Memory of the World: The treasures that record our history from 1700 BC to the present day. UNESCO
Bibliothèque Nationale, the National Library in Paris. By 1887 it was part of the collection of a member of staff at the French Embassy in Seoul and from there passed into the hands of Henri Vever, a collector of classic books. After his death it was donated to the French National Library.
Inscribed 1997
What is it
A Russian illuminated Gospel manuscript of the four Gospels of the New Testament, dating from the late Middle Ages.
Why was it inscribed
The Khitrovo Gospel is an important and unique part of religious and cultural expression of the Russian and Slavonic peoples. The Gospel illustrates the development of Russian book-writing schools and literature and the dissemination of the church Slavonic language.
Where is it
Russian State Library, Moscow, Russia
Written on parchment, the Khitrovo Gospel manuscript is 300 pages long. In total, it contains eight full-page miniatures – one of each of the four Evangelists and one each of their symbols (angel, lion, bull and eagle). It was the first time the symbols were depicted on their own in a Russian book, and the Gospel is widely known for these eight paintings, by Andrei Rublyov and his students.
Rublyov was thought to have been trained by the Greek painter Theophanes, a master in the Byzantine style, and was considered the foremost Russian painter of religious icons of his day. Rublyov was a monk in the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra (Holy Trinity Monastery) near Moscow, where the Gospel was believed to have been created. In addition to his work with miniatures, he was also famed for his icons and fresco work. Many of the other pages of the Gospel are also lavishly decorated, and the initial letters are painted in colour and gold.
The Khitrovo Gospel takes its name from Bogdan Matveevich Khitrovo, a Russian aristocrat who obtained the manuscript from Tsar Feodor III in 1677; Khitrovo later bequeathed the manuscript again to the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra. The manuscript remained there until 1920 when the monastery was closed by the new Communist government in the wake of the Russian Revolution. The Gospel has been part of the Russian State Library since then.
Inscribed 1997
What is it
This collection covers more than 470 years of the history of the Joeson dynasty, from the reign of King Taejo (1392–98), the founder, to the reign of King Cheoljong (1849–63).
Why was it inscribed
The Annals of the Joseon dynasty are among the most detailed and comprehensive dynastic historical records in the world, and cover the rule of a dynasty that had significant impact on Korean society.
Where are they
Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies, Seoul National University and National Archives of Korea, History Archives, Busan, Republic of Korea
In the Joseon dynasty, the concept of history as a mirror, or exemplar, for government heightened the interest of the state in the compilation of histories. The tradition of preparing a history of each reign began with the Annals of King Taejo, completed in 1413. This tradition was continued throughout the dynasty, giving us the basic record known collectively as the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, Joseon Wangjo Sillok.
The Annals of the Joseon dynasty cover more than 470 years to the reign of King Cheoljong (1849–63). With the kings as the central figures, the annals are daily records of the history and culture of the Joseon dynasty, covering politics, military affairs, diplomatic relations with China and Japan, the social system, law, economics, industry, transportation, communications, customary arts, crafts and religion. The annals of a given king were definitively compiled only when his successor ordered it. The materials were collected from official records, the most important being Sacho (Draft History) and Shijonggi (Daily Records). The main authors of the Draft History attended every national conference and kept records of the details of national affairs under discussion between the king and his officials. Sometimes they made character sketches of people who had done good or evil deeds. The Daily Records were placed in the custody of the Office for Annals Compilation (Chunchugwan). Nobody – not even the king was allowed to read the Draft History and the Daily Records except historiographers. Any historiographer who disclosed the contents of the annals was severely punished as a felon. The annals were printed and then preserved in the historical archives under rigorous management, and to ensure their safety, copies were placed in historical archives in different parts of the country. There are a total of 2077 books in the Annals of the Joseon dynasty.
These annals record historical facts about twenty-five kings, including information about their officials and their other subjects. Three of these kings were outstanding: King Taejo, who founded the dynasty after overcoming the Goryeo dynasty, King Sejong the Great, who invented the Korean alphabet, hang-gul, and devoted himself to the development of science, and King Jeongjo, who established the Kyujanggak, the royal library, which stimulated literature and arts. The annals for the first three reigns were in manuscript form in excellent calligraphy. Thereafter, they were printed using movable bronze and wooden type with the best quality paper and bindings. Every volume of the annals is a model of the Korean culture and technology of its time.
The book covers from the annals of three kings, Sunjo (1838), Heonjong (1851) and Cheoljong (1865).
Chapter 3 of The Annals of King Jeongjong, as reprinted in 1606.
Kitab al-ibar, wa diwan al-mobtadae wa al-khabar
Inscribed 2011
What is it
The fifth volume of Kitab al-ibar, a major work on the history of social organization and on the history of Arab Muslim countries.
Why was it inscribed
The book’s author, Ibn Khaldoun, is regarded as the father of sociology and cultural history. This volume was donated by him to the library of al-Quaraouiyine University in Fez, where it still remains.
Where is it
Library of al-Quaraouiyine University, Fez, Morocco
This particular manuscript is the fifth volume of seven of one of the most important treatises on history, written by Ibn Khaldoun in the late 14th century. This complete manuscript is about social and political history and contains profound reflections on the logic of the emergence, constitution and decay of states. It is considered as a pioneering work in sociology, as a treatise of political philosophy and a major work of history in general and of the Arab Muslim countries in particular. Its full title can be translated as The Book of Exemplaries (or Admonitions or Precepts) and the Collection of Origins and Information respecting the History of the Arabs, Foreigners and Berbers and Others who possess Great Power. It is sometimes referred to as The Universal History.
The first volume, the Muqaddimah (the Prolegomena), is the most renowned volume, in which Ibn Khaldoun develops his thoughts on social organization through the study of nomadism, urbanization and the rise and fall of rulers and dynasties. Volumes II–V cover the history of mankind up to the time of Ibn Khaldoun, while Volumes VI and VII cover the history of the Berbers of the Maghreb.
Ibn Khaldoun (Abu Zayd ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Khaldoun al-Hadhrami, 1332–1406) was born in Tunis and served a number of rulers in North Africa and Granada, finally settling in Cairo, where he was a teacher, judge and political adviser. In 1396 he gave instructions that a copy of Volume V of Kitab al-ibar be made for