smuggling; an investigation is under way. 

The Quran is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims believe to be a revelation from God (Allah).