08 October 2024
Access restored to a number of digitised manuscripts
For the first time since the cyber-attack on the British Library in October 2023, access has been restored to 1,000 digitised manuscripts, via a new webpage. On this site the manuscripts are listed in shelfmark order, with brief titles and dates. The hyperlinked shelfmark leads to the manuscript viewer which provides basic metadata, thumbnail view options, and IIIF manifests.
This first stage of restoration includes 46 manuscripts from Asian and African collections, in Arabic, Chagatai, Persian, Ethiopian and Bugis, listed below. We hope to make more digitised manuscripts available soon. In the meantime, finding aids to Asian and African Collections are listed here, while this blog post gives information on alternative links to Asian and African materials in the British Library.
ARABIC, CHAGATAI and PERSIAN (5 manuscripts)
Illuminated panel from the opening page of a Chagatai manuscript, [Muntakhab-i] Dīvān-i Navā'ī, copied by Sultan 'Ali Mashhadi, 15th-16th century. Or 3493, f. 2v (detail)
| Add MS 7914 | Majmu'a / مجموعه | 914/1508-9 |
| Or 3493 | [Muntakhab-i] Dīvān-i Navā'ī / منتخب ديوان نوائي | 15th-16th century |
| Or 11249 | Dīvān-i Fānī / ديوان فانى | 916/1510-11 |
| Or 15877 | Quran, from Madura, East Java | 19th century |
| Or 16058 | Quran, from Dagestan | 1821 |
ETHIOPIAN (18 manuscripts)
Illuminated page from ኦሪት The Octateuch, ( Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth), 14th-15th century. Or 480, f. 88r
| Or 480 | ኦሪት The Octateuch, ( Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth) | 14th century -15th century |
| Or 481 | ኦሪት Octateuch, አርባዕቱ ወንጌል Gospels and Ecclesiastical works. | Late 17th century |
| Or 485 | መጽሐፈ ኩፍሌ መጽሐፈ፡ ኩፋሌ፡ Maṣḥafa kufāle Book of Jubilees . and መጽሐፍ ሄኖክ the Book of Enoch. | 16th century |
| Or 533 | አብቀለምሲስ, The Revelation of St. John . | 1700-1730 |
| Or 544 | ግብረ ሕማማት, Lectionaries for Palm Sunday and Passion Week. | Early 18th century |
| Or 584 | ድጓ Dēggwä. Hymnbook of the Ethiopian Church for the whole year, with musical notes. | 1735 |
| Or 607 | ነገረ ፡ ማርያም Nagara Māryām The Story of Mary . | 1730-1755 |
| Or 614 | ድርሳነ ሚካኤል Homiliary in Honor of the Archangel Michael. | 18th century |
| Or 641 | ታምረ ማርያም, The Miracles of Mary. | The second third of the 17th century |
| Or 645 | ታምረ ማርያም The Miracles of Mary. | 1700-1750 |
| Or 711 | ገድለ ገብረ መንፈስ ቅዱስ The Acts of Gabra Manfas Kedus. | 15th century |
| Or 714 | ገድለ ጊዮርጊስ The Acts of St. George. | 18th century |
| Or 718 | ገደለ ላሊበላ Gädlä Lalibla (The Acts of Lalibla) or History of King Lalibala of Lasta. | 19th century |
| Or 721 | ገድለ ተክለ ሃይማኖት Act of St. Takla Haymanot. | 1700-1750 |
| Or 739 | ዮሐንስ አፈ ወርቅ The Commentary of John Chrysostom. | 18th century |
| Or 790 | መጽሐፈ መድበል Mestira Zaman, vol.1 | 1721-1730 |
| Or 791 | መጽሐፈ መድበል Mashafa Madbal Vol II. | 18th century |
| Or 818 | ክብረ ነገሥት Kebra Nagast, or the Glory of the Kings”. | 1700-1750 |
BUGIS (23 manuscripts)
Compendium of fourteen short Bugis poems, late 18th-early 19th century. Add MS 12346, ff. 2v-3r
| Add MS 12346 | Bugis poems | 18th-early 19th century |
| Add MS 12348 | La Galigo | 18th-early 19th century |
| Add MS 12349 | Bugis diary from Bone, 1780-5 | 1780-5 |
| Add MS 12350 | Bugis diary, 1808-1812 | 1813 |
| Add MS 12353 | Bugis poems | 18th-early 19th century |
| Add MS 12355 | Bugis diary from the court of Bone, 1774-1793 | 1774-1812 |
| Add MS 12356 | Copy of the Bugis diary of the Sultan of Bone, 1775-1795 | 1806-1814 |
| Add MS 12357 | Bugis diary from Bone, 1795-1812 | 1795-1814 |
| Add MS 12358 | Bugis treatises on fire-arms and gunnery | 18th-early 19th century |
| Add MS 12359 | Documents in Bugis and Malay | Late 18th-early 19th century |
| Add MS 12360 | Bugis notes on medicine, agriculture, etc. | 18th-early 19th century |
| Add MS 12361 | Bugis poem | Early 19th century |
| Add MS 12362 | Bugis version of Hikayat Cekel Wanengpati | 18th-early 19th century |
| Add MS 12364 | Hikayat Muhammad Hanafiah | Late 18th-early 19th century |
| Add MS 12365 | Bugis treatises on firearms and gunnery | Late 18th-early 19th century |
| Add MS 12367 | Mystical treatises in Arabic, Makasar and Bugis | Late 18th-early 19th century |
| Add MS 12369 | A Volume in Bugis, apparently a European Calendar for the Years 1714-1718, adapted to the Arabic months. | 1714-1718 |
| Add MS 12370 | Bugis translation of Tanbih al-Ghafilin | Late 18th-early 19th century |
| Add MS 12371 | Akhbar al-akhira | 1764 |
| Add MS 12373 | Bugis diary from the court of Bone, 1793-1799 | 1793-1799 |
| Add MS 12374 | Verses from the Quran in Arabic, with Bugis translation | Late 18th-early 19th century |
| MSS Bugis 1 | Bugis diaries, 1660-1714 | Late 18th-early 19th century |
| MSS Bugis 2 | Bugis diary, 1776-1794 | Late 18th-early 19th century |