Islamic Manuscripts Around the World: Qurans, Calligraphy and Muslim Heritage (Part 1)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Islamic Manuscripts Around the World: Qurans, Calligraphy and Muslim Heritage is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: I want to share some of the handwritten scriptures I have seen at exhibitions and museums. The account keeps its focus on Islamic Manuscripts, Quran Manuscripts, Muslim Calligraphy while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
I want to share some of the handwritten scriptures I have seen at exhibitions and museums. These include the Quran Collection Hall in Jiezi, Xunhua, Qinghai; the East Great Mosque (Dongdasi) in Jining, Shandong; the City Mosque (Chengli Si) in Qingzhou, Shandong; the Khan Mosque at the Bakhchisaray Palace in Crimea; the Museum of Islamic Civilization in Sharjah, UAE; the Mevlana Mausoleum in Konya, Turkey; the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Turkey; the Islamic Museum in Malacca, Malaysia; the Islamic World Museum in Malaysia; the Quran Museum in Malacca, Malaysia; and the Islamic Arts Museum in Malaysia.
The Quran Collection Hall in Jiezi, Xunhua, Qinghai.
I was very lucky to visit the Quran Collection Hall at the Jiezi Great Mosque. I saw the handwritten scriptures that the Salar people brought with them when they moved from the Samarkand area to Xunhua over 700 years ago.
This set of scriptures has 30 volumes kept in two rhinoceros-hide cases. Historically, they were kept by the qadi (gazi). After the qadi system was abolished in 1896, the descendants of the qadi continued to look after them. People say in 1894, Ma Qishao (Ma Anliang) from Linxia seized the scriptures. However, on his way back to Linxia from Xunhua, he ran into a fierce storm and could not cross the mountains, so he had to return them. During the Republic of China era, Ma Bufang took them away again. They were not returned to Han Wushiba, a descendant of the Jiezi qadi, until the 1950s.
In 1954, these scriptures were sent to Syria for an international exhibition, where they made a big impression. After 1958, following a suggestion from the Salar Social History Investigation Group that was doing research in Xunhua, the scriptures were sent to the Cultural Palace of Nationalities under the name of participating in a 10th-anniversary ethnic exhibition. They were kept in the basement storage of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities for the next twenty years until they finally returned to the Jiezi Great Mosque in 1982.
The man who showed us around the collection museum told us about the migration route of the Salar people.
Taken in 1933 by the American missionary Pastor Carter Holton. Pastor Carter Holton lived in the Hehuang region for many years between the 1920s and 1940s. He left behind over 5,000 photos of ethnic customs in the Gansu and Qinghai areas. His second daughter donated the entire collection to the Harvard University Library in the early 1990s, and you can now view them on the library's official website.
Pastor Holton holding it himself.
Other hand-copied scriptures kept in the collection museum.
After the Salar people settled in Jiezi Town, the descendants of their highest scholar, Sulimanishahe, hand-copied these using specially mixed ink and a stick pen made from a tamarisk branch (gelimu). They are over 600 years old.
A hand-copied manuscript from the 17th to 18th century, bound in cowhide.
Shunhe East Mosque in Jining, Shandong.
Dongda Mosque in Jining, Shandong, was built during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. It was renovated in 1459 (the third year of the Tianshun period), expanded during the Kangxi reign, and renovated again under Qianlong, eventually reaching its current size. As Professor Liu Zhiping said, the rear archway, Moon-Watching Tower (Wangyuelou), rear hall, and main hall of Dongda Mosque create a grand and towering atmosphere with their overlapping structures. The artistic design of all its buildings represents the spirit and ambition of the Qianlong era.
Hand-copied scriptures kept at Dongda Mosque
Chengli Mosque in Qingzhou, Shandong
The oldest mosque in Qingzhou, Shandong, is the Dongguan Zhenjiao Mosque built during the Yuan Dynasty. However, Hui Muslims living in the city found it inconvenient to visit because the city gates would close early and open late. So, in 1546 (the 25th year of the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty), local elders bought the Tao family's residential land in Taojia Lane and built Chengli Mosque inside the east city wall.
