Memory of the World Register – Asia and the Pacific
The first inscriptions on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register were made in 1997. By creating a compendium of the world’s documentary heritage—manuscripts, oral traditions, audio-visual materials, library and archive holdings—the program aims to promote the exchange of information among experts and raise resources for the preservation, digitization, and dissemination of documentary materials. As of 2015, 238 documentary heritages have been included in the Register, among them recordings of folk music, ancient languages and phonetics, aged remnants of religious and secular manuscripts, collective lifetime works of renowned giants of literature, science and music, copies of landmark motion pictures and short films, and accounts documenting changes in the world’s political, economic and social stage.
Items listed below are part of the UNESCO Memory of the World Registry, not a regional list created by the "MOWCAP" Asia Pacific Regional Committee, nor made up of national lists, although such lists have been envisioned.
List by country/territory
| Documentary heritage | Country/Territory | Custodian, Location | Year inscribed | Reference |
| The Endeavour Journal of James Cook | National Library of Australia, Canberra | 2001 | ||
| The Mabo Case Manuscripts | National Library of Australia, Canberra | 2001 | ||
| The Story of the Kelly Gang | National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra | 2007 | ||
| The Convict Records of Australia |
| 2007 | ||
| Manifesto of the Queensland Labour Party to the people of Queensland | State Library of Queensland, Brisbane | 2009 | ||
| Giant Glass Plate Negatives of Sydney Harbour | State Library of New South Wales, Sydney | 2017 | ||
| 7 March Speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman | Liberation War Museum, Dhaka | 2017 | ||
| Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum Archives | Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Phnom Penh | 2009 | ||
| Traditional Music Sound Archives | Chinese Academy of Arts, Beijing | 1997 | ||
| Records of the Qing's Grand Secretariat - 'Infiltration of Western Culture in China' | Palace Museum, Beijing | 1999 | ||
| Ancient Naxi Dongba Literature Manuscripts | Lijiang Prefecture Dongba Research Institute, Dayan | 2003 | ||
| Golden Lists of the Qing Dynasty Imperial Examination | State Archives, Beijing | 2005 | ||
| Qing Dynasty Yangshi Lei Archives |
| 2007 | ||
| Ben Cao Gang Mu: Compendium of Materia Medica | Library of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences | 2011 | ||
| Huang Di Nei Jing: Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic | National Library of China | 2011 | ||
| Official Records of Tibet from the Yuan Dynasty China, 1304-1367 | Tibet Autonomous Region Archives, Lhasa | 2013 | ||
| Qiaopi and Yinxin Correspondence and Remittance Documents from Overseas Chinese |
| 2013 | ||
| Documents of Nanjing Massacre |
| 2015 | ||
| The Archives of Suzhou Silk from Modern and Contemporary Times | Suzhou Industrial and Commercial Archives Administration | 2017 | ||
| Chinese Oracle-Bone Inscriptions |
| 2017 | ||
| Official Records of Macao During the Qing Dynasty | , | Torre do Tombo National Archive, Alvalade, Lisbon | 2017 | |
| Records of the Indian Indentured Labourers | ,,, |
| 2011 | |
| The I.A.S. Tamil Medical Manuscript Collection | Institute of Asian Studies, Tamil Nadu | 1997 | ||
| Archives of the Dutch East India Company | ,,,, |
| 2003 | |
| Saiva Manuscript in Puducherry | French Institute of Pondicherry, Pondicherry | 2005 | ||
| Rigveda | Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune | 2007 | ||
| Tarikh-E-Khandan-E-Timuriyah | Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, Patna, Bihar | 2011 | ||
| Vimalaprabha | Asiatic Society, Kolkata | 2011 | ||
| Shāntinātha Charitra | Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Museum, Ahmedabad | 2013 | ||
| Gilgit Manuscript | National Archives of India, New Delhi | 2017 | ||
