The Collection of the Al-Biruni Institute of Oriental Studies
This is one of the most important collections of Central Asian manuscripts.
This is one of the most important collections of Central Asian manuscripts.
The Tarikh-e-Khandan-e- Timuriyah recounts the history of the Timurids i.e. of Timur and his successors in Iran and India.
A 1134 year old palm leaf manuscript, considered as the oldest document in the field of Ayurveda medicine, a systematic and formal tradition of healing that became South Asia's principal medical system and has profoundly influenced all cultures surrounding South Asia including Tibet, Central Asia, China, South-East Asia and the Middle East. The manuscript focuses especially on surgery and discusses various kinds of diseases related to heart, skin, gynecology, etc.
The Vedas are generally known as the scriptures of the Hindu community.
China, the birthplace of the Han culture has always been the center of oriental culture, of which the Qing Dynasty, China's last feudal dynasty, is particularly representative. Its administrative policies transcended national boundaries and many east Asian countries were vassal states of this dynasty which witnessed dramatic social changes. The decline of the feudal civilization in favour of modern western civilization is a subject of study in current world-wide history research.
The existing documents range in date from the middle of the 18th century to the beginning of the 20th century, and cover imperial architecture in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning and Shanxi. The archives are rich and invaluable resources, as there are drawings and models about architectural surveys, designs, plans for construction and decoration, referring to cities, palaces, gardens, altars, mausoleums, official residences, modern factories, and schools.
A collection of 22 invaluable original documents including imperial edicts issued by the Yuan Emperors, religious edicts issued by the Imperial Preceptors and orders from Tibetan political rulers written in Tibetan language and the rare Phags-pa script. They provide authentic evidence in understanding the political, religious, economic and cultural aspects of ancient Tibet.
The earliest surviving tantric manuscript and as such it is important source for the early history of tantrism. It has had a great influence in shaping other tantric texts. Tantrism has had impact on many major Asian religions and even influenced Islam practiced in India.
Tanjur (Tibetan for translation of treatise) have had a huge effect on the development of Mongolian literature and other branches of science. The proposed inscription concerns a large collection of over 3427 works on ten disciplines created by ancient Indian and Tibetan scientists and panditas. It has served as a theoretical guide for translators and moreover greatly contributed to the translation of Mongolian of the Middle Ages.
The present collection of medical manuscripts is unique. Some of these manuscripts are available only in this collection. Only a few manuscripts of other books have been recorded in the manuscript depositories of the World. However, all of these books are fundamental works and once were widely used all over the Muslim World. With time many manuscripts were lost. Therefore, the present collection is unique and irreplaceable.
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