Hand-copied scriptures kept at Chengli Mosque
Khan Mosque at the Bakhchisaray Palace in Crimea
The Great Khan Mosque (Büyük Han Cami) is inside the Bakhchysarai Palace in Crimea. In 1532, Crimean Khan Sahib I Giray moved the capital of the Crimean Khanate to Bakhchysarai, and the Great Khan Mosque was one of the first buildings constructed in the palace complex. The Great Khan Mosque was originally made of several domes, similar to the Seljuk style that was popular in the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. During the Soviet era, the Great Khan Mosque was closed and turned into an exhibition hall for an archaeological museum. After Russia occupied Crimea in 2014, the mosque underwent restoration, but some of this work caused damage to the building.
Handwritten scriptures on display in the Maqsurah loft of the Great Khan Mosque:
Copied by Hafiz Mas'ud in Bakhchysarai in 1794.
An 18th-century scripture bag.
A scripture copied in Crimea in 1748, paired with an 18th-century scripture bag.
Copied in 1808.
Copied by Hajj Mahmoud in 1746.
Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization in the UAE.
The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization was converted from a traditional indoor market in 2008. It houses over 5,000 Islamic artifacts from around the world, including calligraphy, manuscripts, carvings, ceramics, coins, and various scientific instruments.
Kufic script from Syria or Iraq around the 10th century.
Kufic script from Kairouan, Tunisia, in the 10th century.
15th-century India, written in Bihari script with Persian translations and commentaries. Bihari script was a popular style for copying scriptures in India during the 14th and 15th centuries. Its main features are elongated and thickened letter tails, vowel marks written as horizontal strokes, and most cursive strokes written at a 45-degree angle. Bihari script almost disappeared after the 16th century and only appears in a very small number of handwritten scriptures.
In 16th-century Iran, large text used the Thuluth script and small text used the Naskh script.
15th-century Egypt or Ottoman Empire.
12th to 13th-century Iran.
18th-century Syria.
17th-century Iran.
17th to 19th-century Iran or India.
17th-century India.
12th-century Iran
Rumi's tomb in Konya, Turkey
Rumi (1207-1273) was a famous 13th-century Sufi scholar and Persian poet. In Turkey, he is honored as Mevlâna. Rumi died in Konya in 1273 and was buried next to his father. His successor, Hüsamettin Çelebi, decided to build a tomb for Rumi. The architect Badr al-Din Tabrizi led the construction, and the tomb was finished in 1274.
The entire complex includes the tombs of Rumi and his followers, a mosque, a dervish lodge (tekke), and living areas for those practicing their faith. During the Ottoman era, this place served as the center for the Mevlevi Sufi order. In 1925, the Republic of Turkey closed all Sufi lodges and disbanded the orders. In 1927, the Rumi tomb became the Konya History Museum and opened to the public. It was renamed the Mevlana Museum in 1954. Today, this is a famous Sufi holy site in Turkey, and people from all over the world visit every day.
9th-century Kufic script
Written by the calligrapher Yakutu'l-Mustasimi in 1296
1314
Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts
The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts is located in a building from 1524 next to Sultanahmet Square in the old city of Istanbul. This was originally the palace of Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha, the second vizier during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
The museum started in 1914. It was first an Islamic Foundation Museum (Vakıf-ı İslamiye Museum) inside the Süleymaniye complex. After the Republic of Turkey began in 1923, it was renamed the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts. The exhibits changed from Ottoman Empire culture to art and culture from all periods of the Islamic world. In 1983, the museum moved to its current home in the Ibrahim Pasha Palace. It now holds over 40,000 pieces of art, including Islamic calligraphy, tiles, and carpets.
Early 8th century, Umayyad Dynasty.
10th century, Abbasid Dynasty period.
13th century, Seljuk Sultanate of Rum period, from Konya, the capital of the Sultanate of Rum at that time.
Late 14th century, Mamluk Dynasty of Egypt period.
1380, Mamluk Dynasty of Egypt period.
1333-1334, Ilkhanate period in Iran, copied by a scribe named Muhammed el-Hac Devletshah esh-Shirazi.
In 1338-9, during the Ilkhanate period in Iran, the scribe was named Yahya el-Sufi.
In 1318, during the Ilkhanate period in Iran, the scribe was named Ahmed b.al-Suhreverdi.
In 1323-4, during the Ilkhanate period in Iran, the scribe was named Huseyin bin Ali bin Camii.
