Islamic manuscripts from Southeast Asia 

in the British Library

The Asian and African Collections of the British Library hold books and manuscripts from all parts of Asia and Africa, in hundreds of different languages. From Southeast Asia, Islamic manuscripts may be written in a range of languages, including Arabic, Malay, Javanese, Bugis and Lampung, and may range in form from volumes of paper and bundles of palm leaf to concertina-shaped books written on folded strips of tree bark.

For this virtual visit, Annabel T. Gallop, Head of the Southeast Asia section at the British Library in London and member of the Board of Directors of The Islamic Manuscript Association, will present highlights of the British Library Collection of Islamic manuscripts from Southeast Asia. This talk is moderated by Walid Ghali, Associate Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Head of the Aga Kahn Library and member of the Board of Directors of The Islamic Manuscript Association.

Speaker

Annabel Teh Gallop is head of the Southeast Asia section at the British Library in London. Her main research interests are in Malay manuscripts, letters, documents and seals, and the art of the Qur’an across the Indian Ocean world. Recent publications include Malay seals from the Islamic world of Southeast Asia: Content, Form, Context, Catalogue (Singapore, 2019), a catalogue of over 2,000 seals from Southeast Asia inscribed in Arabic script. She was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2019. Gallop is currently serving as a Board of Directors member of The Islamic Manuscript Association.