MEMORY OF THE WORLD REGISTER
NOMINATION FORM
Finland - Baron Mannerheim's Collection of Central Asian Manuscripts
PART A – ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
Abstract:
The collection completes other similar ones in London, Paris, New Delhi, Berlin, St.
Petersburg, etc., shedding light on the history of Buddhism and the literary culture in
Ancient Chinese Turkestan. Invaluable for the research of the ancient civilizations of
Chinese Turkestan.
Location:
Name of the Documentary Heritage: Baron Mannerheim’s Collection of Central Asian
Manuscripts
Country: Finland
State, Province or Region: Helsinki
Address:
Unioninkatu 36
FIN-00170 Helsinki
Finland
Name of Institution: Helsinki University Library, Manuscript Dept
Legal Information:
Owner:
Finno-Ugrian Society
Mariankatu 7
P.O.Box 320
FIN-00170 Helsinki
http://www.helsinki.fi/jarj/sus
Custodian:
Board of the Finno-Ugrian Society (see "owner").
Legal Status:
Category of ownership: private
Details of legal and administrative provisions for the preservation of the documentary
heritage: Cultural heritage subsidized by the Finnish government.
Accessibility: Applications for research permits are to be addressed to the Board of
the Finno-Ugrian Society. Practical arrangements are made by the appointed
supervisor of visiting researchers (Mr. Harry Halén).
Copyright status: Copyright by the Finno-Ugrian Society.
Responsible administration: Helsinki University Library. The collection is deposited by
the Finno-Ugrian Society for proper preservation. Finno-Ugrian Society is one of the
oldest and largest academies in Finland. It was founded in 1883 and its aim is to
promote the research of the Ugrian and Altain languages and people, history and
antiquity. Nowadays there are about 800 members in the society and the Society
publishes several scientific series (Journal de la Societé Finno-Ougrienne, Mémoires
de la Sociéte Finno-Ougrienne, Lexica Societatis fenno-Ugricae) and ethnologic
publications as well. There have been publications also out of the series. The Society
also funds by grants research and fieldwork done in the fields of the society. The
archive and collection are in the use of researchers.
Identification:
Description: Ancient manuscript fragments from Chinese Turkestan
In 1906-08 Baron Mannerheim made a journey to China to gather intelligence of
every kind. He collected ethnographical research material, and published some of the
results in a scientific study in 1911. The book was titled Matka Aasian halki (A
journey through Asia) and it was published in 1940-41. On his journey from Kashgar
to Peking Mannerheim gathered a great deal of scientific information. The route was:
Taskent -Kasgar - Kutsha - Lobnor - Shatshzhou - Shi-an-fu - Ta-tong-fu - Peking.
According to his mission from the Russian army, Mannerheim became familiar also
with the military situation in China, made notes in his diary, took photographs and
drew sketches of maps. The authorities were willing to give him information.
In summer 1907 the journey moved to the Silk Road. The journey proceeded through
areas populated by various tribes, Muslims, Taoists and Buddhists.
In the summer 1908 he met Dalai Lama. Mannerheim took approximately 1 300
photographs of eight peoples. He also carried out anthropometric measurements.
Mannerheim brought the scientific results of his journey to Finland. His notes on
yellow Uigurs were published in 1911. Most of the objects he collected - 1 200 in all from the Satrs, Kirshiz, yellow Uigurs, Tibetans and Chinese form a collection of their
own in the National Museum in Helsinki. The collection of the remnants of his old
scripts and the notes he made on his journey, are in the possession of the FinnoUgrian Society.
When Baron C. G. Mannerheim set out in 1906 on his well-known two-year journey
across China from west to east, his tasks also included the gathering of antiquities.
Otto Donner had instructed him to look especially for ancient written documents in
any language as well as to copy and photograph inscriptions.
His first, still probational, trip was directed towards the Khotan area on the southern
branch of the Silk Road. There he succeeded in purchasing a small fragment found
in Yangi Längär SE of Khotan as well as six documents originating from the ruins of
Khadalyk close by Domoko Bazar, but quite far to the NE from Yangi Längär. These
are obviously the very same Sanskrit and Khotanese Saka texts which J. N. Reuter
published later (Reuter 1913-18).
They number eleven fragments, although Mannerheim speaks of only seven. All of
them are from Buddhist sûtras of which at least the Saddharmapundarîka,
Suvarnaprabhâsa, Shatasâhasrikâ-prajñâpâramitâ, Sanghâta-sûtra can be identified;
in addition, there is a discussion between the Buddha and the senior monk
Kâshyapa.
On the northern branch of the Silk Road Mannerheim made acquisitions in the Turfan
area. From Yâr Khoto, to the west of the oasis city Turfan itself, originates one of the
collection's long Chinese scrolls and a quantity of lesser finds. However, the main
part of his manuscript remnants seems to come from Idiqut Shähri to the east of
Turfan City. In addition, from certain ruins nearby the small Chinese fort of Chiktym, a
three or four days' journey east of Turfan, Mannerheim purchased four Uighur loan
contracts, later first published by G. J. Ramstedt (Ramstedt 1940).