In 1320-21, during the Ilkhanate period in Iran, the scribe was named Argun bin Abdullah Kamili.
Two copies written by Ali ibn-i Mehmed in 1306-7 and 1310-11 during the Ilkhanate period in Iran.
In 1286-87, during the Ilkhanate period in Iran, the scribe was named Yakut el-Musta'simi.
Shiraz, Iran, during the 17th-century Safavid dynasty.
Shiraz, Iran, in 1591 during the Safavid dynasty.
Shiraz, Iran, during the Safavid dynasty in 1549.
Shiraz, Iran, during the Safavid dynasty in 1580.
A book cover from the Safavid dynasty in Iran during the 17th century.
A scripture box from the Ottoman period, dating to the late 15th or early 16th century.
Written by the calligrapher Seyh Hamdullah during the Ottoman period in 1494.
Written by the calligrapher Ahmed Karahisari during the Ottoman period in 1443.
Written by the calligrapher Hafiz Osman during the Ottoman period between 1540 and 1550.
The Islamic Museum in Malacca, Malaysia.
The Melaka Islamic Museum is housed in the former office of the Melaka Islamic Council. The exact construction date is unknown, but it is thought to date back to the British occupation in the 1850s. Some believe the lower level was built during the Dutch occupation (1641-1824) and the upper level was added during the British colonial period. This building served as the office for the Melaka Islamic Council until 1990, when it became the Melaka Islamic Museum.
Hand-copied by a Haji from Melaka in 1881. The dark text is the original, and the light text is the Indonesian translation.
Hand-copied manuscripts in the museum collection.
Museum of Malaysia and the Islamic World.
The Museum of Malaysia and the Islamic World in Melaka is located next to the A Famosa gate. The building was originally an office for a British rubber company built in 1910. Melaka enjoyed a brief period of prosperity in the early 20th century due to the rubber industry. This left behind many large mansions belonging to Nanyang Chinese, as well as this British-style building.
Handwritten manuscripts kept in the museum.
Tools for copying manuscripts.
The Quran Museum (Muzium Al-quran) in Malacca, Malaysia.
The Malacca Quran Museum (Muzium Al-quran Melaka) is next to the Malacca State Mosque. It opened in 2008 and holds some interesting items.
From the Aceh region in northwestern Sumatra.
From Java.
Belongings left behind by a professor from Universiti Putra Malaysia.
A manuscript from the 18th-century Sultanate of Patani. This sultanate was located on the border of modern-day northern Malaysia and Thailand. Between the 15th and 18th centuries, it served as a center for Islam and printing in northern Malaysia.
A 19th-century Javanese manuscript made from a local Javanese tree leaf called deluwang.
A manuscript from the Aceh region in northwestern Sumatra dating between the 18th and 19th centuries.
A manuscript from the east coast of the Malay Peninsula dating to the early 19th century.
A modern manuscript.
Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia.
The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia is likely the museum with the richest collection and highest quality in the country, far surpassing the National Museum. The museum houses a large number of exquisite artifacts collected from all over the world.
Qajar dynasty of Iran, 1831.
Ottoman, 1599-1600
Ottoman, 19th century
Iran, 17th-18th century
North Africa, 18th century
Ottoman, 18th century
Dagestan, Caucasus, 19th century
China, 17th century
30-volume edition from 17th-century China
A 30-volume set from 1730 during the Qing Dynasty in China, featuring a brown embossed leather cover.
From the Mughal Empire in India, 1715.
A 15th-century miniature from India.
A 30-volume set from Gansu Province, dated March to April 1546, signed by Khaili Ibrahim Yunus Al-sini, featuring peony and cloud patterns.
From Terengganu state on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula, 1871.
From Pattani Province in southern Thailand, 19th century.
From the port of Cirebon in East Java, Indonesia, 19th century.
From Java, Indonesia, 19th century.
A scripture box from the Malay Peninsula in the late 19th century.
A 19th-century scripture box from Terengganu state on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula.
A special exhibition on bookbinding at the museum from May 8 to December 31, 2017.
Book cover.
A 19th-century woven book cover from the Malay Peninsula. Woven covers with grid or striped patterns were very popular on the peninsula, especially those from the three southern provinces of Thailand, known as the Patani region.
