08 October 2013
Malay
Digital access to Malay manuscripts
The collection of Malay manuscripts in the British Library consists of about 100 volumes and over 300 documents, uniting collections from the British Museum and the India Office Library, including the archives of the English East India Company. These manuscripts originate from all parts of maritime Southeast Asia, including present-day Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, and the southern regions of Thailand and the Philippines, and range in date from the 17th to the early 20th century. The strengths of the collection are in the fields of literature, history and law, and include some exceptionally significant items such as the oldest known copy of the earliest Malay history, Hikayat Raja Pasai (Or. 14350), and one of the finest illuminated Malay manuscripts, a copy of the Taj al-Salatin (Or. 13295).
Final pages of the Taj al-Salatin, copied in Penang and dated 4 Zulhijah 1239 (31 July 1824). British Library, Or.13295, ff.190v-191r.
Through the generous support of William and Judith Bollinger, the complete collection of Malay manuscript volumes in the British Library was digitised between 2013 and 2015, in collaboration with the National Library Board of Singapore. The manuscripts can be accessed through the British Library's Digitised Manuscripts site, and also on the National Library of Singapore's BookSG site. Most of the Malay manuscripts listed below are described in M.C. Ricklefs and P. Voorhoeve, Indonesian manuscripts in Great Britain (Oxford: Oxford University Press: 1977), an updated edition of which, to include recent acquisitions, has recently been published:
M.C.Ricklefs, P.Voorhoeve and Annabel Teh Gallop. Indonesian manuscripts in Great Britain: a catalogue of manuscripts in Indonesian languages in British public collections. New Edition with Addenda et Corrigenda. Jakarta: Ecole française d’Extrême-Orient, Perpustakaan Nasional Republik Indonesia, Yayasan Pustaka Obor Indonesia, 2014.
Listed below are digitised Malay manuscripts, and Arabic manuscripts from Southeast Asia; Lampung manuscripts; and Qur'an manuscripts from Southeast Asia. Hyperlinks from the shelfmark link to the catalogue description for each manuscript; then click on the thumbnail image to get to the full digitised version of the manuscript. Also included in the list below are links to related blog posts, where available. If you would like to keep in touch with progress, follow us on Twitter @BLAsia_Africa or @BLMalay; or contact me by e-mail: [email protected]
Blog post, 3 May 2021: Bollinger Singapore digitisation project completed
Malay
IO Islamic 2906 Islamic catechism in Arabic by al-Samarqandi, with Malay translation, Batavia, early 19th c.
Blog post, 7 January 2015: From Samarkand to Batavia: a popular Islamic catechism in Malay
MSS Malay A.1 Hikayat Ular Nangkawang, early 19th c.
Blog post, 9 Jan 2017: Malay literary manuscripts in the John Leyden collection
MSS Malay A.2 Syair perahu, treebark MS, 18th c.
Blog post, 16 April 2015: Malay manuscripts from south Sumatra
MSS Malay A.3 Malay-Javanese-Madurese vocabulary, early 19th c.
Blog post, 3 April 2015: Early vocabularies of Malay
MSS Malay A.4 Surat pantun cara Lampung, 1812
Blog post, 16 April 2015: Malay manuscripts from south Sumatra
MSS Malay B.1 Hikayat Hang Tuah, final chapters, Penang, early 19th c.
