The bas-reliefs on the nine bronze urns in Huế Imperial Palace, including 162 motifs and Han characters embossed on the urns in 1835 and completed in 1837 in Huế under the royal order of the emperor Minh Mạng, were placed in the yard of Thế Tổ Temple and have never been moved up to now. This is an original and precious documentary source, which receives the attention of Vietnamese and foreign researchers because it bears the values regarding history, culture, education, geography, feng-shui, medicine and pharmacy, calligraphy. They bear testimony to remarkable bronze casting technique and the craftsmanship used to create these typical and original works. Notably, it is deeply influenced by a once widespread Oriental culture relating to the significance of the number “9” 九 and the casting of nine urns, symbolizing the unification and the long-lasting existence of a dynasty, of which these are the only remaining examples. The bas-reliefs on the nine urns have preserved the values on the social cultural relations and contacts among Viet Nam and other countries in East Asian region.
“Turkestan Album” 1871-1872 (2024)
The “Turkestan Album”, containing rare photographs and colour pictures, which are both scientifically and historically valuable, is kept in the rare book fonds of the National Library of Uzbekistan. The “Turkestan Album” consists of historical, archaeological, ethnographic and handicraft sections, studied and popularized by scientists. The album is distinguished by the completeness and originality of the materials taken from national photographs. The most complete picture of the territory of the country was created in the “Turkestan Album.” It was made in 1871-1872 and consists of four parts and ten volumes: “Archaeology”, “Ethnography,” “Crafts” and “History”. The parts of the album on archaeology and ethnography were prepared by orientalist A.L. Kuhn. Agronomist M.I. Brodovsky and botanist 1.1. Krauze prepared craft materials, V.P. Ivanov prepared materials on painting, and Rotmeister M.A. prepared materials on military history. The “Turkestan Album” photos were taken by N.N. Nekhoroshev. The work of creating an album was entrusted to Alexander Ludvigovich Kuhn (1840-1888). The photography was done in the city streets, markets, squares, villages, places where the nomadic population lives, and its surroundings, and the residents helped closely in this work.
The main task of the album was to show clearly the following:
1) ancient monuments preserved in the country (archaeology part);
2) modern life of the population – types, religious views, customs, clothes and residences (ethnographic part);
3) the country’s industry, handicrafts (handicraft part);
4) a portrait of the places where the Russian military operations took place and the people who paved the way to Central Asia (historical part). Currently, a complete form of the “Turkestan Album” is kept in the unique collection of the National Library of Uzbekistan named after Alisher Navoi.
Images of Khorezm Oasis by Khudaibergan Devanov (1879-1937) (2024)
Khudaibergen Devanov (1879-1937) was a pioneering Uzbek photographer, cinematographer, filmmaker and cameraman. He is regarded as a great figure of culture in his home of Khiva, responsible for taking photos of his city and its figures. Devanov’s collection evolved over the course of his entire creative life. It includes periods of the development of Khorezm: the years of the reign of Muhammad Rahim Khan II, Feruz (1864-1910), Asfandiar Khan (1910-1918), the years of the formation of the Khorezm People’s Soviet Republic (KhPSR, 1920-1924) and Soviet Uzbekistan (UzSSR, 1925-1937). These objects are the only visual evidence of real events that occurred at turning points of the Turkestan region. This documentary heritage in the form of a collection of photographic glass negatives and photographs testifies to historical and cultural originality and local uniqueness of Khorezm (the lower reaches of Amu Darya, Khorezm Oasis) and historical and cultural transformations at the turn of the 19th and the first three decades of the 20th centuries. A wide panorama of captured historical events, changes in political systems, diversity of ethnographic and social types, features of life and economic activity of the population, as well as samples of material, cultural and artistic creativity, serves as a reliable and truthful source of our modern knowledge about Khorezm that has not yet been studied and introduced into scientific circulation.
