Archives, manuscripts and rare books from @SOASLibrary, the UK National Research Library for Asia, Africa and the Middle East | special.collections@soas.ac.uk

Joined October 2011
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Despite its vibrant colour, this painting by Ehigbor Osagie-Bruce Jude lyoghiojie highlights his concerns for the difficulties that confront ordinary people. #EYAColourful ow.ly/NaVT50YYRcq
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This beautiful print, 1852, by Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Sankai medetai zue, shows a combination of a beauty and a provincial product: Bonseki of Bichū and a woman looking at buds of plum blossoms. #EYAColourful ow.ly/vs8950YSrL7
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Front binding of Muhammad Zuhūrī's Divan (late C16th). The cover is painted in a wonderfully colourful collection of flowers in reds, pinks and blues on a gold ground with small stylised birds appearing here and there. #EYAColourful ow.ly/256l50YSryG
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'Royal Lamba' from Madagascar, presented to Rev A. R. Down as the district missionary. The age of this burial cloth is unknown. Lambas used for royal burial were of finer quality with gold threads. #EYAColourful ow.ly/7JwE50YSqWq in
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18th century Christian liturgical texts in Bohairic Coptic with Arabic glosses. Coptic was derived from Ancient Egyptian and written in a modified Greek alphabet. #EYAHandwriting ow.ly/JVbO50YRJMg
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Early C13th manuscript edition of the Kokin wakashū of 905, the first imperially commissioned anthology of waka, Japanese court poetry. #EYAHandwriting ow.ly/209650YRIVo
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Hausa poem in praise of Muhammad written by Dāwūd, Son of the Imam of the Mosque of Bello. #EYAHandwriting ow.ly/b5it50YRICE
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Notebooks of William Dawes, 1790, documenting the grammar and vocab of the language spoken in the area around Sydney, Australia. These books are the major source of information about the Aboriginal language of Sydney. #EYAHandwriting ow.ly/2zjl50YRHmC
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This palm-leaf manuscript contains three religious works written in Pali with Sinhalese. #EYAHandwriting ow.ly/928o50YRGZY
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Vocabularies of the Taheitian & some other languages, compiled by Joseph Banks during Captain James Cook's first voyage in 1760. #EYAHandwriting ow.ly/W1VF50YSp3E
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A handwritten native Siamese primer. With an inscription by G.Perry stating that he received it from Captain Francis Light (whose signature is added at the end) at Madras on the 14th July 1778. #EYAHandwriting ow.ly/q9Ec50YSqbQ
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The Stencl papers contain hundreds of scribbled drafts of poems and memoirs, often written on the back of re-purposed paper, such as napkins or receipts. ow.ly/h4ZP50YRF0f #EYAHAndwriting
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This manuscript map was draw and annotated by David Livingstone documenting his '‘Journey thro’ Barotseland’ in 1853 digital.soas.ac.uk/Documents… #EYAHandwriting
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This letter, dated 1777, is from Than Phya Phimon Aisawan, Siamese Governor of Thalang and Than Phya Surintharacha, Siamese Superintendent to Captain Francis Light. The letter relates to the supply of 4000 muskets by Light to the Siamese Gvt. MS380629 #EYAHandwriting
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The hand captured in these images published by the International Association of the Vrindaban Research insitute show three gestures traditional in Indian dance: Bherunda, Chatura and Garuda. #InternationalDanceDay digital.soas.ac.uk/documents…
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This portrait of Honourable William Ainslie, Puisne Judge of the High Court, Calcutta is from Sketches of Indian military and civil service notabilities of the Victorian-Edwardian age. See more portraits here: ow.ly/6vLj50Ysocn #EYACrime
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This example of mail art by Hassan Musa, 1933 is titled 'En taule avec des amis Hollondais' (in jail with Dutch friends'. See more of his work here: ow.ly/YXuU50YsnOS #EYACrime
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This manuscript contains illustrations of the ten halls of Bhuddistic judgement with their various kinds of punishment. This image shows the Hades or Hall of Buddha, also known as the Courts of Hell.#EYACrime ow.ly/uoHZ50YsmGQ
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Next time you're at SOAS Special Collections why not check out some of our comic magazines? This didactic cartoon comic showcases the inadvisability of crime with a comedic twist! (PP MS 46, Hake, Box 29) #EYAcrime
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Smuggling shadowed every China Navigation Co. voyage - bold, audacious, and woven into daily life. In the chaos of departure, 'pidgin' contraband slipped aboard: opium, alcohol, tobacco, textiles. Sailors looked away… or helped. #EYACrime Read more here: ow.ly/638L50Ysl2U
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