Blog post, 20 January 2014: Ibrahim, portrait of a Malay scribe
MSS Malay B.2 Hikayat Pelanduk Jenaka, 1804
Blog post, 10 February 2015: The wily Malay mousedeer
MSS Malay B.3 Syair orang berbuat amal; Syair Silambari; Syair surat kirim kepada perempuan; Hikayat mi’raj Nabi Muhammad; Penang, 1806
Blog post, 20 January 2015: Ibrahim, portrait of a Malay scribe
MSS Malay B.4 Hikayat Pandawa Jaya, Kota Setar, Kedah, 1805
Blog post, 16 September 2015: The Mahabharata in Malay manuscripts
MSS Malay B.5 Hikayat Putera Jaya Pati, 1806
Blog post, 10 March 2015: Soother of sorrows or seducer of morals? The Malay Hikayat Inderaputera
MSS Malay B.6 Hikayat Muhammad Hanafiah, 1805
Blog post, 27 January 2015: A Malay spur to valour: the Hikayat Muhammad Hanafiah
MSS Malay B.7 Hikayat Bayan Budiman, 1808
Blog post, 3 March 2015: The Malay tale of the wise parrot
MSS Malay B.8 Hikayat Bayan Budiman, first 10 stories, 1808
Blog post, 3 March 2015: The Malay tale of the wise parrot
MSS Malay B.9 Syair Jaran Tamasa, 1804, copied by Ismail
Blog post, 9 November 2015: A Scottish poet's favourite Malay poem? Syair Jaran Tamasa
MSS Malay B.10 Hikayat Pelanduk Jinaka; Hikayat Lima Fasal, 1805
Blog post, 10 February 2015: The wily Malay mousedeer
MSS Malay B.11 Adat Aceh, early 19th c.
Blog post, 13 November 2017: Adat Aceh: royal Malay statecraft in the 17th century
MSS Malay B.12 Hikayat Perang Pandawa Jaya, 1804
Blog post, 16 September 2015: The Mahabharata in Malay manuscripts
MSS Malay B.13 Kitab pengajaran pada segala orang sekalian, [Batavia, early 19th c.]
Blog post, 19 May 2015: A Jawi sourcebook for the study of Malay palaeography and orthography
MSS Malay B.14 Hikayat Inderaputera, ca. 1821
Blog post, 10 March 2015: Soother of sorrows or seducer of morals? The Malay Hikayat Inderaputera
MSS Malay B.15 Kitab Obat-Obat dan Azimat, Pontianak, 1813
Blog post, 19 May 2015: A Jawi sourcebook for the study of Malay palaeography and orthography
MSS Malay C.1 Hikayat Cekel Waneng Pati, early 19th c.
Blog post, 29 June 2015: Panji stories in Malay
MSS Malay C.2 Hikayat Cekel Waneng Pati, 1787
Blog post, 29 June 2015: Panji stories in Malay
MSS Malay C.3 Hikayat Mesa Tandraman, Penang, 1806
Blog post, 29 June 2015: Panji stories in Malay
Blog post, 20 January 2015: Ibrahim, portrait of a Malay scribe
MSS Malay C.4 Hikayat Isma Yatim, early 19th c.
Blog post, 9 Jan 2017: Malay literary manuscripts in the John Leyden collection
MSS Malay C.5 Hikayat Isma Yatim, Penang, 1807
Blog post, 20 January 2015: Ibrahim, portrait of a Malay scribe
MSS Malay C.6 Hikayat Silindung Dalima, 1808
Blog post, 9 Jan 2017: Malay literary manuscripts in the John Leyden collection
MSS Malay C.7 Islamic catechism in Malay [on sembahyang, hukum nikah, etc.], Batavia, early 19th c.