Hinilawod Epic Chant Recordings (2024)
The Hinilawod Recordings collection contains the Hinilawod, or the epics of Panay, recorded in audio format using a magnetic tape recorder by anthropologist Dr Felipe Landa Jocano and Panay Bukidnon epic chanters “Ulang Udig” from Lambunao, Iloilo and Narcisa “Hugan-an” Lingaya of Tapaz, Capiz, from 1956 to 1957. It preserved 15 epics (two were published) that were narrated/chanted in archaic Karay-a, one of the languages of Panay. The epics reflected the worldview of an indigenous people’s group that lived far from town centres, and was protected from lowlanders’ intrusion by their rugged terrain and environment. The recordings are the earliest known extensive documentation of the epics, which inspired wider interest in the studies of Panay oral literature. It preserved the living voices of the chanters, the very important sound of culture or performance that is the heart of an oral literature and which is absent in manuscripts of tales with origins in oral traditions. This is a sample of an indigenous oral literature with apparent precolonial provenance, thus, a rich resource for the understanding of the indigenous Bisayan culture and the shared and threatened oral tradition of the Asia Pacific region. Its inscription to the MOWCAP Regional Register will help in its immediate conservation, including transcription and translation of the remaining epics to prevent dissociation.
Doctrina Christiana en Lengua Española y Tagala (Christian Doctrine in Spanish and Tagalog), Manila, 1593 (2024)
The Doctrina Christiana is the earliest printed book in Tagalog and is the among the first books printed and published in the Philippines. The unique surviving copy in the US Library of Congress is irreplaceable and priceless. It bears witness not only to the endeavours of the Spanish colonizers to convert the local people to Christianity, but also to the existence of written language in Tagalog (the language of Manila) in the local script in 1593 C.E. It is of unique historical and linguistic significance for the people of the Philippines, Spain (from where the author and authorizers came from) and China (whose techniques and people physically produced the book). The book is also among the oldest attestation of possible correspondences of Philippine scripts to other Southeast Asian and Indian scripts. Thus, it can be said that its printing represents a crucial period in Philippine and Asian history, embodying the meeting of cultures, worldviews, technology and languages.
Mongolia’s First Postage Stamps ‘Eldev Ochir’ (2024)
In 1235, the Mongols pioneered one of the world’s first postal services. Over its 800-year history, they employed postal horse stations , which were later extended around the world. Continuing this historic tradition, Mongolia issued its very first postage stamps, known as “Eldev-Ochir,” in 1924, prior to Mongolia’s declaration as an independent state and the introduction of its national currency. (Notably, the stamps do not bear the name “Mongolia” but only the monetary denomination of each). These “Eldev-Ochir” stamps have garnered attention in the Asia-Pacific region and worldwide as symbols of freedom and independence. They also serve as evidence of Mongolia’s contribution to the development of postal services in the Asia-Pacific region. When the “Eldev-Ochir” stamp was first put into circulation in Mongolia in 1924, mail correspondence and parcels between Mongolia, China, and Russia increased dramatically. As a result, political, business, and personal postal relations between Russia and China, which have large populations in the Asian region, passed through Mongolia. All seven types in this postage stamp series are exceptionally rare and authentic, featuring “Eldev-Ochir,” a legendary sceptre symbolizing strength and an irresistible force. The vajra (Sanskrit: वज, romanized as vajra meaning bright lightning) is a mythical and ritual weapon symbolizing the properties of diamond (indestructibility) and lightning (invincible power). It is used symbolically in religious traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism and often represents the spiritual strength and spiritual strength of Asian peoples. Their inscription on the MOWCAP Regional Register in 2024, coincides with the people of Mongolia celebrating the centenary of Mongolia’s First Postage Stamps “Eldev-Ochir” and this year also marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Universal Postal Union, one of the world’s first intergovernmental organisations. These stamps hold historical and cultural significance not only for Mongolia but also for the Asia-Pacific region and the world, representing symbols of independence and contributions to the early 20th century emergence of global postal integration.