| Maitreyayvarakarana | Maitreyayvarakarana Asiatic Society, Kolkata | 2017 | ||
| La Galigo | , | 2011 | ||
| Nagarakretagama: Description of the Country | National Library of Indonesia, Jakarta | 2013 | ||
| Babad Diponegoro | , |
| 2013 | |
| Asian-African Conference Archives | National Archives of Indonesia, South Jakarta | 2015 | ||
| Borobudur Conservation Archives | National Archives of Indonesia | 2017 | ||
| The Indian Ocean Tsunami Archives | , |
| 2017 | |
| Panji Tales Manuscripts | ,,,, |
| 2017 | |
| "Bayasanghori Shâhnâmeh" | Golestan Palace, Tehran | 2007 | ||
| The Deed For Endowment: Rab’ I-Rashidi 13th Century manuscript | Tabriz Central Library, Tabriz | 2007 | ||
| Administrative Documents of Astan-e Quds Razavi in the Safavid Era | Astan-e Quds Razavi Library, Mashhad | 2009 | ||
| Al-Tafhim li Awa'il Sana'at al-Tanjim: The Book of Instruction in the Elements of the Art of Astrology | Library, Museum and Documentation Centre of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Tehran | 2011 | ||
| Collection of Nezami’s Panj Ganj |
| 2011 | ||
| A Collection of selected maps of Iran in the Qajar Era | Library of Political and International Studies of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs | 2013 | ||
| Dhakhīra-yi Khārazmshāhī | Library of the Sepahsalar Mosque, Tehran | 2013 | ||
| Al-Masaalik Wa Al-Mamaalik: The Book of Itineraries and Kingdoms | , |
| 2015 | |
| Kulliyyāt-i Saʽdi: Kulliyat of Saadi | The National Library and Archives of Iran, Tehran | 2015 | ||
| Jāme’ al-Tavarikh: Compendium of Chronicles | Golestan Palace, Tehran | 2017 | ||
| Sakubei Yamamoto Collection |
| 2011 | ||
| Materials Related to the Keicho-era Mission to Europe Japan and Spain | , | Sendai City Museum, Sendai | 2013 | |
| Midokanpakuki: the original handwritten diary of Fujiwara no Michinaga | Yōmei Bunko, Kyoto | 2013 | ||
| Archives of Tōji temple contained in one-hundred boxes | Kyoto Prefectural Library, Kyoto | 2015 | ||
| Return to Maizuru Port—Documents Related to the Internment and Repatriation Experiences of Japanese | Maizuru Repatriation Memorial Museum, Kyoto | 2015 | ||
| Three Cherished Stelae of Ancient Kozuke | Takasaki, Gunma | 2017 | ||
| Collection of manuscripts of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi | National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty | 2003 | ||
| Audiovisual documents of the International antinuclear movement "Nevada-Semipalatinsk" | State Archive & State Archive of Film, Almaty | 2005 | ||
| Aral Sea Archival Fonds | State Archive & State Archive of Film, Almaty | 2011 | ||
| Correspondence of the late Sultan of Kedah | National Archives of Malaysia, Alor Setar | 2001 | ||
| Hikayat Hang Tuah: The story of Hang Tuah | National Library of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur | 2001 | ||
| Sejarah Melayu | Institute of Language and Literature, Kuala Lumpur | 2001 | ||
| Batu Bersurat, Terengganu | Terengganu State Museum, Kuala Terengganu | 2009 | ||
| Lu."Altan Tobchi" : Golden History written in 1651 | National Library of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar | 2011 | ||
| Mongolian Tanjur & Stone Stele Monument for Mongolian Tanjur | National Library of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar | 2011 & 2017 | ||
| Kanjur written with 9 precious stones | National Library of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar | 2013 | ||
| Kuthodaw Inscription Shrines | Kuthodaw Pagoda, Mandalay | 2013 | ||
| Myazedi Quadrilingual Stone Inscription | Department of Archaeology and National Museum, Naypyidaw | 2015 | ||
| The Golden Letter of the Burmese King Alaungphaya to King George II of Great Britain | ,, |
| 2015 | |
| King Bayinnaung Bell Inscription | Shwezigon Pagoda, Bagan | 2017 | ||
| Niśvāsattatvasaṃhitā manuscript | National Archive of Nepal, Kathmandu | 2013 | ||
| Susrutamhita manuscript | Kaiser library, Kathmandu | 2013 | ||
| Treaty of Waitangi | National Archives, Wellington | 1997 | ||
| The 1893 Women's Suffrage Petition | National Archives, Wellington | 1997 | ||