Blog post, 7 January 2015: From Samarkand to Batavia: a popular Islamic catechism in Malay
MSS Malay C.8 Hikayat Maharaja Boma, 1805
Blog post, 16 September 2015: The Mahabharata in Malay manuscripts
MSS Malay D.1 Hikayat Dewa Mandu, 1808
Blog post, 9 Jan 2017: Malay literary manuscripts in the John Leyden collection
MSS Malay D.2 Hikayat Raja Dewa Maharupa, 1802
Blog post, 9 Jan 2017: Malay literary manuscripts in the John Leyden collection
MSS Malay D.3 Hikayat Parang Puting, copied by Ibrahim, Penang, 1806
Blog post, 20 January 2015: Ibrahim, portrait of a Malay scribe
MSS Malay D.4 Hikayat Nabi Yusuf, Perlis, 1802
Blog post, 21 December 2015: A Malay manuscript artist unveiled: Datuk Muda Muhammad of Perlis
MSS Malay D.5 Hikayat Muhammad Hanafiah, Hikayat Syahi Mardan, Hikayat Pelanduk Jenaka, Hikayat Nabi Muhammad ... berperang dengan Raja Khaibar, 1805
Blog post, 27 January 2015: A Malay spur to valour: the Hikayat Muhammad Hanafiah
Blog post, 10 February 2015: The wily Malay mousedeer
MSS Malay D.6 Syair Jaran Tamasa, copied by Muhammad Bakhar; Hikayat Budak Miskin, copied by Muhammad Kasim, Penang; 1806
Blog post, 9 November 2015: A Scottish poet's favourite Malay poem? Syair Jaran Tamasa
MSS Malay D.7 Caritra Rama (romanized), Surabaya, 1812
Blog post, 16 September 2015: The Mahabharata in Malay manuscripts
MSS Malay D.8 Hikayat Babad (romanized), written for Raffles, 1815
Blog post, 12 May 2015: Malay manuscripts on Javanese history
MSS Malay D.9 Hikayat Tanah Jawa
Blog post, 12 May 2015: Malay manuscripts on Javanese history
MSS Malay D.10 Undang-undang Melaka
Blog post, 20 Feb 2015: Malay legal texts
MSS Malay D.11 Tembai (on bamboo strips), south Sumatra
Blog post, 16 April 2015: Malay manuscripts from south Sumatra
MSS Malay D.12 Undang-undang Aceh, 1873
Blog post, 20 Feb 2015: Malay legal texts
MSS Malay D.13 Genealogy of Luwu
Blog post, 10 April 2015: Royal genealogies from Indonesia and the Malay world
MSS Malay F.1 Genealogy of Pajajaran, 19th c.
Blog post, 10 April 2015: Royal genealogies from Indonesia and the Malay world
MSS Malay F.2 Dutch-English-Malay vocabulary
Blog post, 3 April 2015: Early vocabularies of Malay
MSS Eur A 33 Malay-English vocabulary, 17th c. Bowrey collection
Blog post, 3 April 2015: Early vocabularies of Malay
MSS Eur B 37 English-Malay vocabulary, 19th c.
Blog post, 3 April 2015: Early vocabularies of Malay
MSS Eur D 742/1 Raffles Family Collection, Malay letters sent to Raffles in Melaka, 1811
Blog post, 23 November 2015: Royal Malay letters and seals from Pontianak
MSS Eur E 110 Malay-English vocabulary, 19th c. Raffles collection
Blog post, 3 April 2015: Early vocabularies of Malay
MSS Eur E 378 Letters in Malay and Javanese, Raffles collection, ca.1814
Blog post, 23 November 2015: Royal Malay letters and seals from Pontianak
MSS Eur Mackenzie Private 43 Babat Sekandar, Malay translation of Serat Sakondar, Surabaya, 1814
Blog post, 12 May 2015: Malay manuscripts on Javanese history
Sloane 2393 Undang-undang, 18th c.
Blog post, 4 Nov 2013: Malay manuscripts in the Sloane collection
Blog post, 20 Feb 2015: Malay legal texts
Sloane 3115 Christian hymns, psalms, etc., in romanised Malay, 17th c.
Blog post, 4 Nov 2013: Malay manuscripts in the Sloane collection
Blog post, 1 April 2018: Two Christian manuscripts in Malay
Harley Ch 43 A 6 Letter to the English captain at Jambi from Raja Bendahara of Brunei, 17th c.
Blog post, 14 Nov 2014: An early Malay letter from Brunei
Egerton 933 Malay-English vocabulary, 1731, & Malay journal and notes, 1815 .
Blog post, 17 Oct 2013: Early studies of the Malay language
Add. 4828* Letter from Datuk Raja Kuasa of Anak Sungai to Gov. Farmer of Bengkulu, 1718.
Blog post, 23 July 2014: Malay letters from Bengkulu
Add. 4924 Map of Mindanao, 1775
Blog post, 12 June 2014: A rare map from Mindanao
Add. 7043 Malay grammar by W. Mainston, 1682, a copy by J.H. Hindley, early 19th c.