Summary: Islamic Manuscripts Around the World: Qurans, Calligraphy and Muslim Heritage is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear English, beginning with this scene: I want to share some of the handwritten scriptures I have seen at exhibitions and museums. The account keeps its focus on Islamic Manuscripts, Quran Manuscripts, Muslim Calligraphy while preserving the names, places, food, and historical details from the Chinese source.
I want to share some of the handwritten scriptures I have seen at exhibitions and museums. These include the Quran Collection Hall in Jiezi, Xunhua, Qinghai; the East Great Mosque (Dongdasi) in Jining, Shandong; the City Mosque (Chengli Si) in Qingzhou, Shandong; the Khan Mosque at the Bakhchisaray Palace in Crimea; the Museum of Islamic Civilization in Sharjah, UAE; the Mevlana Mausoleum in Konya, Turkey; the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Turkey; the Islamic Museum in Malacca, Malaysia; the Islamic World Museum in Malaysia; the Quran Museum in Malacca, Malaysia; and the Islamic Arts Museum in Malaysia.
The Quran Collection Hall in Jiezi, Xunhua, Qinghai.
I was very lucky to visit the Quran Collection Hall at the Jiezi Great Mosque. I saw the handwritten scriptures that the Salar people brought with them when they moved from the Samarkand area to Xunhua over 700 years ago.
This set of scriptures has 30 volumes kept in two rhinoceros-hide cases. Historically, they were kept by the qadi (gazi). After the qadi system was abolished in 1896, the descendants of the qadi continued to look after them. People say in 1894, Ma Qishao (Ma Anliang) from Linxia seized the scriptures. However, on his way back to Linxia from Xunhua, he ran into a fierce storm and could not cross the mountains, so he had to return them. During the Republic of China era, Ma Bufang took them away again. They were not returned to Han Wushiba, a descendant of the Jiezi qadi, until the 1950s.
In 1954, these scriptures were sent to Syria for an international exhibition, where they made a big impression. After 1958, following a suggestion from the Salar Social History Investigation Group that was doing research in Xunhua, the scriptures were sent to the Cultural Palace of Nationalities under the name of participating in a 10th-anniversary ethnic exhibition. They were kept in the basement storage of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities for the next twenty years until they finally returned to the Jiezi Great Mosque in 1982.
The man who showed us around the collection museum told us about the migration route of the Salar people.
Taken in 1933 by the American missionary Pastor Carter Holton. Pastor Carter Holton lived in the Hehuang region for many years between the 1920s and 1940s. He left behind over 5,000 photos of ethnic customs in the Gansu and Qinghai areas. His second daughter donated the entire collection to the Harvard University Library in the early 1990s, and you can now view them on the library's official website.
Pastor Holton holding it himself.
Other hand-copied scriptures kept in the collection museum.
After the Salar people settled in Jiezi Town, the descendants of their highest scholar, Sulimanishahe, hand-copied these using specially mixed ink and a stick pen made from a tamarisk branch (gelimu). They are over 600 years old.
A hand-copied manuscript from the 17th to 18th century, bound in cowhide.
Shunhe East Mosque in Jining, Shandong.
Dongda Mosque in Jining, Shandong, was built during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. It was renovated in 1459 (the third year of the Tianshun period), expanded during the Kangxi reign, and renovated again under Qianlong, eventually reaching its current size. As Professor Liu Zhiping said, the rear archway, Moon-Watching Tower (Wangyuelou), rear hall, and main hall of Dongda Mosque create a grand and towering atmosphere with their overlapping structures. The artistic design of all its buildings represents the spirit and ambition of the Qianlong era.
Hand-copied scriptures kept at Dongda Mosque
Chengli Mosque in Qingzhou, Shandong
The oldest mosque in Qingzhou, Shandong, is the Dongguan Zhenjiao Mosque built during the Yuan Dynasty. However, Hui Muslims living in the city found it inconvenient to visit because the city gates would close early and open late. So, in 1546 (the 25th year of the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty), local elders bought the Tao family's residential land in Taojia Lane and built Chengli Mosque inside the east city wall.