| Sir Edmund Hillary Archive | Auckland War Memorial Museum, Auckland | 2015 | ||
| Comprehensive Illustrated Manual of Martial arts | Grand People's Study House, Pyongyang; Various locations in South Korea | 2017 | ||
| Jinnah Papers | National Archives, Islamabad | 1999 | ||
| Philippine Paleographs | National Museum, Manila | 1999 | ||
| Radio Broadcast of the Philippine People Power Revolution |
| 2003 | ||
| José Maceda Collection | U.P. Center for Ethnomusicology, Quezon City | 2007 | ||
| Presidential Papers of Manuel L. Quezon | U.P. Center for Ethnomusicology, Quezon City | 2011 | ||
| Dongui Bogam: Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine | National Library of Korea, Seoul | 2009 | ||
| Hunminjeongum Manuscript: Correct Sounds for the Instruction of the People | Gansong Art Museum, Seoul | 1997 | ||
| The Annals of the Choson Dynasty |
| 1997 | ||
| Seungjeongwon ilgi, the Diaries of the Royal Secretariat | Kyujanggak Library and Seoul National University, Seoul | 2001 | ||
| Baegun hwasang chorok buljo jikji simche yojeol, the second volume of "Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests’ Zen Teachings" | National Library of France, Paris | 2001 | ||
| Printing woodblocks of the Tripitaka Koreana and miscellaneous Buddhist scriptures | Haeinsa Monastery, Gyeongsangnam-do | 2007 | ||
| Uigwe: The Royal Protocols of the Joseon Dynasty | Seoul National University, Seoul | 2007 | ||
| Human Rights Documentary Heritage 1980 Archives for the May 18th Democratic Uprising against Military Regime, in Gwangju, Republic of Korea |
| 2011 | ||
| Ilseongnok: Records of Daily Reflections | Seoul National University, Seoul | 2011 | ||
| Nanjung Ilgi: War Diary of Admiral Yi Sun-sin | Hyeonchungsa Shrine, Asan | 2013 | ||
| Archives of Saemaul Undong |
| 2013 | ||
| Confucian Printing Woodblocks | The Advanced Center for Korean Studies, Andong | 2015 | ||
| The Archives of the KBS Special Live Broadcast "Finding Dispersed Families" |
| 2015 | ||
| Royal Seal and Investiture Book Collection of the Joseon Dynasty | National Palace Museum of Korea, Seoul | 2017 | ||
| Archives of the National Debt Redemption Movement | National Debt Redemption Movement Memorial Park | 2017 | ||
| Documents on Joseon Tongsinsa/Chosen Tsushinshi: The History of Peace Building and Cultural Exchanges between Korea and Japan from the 17th to 19th Century | , |
| 2017 | |
| The manuscript of Ubayd Zakoni's Kulliyat and Hafez Sherozi's Gazalliyt | Institute of the Written Heritage of the Academy of Sciences, Dushanbe | 2003 | ||
| The King Ram Khamhaeng Inscription | Bangkok National Museum, Bangkok | 2003 | ||
| Archival Documents of King Chulalongkorn's Transformation of Siam | National Library of Thailand, Bangkok; National Archives of Thailand, Bangkok | 2009 | ||
| Epigraphic Archives of Wat Pho | Wat Pho, Bangkok | 2011 | ||
| "The Minute Books of the Council of the Siam Society", 100 years of recording international cooperation in research and the dissemination of knowledge in the arts and sciences | National Archives of Thailand, Bangkok | 2013 | ||
| The Royal Photographic Glass Plate Negatives and Original Prints Collections | National Archives of Thailand, Bangkok | 2017 | ||
| On the Birth of a Nation: Turning points | Archives & Museum of East Timorese Resistance | 2013 | ||
| Holy Koran Mushaf of Othman | The Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, Tashkent | 1997 | ||
| The Collection of the Al-Biruni Institute of Oriental Studies | Academy of Sciences, Tashkent | 1997 | ||
| Archives of the Chancellery of Khiva Khans | Central State Archive of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent | 2017 | ||
| Arthur Bernard Deacon collection MS 90-98 | , | Royal Anthropological Institute, London | 2013 | |
| Woodblocks of the Nguyễn Dynasty | State Records and Archives Department of Vietnam, Hanoi | 2009 | ||
| Stone stele records of imperial examinations of the Lê and Mạc dynasties | Temple of Literature | 2010 | ||
| Imperial Archives of Nguyen Dynasty | National Archives Centre No.1, Hanoi | 2017 |
See Also
- Suyat