Blog post, 17 Oct 2013: Early studies of the Malay language
Add. 12376 Hikayat Dewa Mandu
Blog post, 11 Nov 2013: Semarang, Javanese city of Malay scribes
Add. 12377 Hikayat Muhammad Hanafiah
Blog post, 27 January 2015: A Malay spur to valour: the Hikayat Muhammad Hanafiah
Add. 12378 Taj al-Salatin (shortened version), early 19th c.
Blog post, 10 Oct 2013: Another Malay ‘Mirror for Princes’
Add. 12379 Hikayat Isma Yatim
Blog post, 10 Jan 2014: Malay 'eye candy': illuminated literary manuscripts
Add. 12380 Syair Mesa Gumitar
Blog post, 29 June 2015: Panji stories in Malay
Add. 12381 Syair Dang Sarat
Blog post, 22 Feb 2014: Malay manuscripts on Chinese paper
Add. 12382 Hikayat Ular Nangkawang
Blog post, 22 Feb 2014: Malay manuscripts on Chinese paper
Add. 12383 Hikayat Carang Kulina
Blog post, 27 May 2014: John Crawfurd and Malay studies
Blog post, 29 June 2015: Panji stories in Malay
Add. 12384 Hikayat Hang Tuah, early 19th c.
Blog post, 25 Sept 2013: Hang Tuah: the Malay Rollo or Rustam
Add. 12385 Hikayat Putera Gangga
Blog post, 12 Dec 2013: Reading Malay manuscripts with children
Add. 12385* Hikayat (Dewa) Indera Layangan
Blog post, 11 Nov 2013: Semarang, Javanese city of Malay scribes
Add. 12386 Hikayat Perintah Negeri Benggala, early 19th c.
Blog post, 11 July 2014: A Malay account of Calcutta
Add. 12387 Hikayat Mesa Taman Sira Panji Jayeng Kusuma
Blog post, 18 July 2014: Malay manuscripts on Javanese paper
Blog post, 29 June 2015: Panji stories in Malay
Add. 12388 Hikayat Syahi Mardan
Blog post, 11 Nov 2013: Semarang, Javanese city of Malay scribes
Add. 12389 Malay translations from Bugis and Makassarese texts, early 19th c.
Blog post, 9 January 2015: Malay manuscripts on Bugis history
Add. 12390 Syair Makrifat
Blog post, 28 July 2014: Malay thoughts on the afterlife
Add. 12391 Hikayat Naya Kusuma
Blog post, 27 May 2014: John Crawfurd and Malay studies
Blog post, 29 June 2015: Panji stories in Malay
Add. 12392 Hikayat Raja Banjar dan Kotaringin, 1816
Blog post, 7 Dec 2013: Malay manuscripts from Borneo
Add. 12393 Hikayat Raja Babi
Blog post, 28 Nov 2013: The Malay story of the Pig King
Add 12394 Syair Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin, early 19th c.
Blog post, 19 Feb 2014: A Malay ballad from Kedah: the naval battle for Phuket
Add. 12395 Undang-undang Malaka
Blog post, 20 Feb 2015: Malay legal texts
Add. 12396 Malay translations from Bugis, 1814
Blog post, 9 January 2015: Malay manuscripts on Bugis history
Add. 12397 Risalat Hukum Kanun
Blog post, 20 Feb 2015: Malay legal texts
Add. 12398 Farquhar letterbook, early 19th c.
Add. 12399 Letters and fragments of hikayat, 1814
Blog post, 9 January 2015: Malay manuscripts on Bugis history
Add.18141 F.2r, Letter from Sultan Muhammad Yasin of Ternate to the Eng. Comm. in Ambon, 1802
Blog post, 18 Oct 2014: A royal Malay letter from Ternate
Add.45271 Letters from Sultan Abdullah of Kedah to Francis Light, Gov. of Penang, late 18th c.
Add.45273 44 farewell letters in Javanese and Malay to Raffles from dignitaries of Java, with Engl. translations, 1816
Or.4575 Malay-French vocabulary, early 19th c.
Blog post, 17 Oct 2013: Early studies of the Malay language
Or.4942, ff. 228-229 Account of a conversion to Christianity, 19th c.
