Because of the Wars (especially the recent one) that took place in Kosovo, many monuments and other cultural properties of Kosovo were destroyed or stolen. During the 1998-1999 conflict, more than a third of Kosovo's 600 mosques were damaged or destroyed. Kosovo's Islamic heritage suffered devastating events during the "ethnic cleansing" operations. Qurans were found with pages ripped out and spread with feces, and valuable collections of Islamic manuscripts were burned. Preservation of cultural heritage is always difficult to discuss since every side in the wars made a contribution to the destruction rather than preserving the architecture of the other ethnicity. Preserving what is left and restoring what is lost, is one of the main goals of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, and many other non-governmental organisations such as: CHwB and RIC. Their work is dedicated in rescuing and preserving tangible and intangible cultural heritage touched by conflict, neglect or human and natural disasters.