Hand-copied scriptures kept at Chengli Mosque
Khan Mosque at the Bakhchisaray Palace in Crimea
The Great Khan Mosque (Büyük Han Cami) is inside the Bakhchysarai Palace in Crimea. In 1532, Crimean Khan Sahib I Giray moved the capital of the Crimean Khanate to Bakhchysarai, and the Great Khan Mosque was one of the first buildings constructed in the palace complex. The Great Khan Mosque was originally made of several domes, similar to the Seljuk style that was popular in the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. During the Soviet era, the Great Khan Mosque was closed and turned into an exhibition hall for an archaeological museum. After Russia occupied Crimea in 2014, the mosque underwent restoration, but some of this work caused damage to the building.
Handwritten scriptures on display in the Maqsurah loft of the Great Khan Mosque:
Copied by Hafiz Mas'ud in Bakhchysarai in 1794.
An 18th-century scripture bag.
A scripture copied in Crimea in 1748, paired with an 18th-century scripture bag.
Copied in 1808.
Copied by Hajj Mahmoud in 1746.
Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization in the UAE.
The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization was converted from a traditional indoor market in 2008. It houses over 5,000 Islamic artifacts from around the world, including calligraphy, manuscripts, carvings, ceramics, coins, and various scientific instruments.
Kufic script from Syria or Iraq around the 10th century.
Kufic script from Kairouan, Tunisia, in the 10th century.
15th-century India, written in Bihari script with Persian translations and commentaries. Bihari script was a popular style for copying scriptures in India during the 14th and 15th centuries. Its main features are elongated and thickened letter tails, vowel marks written as horizontal strokes, and most cursive strokes written at a 45-degree angle. Bihari script almost disappeared after the 16th century and only appears in a very small number of handwritten scriptures.
In 16th-century Iran, large text used the Thuluth script and small text used the Naskh script.
15th-century Egypt or Ottoman Empire.
12th to 13th-century Iran.
18th-century Syria.
17th-century Iran.
17th to 19th-century Iran or India.
17th-century India.
12th-century Iran
Rumi's tomb in Konya, Turkey
Rumi (1207-1273) was a famous 13th-century Sufi scholar and Persian poet. In Turkey, he is honored as Mevlâna. Rumi died in Konya in 1273 and was buried next to his father. His successor, Hüsamettin Çelebi, decided to build a tomb for Rumi. The architect Badr al-Din Tabrizi led the construction, and the tomb was finished in 1274.
The entire complex includes the tombs of Rumi and his followers, a mosque, a dervish lodge (tekke), and living areas for those practicing their faith. During the Ottoman era, this place served as the center for the Mevlevi Sufi order. In 1925, the Republic of Turkey closed all Sufi lodges and disbanded the orders. In 1927, the Rumi tomb became the Konya History Museum and opened to the public. It was renamed the Mevlana Museum in 1954. Today, this is a famous Sufi holy site in Turkey, and people from all over the world visit every day.
9th-century Kufic script
Written by the calligrapher Yakutu'l-Mustasimi in 1296
1314
Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts
The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts is located in a building from 1524 next to Sultanahmet Square in the old city of Istanbul. This was originally the palace of Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha, the second vizier during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
The museum started in 1914. It was first an Islamic Foundation Museum (Vakıf-ı İslamiye Museum) inside the Süleymaniye complex. After the Republic of Turkey began in 1923, it was renamed the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts. The exhibits changed from Ottoman Empire culture to art and culture from all periods of the Islamic world. In 1983, the museum moved to its current home in the Ibrahim Pasha Palace. It now holds over 40,000 pieces of art, including Islamic calligraphy, tiles, and carpets.
Early 8th century, Umayyad Dynasty.
10th century, Abbasid Dynasty period.
13th century, Seljuk Sultanate of Rum period, from Konya, the capital of the Sultanate of Rum at that time.
Late 14th century, Mamluk Dynasty of Egypt period.
1380, Mamluk Dynasty of Egypt period.
1333-1334, Ilkhanate period in Iran, copied by a scribe named Muhammed el-Hac Devletshah esh-Shirazi.
In 1338-9, during the Ilkhanate period in Iran, the scribe was named Yahya el-Sufi.
In 1318, during the Ilkhanate period in Iran, the scribe was named Ahmed b.al-Suhreverdi.
In 1323-4, during the Ilkhanate period in Iran, the scribe was named Huseyin bin Ali bin Camii.