Blog post, 1 April 2018: Two Christian manuscripts in Malay
Or. 6899 Syair Makrifat
Blog post, 28 July 2014: Malay thoughts on the afterlife
Or. 9484 Proclamation by T.S. Raffles after the conquest of Java, 1811
Blog post, 11 August 2014: The British capture of Java
Or. 11365 Panji story
Blog post, 18 July 2014: Malay manuscripts on Javanese paper
Blog post, 29 June 2015: Panji stories in Malay
Or. 12986 Seribu maksa, MS on bamboo, south Sumatra, 19th c.
Blog post, 16 April 2015: Malay manuscripts from south Sumatra
Or. 13295 Taj al-Salatin, Penang, 1824
Blog post, 6 Sept 2013: The Crown of Kings: a deluxe Malay manuscript from Penang
Or. 13716 Sifat dua puluh
Blog post, 3 December 2015: The Twenty Attributes of God in Malay: Sifat Dua Puluh
Or.14194 Prayerbook, from Aceh
Blog post, 3 December 2015: The Twenty Attributes of God in Malay: Sifat Dua Puluh
Or.14350 Hikayat Raja Handik & Hikayat Raja Pasai, Semarang, 1797
Blogpost, 24 Oct 2013: Hikayat Raja Pasai, the oldest Malay history
Blog post, 19 May 2015: A Jawi sourcebook for the study of Malay palaeography and orthography
Or.14537 Letter from Haji Abdul Rahman of Banjarmasin
Blog post, 7 Dec 2013: Malay manuscripts from Borneo
Or.14549 Syair Baginda, Brunei, late 19th c.
Blog post, 19 May 2015: A Jawi sourcebook for the study of Malay palaeography and orthography
Or.14734 Sejarah Melayu, Melaka, 1873
Blog post, 13 Sept 2013: Sejarah Melayu: a Malay masterpiece
Blog post, 10 April 2015: Royal genealogies from Indonesia and the Malay world
Or.14858 Letter from Pangeran of Sumenep to Captain James Clark, 1814
Blog post, 5 August 2014: A Malay letter from Madura
Or.15510 A & Or.15510 B Two letters from Mindanao, 18th c.
Blog post, 26 June 2014: Two letters in Maguindanao
Or. 15932 Papakem Pawukon, in Malay and Javanese, Bogor, 1814
Blog post, 10 April 2015: Royal genealogies from Indonesia and the Malay world
Or. 15646 Sayr al-salikin, Aceh, 19th c.
Blog post, 6 February 2017: Abdul Samad of Palembang, Malay guide to the writings of al-Ghazali
Or. 15936 Malay vocabularies. Leyden collection
Blog post, 17 Oct 2013: Early studies of the Malay language
Or. 15979 Sirat al-mustakim, Aceh
Blog post, 10 March 2015: Soother of sorrows or seducer of morals? The Malay Hikayat Inderaputera
Or. 16035 Mirat al-tullab, by Abdul Rauf of Singkel, 18th c.
Blog post, 5 December 2016: A Malay work on Islamic law from Aceh: Mirat al-tullab
Blog post, 19 May 2015: A Jawi sourcebook for the study of Malay palaeography and orthography
Or.16126 Letter from Temenggung of Johor to Napoleon III of France, 1857
Blog post, 22 Aug 2013: A 'Golden letter' in Malay to Napoleon III
Or.16128 Hikayat Raja Khandak dan Raja Badar
Blog post, 4 August 2017: Malay manuscripts from Patani
Or. 16129 Religious work
Blog post, 4 August 2017: Malay manuscripts from Patani
Or.16214 Sejarah Melayu, early 19th c.
Blog post, 25 Nov 2013: Two Malay manuscripts from Wales, Sejarah Melayu and Hikayat Hang Tuah
Blog post, 19 May 2015: A Jawi sourcebook for the study of Malay palaeography and orthography
Or.16215 Hikayat Hang Tuah, early 19th c.