Family Chart of Hereditary Lords of the Khalkha Mongols, the House of Genghis Khan (2024)
“The Family Chart of Hereditary Lords of the Khalkha Mongols, the House of Genghis Khan” is a genealogy chart of 980 Genghisids that runs for thirty generations covering almost 700 years of Mongolian history and was compiled around 1832-1862. The chart is in the shape of multiple layers of a circular diagram reminiscent of the sun’s rays written with a brush in black and red ink on a coated canvas measuring 85 by 88 centimetres. The core circle starts with Genghis Khan followed by his youngest son Tolui Noyan, his grandson Kublai Khan, his great-grandson Crown Prince Chinkin, going on to include other emperors and princes of the Yuan dynasty and North Yuan, khans and princes of Khalkha Mongols. The Family Chart is significant because it is dedicated to the members of the famous Golden Clan, who played a significant role in enhancing cross-cultural exchange primarily in Central and East Asia through their cultural and trade-related policies. This document is one of only three remaining, oldest and most well-preserved authentic sources for studying the genealogy of Genghisids, because other related documents were destroyed during the Great Purge of the 1930s.
The Royal Correspondence of Baginda Omar (Surat Persendirian Baginda Omar) (2024)
The core of this collection contains the surviving correspondence of Terengganu’s ruler, Tengku Omar Ibni Sultan Ahmad Shah I, Sultan Terengganu Darul Iman IX, (1839-1876) also known as Baginda Omar.
It consists of 55 original letters and one official proclamation written in Jawi in the collection, with the core documents comprising both official and private correspondence. Documenting five turbulent decades (1844-1893) in Terengganu’s history, the letters range from diplomatic missives (from Siam, Kelantan, Pahang, Johor, Riau, Dutch and British) and family memoranda to business instructions and political intelligences. This collection offers a vivid glimpse into this significant chapter of Terengganu’s and Malaysia’s history while providing an illuminating look at the political intrigues of the various Malay courts during the advent of Western influence and dominance in the region. From a philological perspective, the importance of this collection cannot be overstated. The wealth of calligraphic styles, linguistic features, and seal imprints found in such concentration enables us to fill major gaps in our knowledge of 19th -century Malay epistolography and codicology. Besides, they enable us to understand Terengganu’s history during Baginda Omar’s reign as well as amplifying the history of the growth of Malay scribal activity in the region.
Al-Tarikh Salasilah Negeri Kedah: Genealogical History of Kedah State (2024)
This manuscript concerns the origin of the kings and the formation of the state of Kedah, Malaysia, providing valuable insight into the evolution of historiographical works by palace writers of the Kedah Malay Sultanate in the early 20th century. It was written by Enche’ Muhammad Hassan bin Dato’ Kerani Muhammad Arshad, the Secret Secretary of the then Sultan, on 5 January 1927. This manuscript has 146 pages and is in the custody of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. The original manuscript belonged to the author’s son, Enche’ Soda bin Mohd. Hassan, who presented it to the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
The manuscript begins with the first king of Kedah, Maharaja Derbar Raja who hailed from Persia (the date of his arrival was not stated by Muhammad Hassan). However, the earliest date clearly stated in the manuscriptis 531 A.H., correspond ing to 1136 C.E. when Sheikh Abdullah from Yemen converted Seri Paduka Maharaja Derbar Raja to Islam and renamed him Sultan al-Muzaffar Shah. The last part of the manuscript covers two important topics: the relationship and conflicts between the governments of Kedah and Siam and British interference until the signing of the Bangkok Treaty in 1909. Its historical value is not only in the written accounts of events depicting the sociocultural development of Kedah, but also in the inclusion of rules of governance.being one of the most important sources of information on the socio-cultural history of the Malay World that exists today.
The Tambo Tuanku Imam Bonjol Manuscript (2024)
The Tambo Tuanku Imam Bonjol (TTIB) is a single manuscript (codex unicus), written by the son of Tuanku Imam Bonjol (1772-1864), Naali Sutan Caniago, while he accompanied Tuanku Imam Bonjol’s exile in Manado. This manuscript contains a summary of the history of the Padri War in West Sumatra in the 19th century. It consists of three parts: the first part is the memoirs of Tuanku Imam Bonjol; the second is the memoirs of Naali Sutan Caniago; the last is the minutes of two meetings held in the Minangkabau highlands in 1865 and 1875. The main message of the TTIB manuscript is the awareness of Tuanku Imam Bonjol that egalitarianism and peace must be put forward rather than war. For the people of West Sumatra or Minangkabau, Imam Bonjol is claimed to be the leader of a reformist school and also a community leader in defending his land from invaders. His role in West Sumatra is taught in schools so that every citizen in the region and also throughout Indonesia recognizes him as a national hero.
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