In 1320-21, during the Ilkhanate period in Iran, the scribe was named Argun bin Abdullah Kamili.
Two copies written by Ali ibn-i Mehmed in 1306-7 and 1310-11 during the Ilkhanate period in Iran.
In 1286-87, during the Ilkhanate period in Iran, the scribe was named Yakut el-Musta'simi.
Shiraz, Iran, during the 17th-century Safavid dynasty.
Shiraz, Iran, in 1591 during the Safavid dynasty.
Shiraz, Iran, during the Safavid dynasty in 1549.
Shiraz, Iran, during the Safavid dynasty in 1580.
A book cover from the Safavid dynasty in Iran during the 17th century.
A scripture box from the Ottoman period, dating to the late 15th or early 16th century.
Written by the calligrapher Seyh Hamdullah during the Ottoman period in 1494.
Written by the calligrapher Ahmed Karahisari during the Ottoman period in 1443.
Written by the calligrapher Hafiz Osman during the Ottoman period between 1540 and 1550.
The Islamic Museum in Malacca, Malaysia.
The Melaka Islamic Museum is housed in the former office of the Melaka Islamic Council. The exact construction date is unknown, but it is thought to date back to the British occupation in the 1850s. Some believe the lower level was built during the Dutch occupation (1641-1824) and the upper level was added during the British colonial period. This building served as the office for the Melaka Islamic Council until 1990, when it became the Melaka Islamic Museum.
Hand-copied by a Haji from Melaka in 1881. The dark text is the original, and the light text is the Indonesian translation.
Hand-copied manuscripts in the museum collection.
Museum of Malaysia and the Islamic World.
The Museum of Malaysia and the Islamic World in Melaka is located next to the A Famosa gate. The building was originally an office for a British rubber company built in 1910. Melaka enjoyed a brief period of prosperity in the early 20th century due to the rubber industry. This left behind many large mansions belonging to Nanyang Chinese, as well as this British-style building.
Handwritten manuscripts kept in the museum.
Tools for copying manuscripts.
The Quran Museum (Muzium Al-quran) in Malacca, Malaysia.
The Malacca Quran Museum (Muzium Al-quran Melaka) is next to the Malacca State Mosque. It opened in 2008 and holds some interesting items.
From the Aceh region in northwestern Sumatra.
From Java.
Belongings left behind by a professor from Universiti Putra Malaysia.
A manuscript from the 18th-century Sultanate of Patani. This sultanate was located on the border of modern-day northern Malaysia and Thailand. Between the 15th and 18th centuries, it served as a center for Islam and printing in northern Malaysia.
A 19th-century Javanese manuscript made from a local Javanese tree leaf called deluwang.
A manuscript from the Aceh region in northwestern Sumatra dating between the 18th and 19th centuries.
A manuscript from the east coast of the Malay Peninsula dating to the early 19th century.
A modern manuscript.
Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia.
The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia is likely the museum with the richest collection and highest quality in the country, far surpassing the National Museum. The museum houses a large number of exquisite artifacts collected from all over the world.
Qajar dynasty of Iran, 1831.
Ottoman, 1599-1600
Ottoman, 19th century
Iran, 17th-18th century
North Africa, 18th century
Ottoman, 18th century
Dagestan, Caucasus, 19th century
China, 17th century
30-volume edition from 17th-century China
A 30-volume set from 1730 during the Qing Dynasty in China, featuring a brown embossed leather cover.
From the Mughal Empire in India, 1715.
A 15th-century miniature from India.
A 30-volume set from Gansu Province, dated March to April 1546, signed by Khaili Ibrahim Yunus Al-sini, featuring peony and cloud patterns.
From Terengganu state on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula, 1871.
From Pattani Province in southern Thailand, 19th century.
From the port of Cirebon in East Java, Indonesia, 19th century.
From Java, Indonesia, 19th century.
A scripture box from the Malay Peninsula in the late 19th century.
A 19th-century scripture box from Terengganu state on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula.
A special exhibition on bookbinding at the museum from May 8 to December 31, 2017.
Book cover.
A 19th-century woven book cover from the Malay Peninsula. Woven covers with grid or striped patterns were very popular on the peninsula, especially those from the three southern provinces of Thailand, known as the Patani region.