Blog post, 25 Nov 2013: Two Malay manuscripts from Wales, Sejarah Melayu and Hikayat Hang Tuah
Or.16446 Panji story
Blog post, 18 July 2014: Malay manuscripts on Javanese paper
Blog post, 29 June 2015: Panji stories in Malay
Or. 16447 Hikayat Puteri Bakawali, Hikayat Galila Damina and a fragment of Syair Ken Tabuhan, Taiping, 1888
Blog post, 29 June 2015: Panji stories in Malay
Or. 16604 Hidayat al-salikin, Aceh, 1783
Blog post, 6 February 2017: Abdul Samad of Palembang, Malay guide to the writings of al-Ghazali
Or. 16762 Compendium of texts in Arabic, mostly on fiqh, from Tiro, Aceh, 19th c.
Or. 16763 Compendium of religious texts in Arabic and Malay, from Aceh, 19th c.
Or. 16764 Compendium of religious texts in Arabic and Malay, from Aceh, 19th c.
Or. 16765 Fath al-qarib al-mujib fi sharh alfaz al-taqrib, Arabic work on fiqh, from Aceh, 1793
Or. 16766 Kitab maju’ al-masa’il, a compendium of texts in Malay, from Aceh, 1819
Or. 16767 Compendium of religious texts in Malay and Arabic, Aceh, 19th c.
Blog post, 3 December 2015: The Twenty Attributes of God in Malay: Sifat Dua Puluh
Or. 16768 Three fragments of texts in Malay and Arabic, from Aceh, 19th c.
Or.16769 Kitab Maulud, containing Mawlid sharaf al-anam, in Arabic and Malay, from Aceh, 18th c.
Or. 16773 Compendium of religious texts in Arabic and Malay, from Aceh, 19th c.
Or. 16875 Scroll with prayers and charms, 19th c.
Blog post, 23 Jan 2017: The Seal of Prophethood: Malay prayers for protection
LAMPUNG
MSS Lampung 1 Literary text
Or. 16936 Unidentified text in Lampung
Blog post, 16 April 2015: Malay manuscripts from south Sumatra
QUR'AN MANUSCRIPTS FROM SOUTHEAST ASIA
IO Islamic 3048 Qur’an, juz’ 23 & 24, from Java, 19th c.
Add. 12312 Qur’an, from Java, Crawfurd collection, c. 1800
Add. 12343 Qur’an, from Java, Crawfurd collection, c. 1800
Or. 15227 Qur'an, Patani, 19th c.
Or. 15406 Qur'an, Aceh, 19th c.
Or. 15877 Qur'an, Madura. 19th c.
Or. 16034 Qur'an, Aceh
Or. 16877 Qur'an, Java
Or. 16915 Qur’an, from Aceh
Blog posts on Qur'an manuscripts from Southeast Asia in the British Library:
12 Mar 2013: An illuminated Malay Qur’an
24 Mar 2014: An illuminated Qur’an manuscript from Aceh
28 April 2015: Qur'an manuscripts from Java
4 Feb 2021: Qur'an manuscripts from Southeast Asia in the British Library
25 Feb 2021: Qur'an manuscripts from Southeast Asia digitised by the Endangered Archives Programme
8 Mar 2021: A Malay Qur'an manuscript from Patani
22 Mar 2021: A beautiful Qur'an manuscript from Kampar, Riau, digitised through EAP
5 April 2021: An 'enhanced' Qur'an manuscript from Madura
14 June 2021: Three Qur'an manuscripts from Aceh in the British Library
28 June 2021: The art of small things (a): Verse markers in Qur'an manuscripts from Southeast Asia
12 July 2021: The art of small things (2): Text frames in Qur'an manuscripts from Southeast Asia
9 Aug 2021: The art of small things (3): Surah headings in Qur'an manuscripts from Southeast Asia
27 Sept 2021: The art of small things (4): Juz' markers in Qur'an manuscripts from Southeast Asia
14 Feb 2022: The art of small things (5): Recitation markers in Qur'an manuscripts from Southeast Asia
Annabel Teh Gallop, Lead Curator, Southeast Asian studies
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