Mannerheim described the views of the area in his journal entry of September 30,
1907, but does not say a single word about his manuscript purchases, although he
must here have come upon the major part of his haul: 'On the right of the road, as it
leads out of Astana, lies the picturesque ruined town of Idiqut Shähri, of imposing
dimensions. We rode about in various directions for a couple of hours among the
ruins that extend for 1-1 1/2 miles. Everything was in an exceedingly bad state, which
is not surprising when one knows that during the two years' sojourn and excavations
of the Grünwedel expedition it recently suffered fresh destruction. Of the paintings on
stucco there is practically nothing left. The size of the walls and some of the
buildings, colossal in the case of the walls, is astounding (...) To-day I visited the
ruined city again, this time under the guidance of an excellent cicerone, my host. He
took me to all the buildings that had attracted my attention yesterday. It looked as if
everything had been searched and examined by former expeditions (...) From Idiqut
Shähri we rode to Astana, where there is an interesting, massive ruin with small,
vaulted holes running outside! it in 3 storeys. Practically nothing remains of the
decorative paintings.'
Whereas in a letter to Otto Donner, dated on the 17th of February 1908 in Lanzhou,
Mannerheim elaborates on his acquisitions as follows: 'In Turfan I was able to buy a
document found in the diggings and originating from Yar Khoto, if I'm not mistaken. It
is rolled around a wooden pin. A small piece is lacking. The characters resemble
Chinese script. In addition, I bought from people who improve their fields with soft
earth from the ruins a number of document fragments discovered in the soil of both
Yar Khoto and Idiqut Shähri. Many fragments are so minute that I never would have
purchased them had I not in Kashgar had the opportunity to see Mr G. Macartney
buying considerably smaller pieces of paper for the learned societies in England.
Now I have a small box full of such fragments. The characters seem to be mostly of
the same kind as in the document mentioned above. (...) At Chiktym, a minor
Chinese fort at the distance of some days' journey beyond the city of Pichan, there is
a ruin where Prof. Gr³nwedel is said to have carried out excavations on his way to
Hami. The local population seems to have continued! excavating, because I was
offered an opportunity to buy a document consisting of three or four sheets of paper.
Judging from the quality of the paper it must be of a considerably later origin than
those from Turfan. It is said that the Chinese are unable to decipher the script.
However, I have not had the opportunity to check this personally.'
Mannerheim's Chinese fragment collection consists of 204 large (more than 16 cm in
diameter), 592 medium size (7-15 cm) and 1175 small (0-6 cm) pieces. Among them
numerous commonly known Buddhist texts can be identified, like Fahua jing
(Saddharmapundarîka or the so-called 'Lotus Sûtra'), Huayan jing
(Buddhâvatamsaka), Amituo jing (the Lesser Sukhâvatîvyûha or 'Sûtra of the Happy
Land'), Jinguangming jing (Suvarnaprabhâsa or 'Golden Light'), Nieban jing
(Mahâparinirvâna), Jingang jing (Vajracchedikâ or 'Diamond Sûtra'), etc.
Nr 27 Mohe sengqi lü (*Mahâsanghika-vinaya) and Nr 35 Miaofa lianhua jing
(Saddharmapundarîka-sûtra, Kumârajîva's translation) might be from the middle of
the 4th century judging by the quality of the paper. There are ca. 30 fragments
probably dating back to the Northern Dynasties, i.e. from the end of the 5th century.
The largest number, however, are from the Tang dynasty, AD 618-907. Four
fragments are even dated: Nrs 22 & 63 are from the year AD 591 (two different
manuscripts of the Buddhist s¹tra entitled Renwang banyao jing; end parts and
colophons. Copied in obedience to an Imperial order of Qu Qiangu, ruler of the
Kingdom of Gaochang (= Turfan) in AD 561-601. He had made 150 copies of this
particular text. Consequently, identical samples are found in Albert von Le Coq's and
Count Ôtani's collections).
Nr 79 from AD 650 (Guanding suiyuan wangsheng jing, Bhaishajyagurupûrvapranidhânavisheshavistâra-sûtra, oldest of the Chinese versions of a sûtra extolling
the transcendent Buddha Bhaishajyaguru or 'Lord of Healing.' End of volume 11).
Nr 151v from AD 699 (a list of non-Buddhist character).
The Numbers 36, 57, 92 date from the 6th century, numbers 83A, 141, 166 from the
10th century.
A certain scientific value must be ascribed to fragment Nr 38 belonging to a
previously unknown commentary on Amituo jing or the Amida-sûtra, mostly used in
China and Japan. The Amida-sûtra is one of the Chinese versions of the Smaller
Sukhâvatîvyûha-sûtra. Its great age is evident from the fact that it is cut in the format
of an Indian palmleaf manuscript. Another previously unknown text is Nr 143, a
commentary on Dacheng qixin lun, Mahâyânashraddhotpâda-shâstra. The main text
is written in very large calligraphic characters, the commentary in small interlinear
parenthetical double columns. Nr 161 Liangchao fu dashi song jingang jing, end part
of a commentary on the so-called 'Diamond Sûtra' (Jingang jing), and Nrs 52 & 155157 Foming jing should also be mentioned.
One very valuable fragment-a piece of evidence of the early use of the Quadratic or
'Phags-pa script in printing Mongolian with wooden blocks-seems, regrettably, to
have been lost. It belonged to a Mongol version of Saskya Pandita's (1182-1251)
collection of Buddhist maxims entitled Subhâshitaratnanidhi. However, Ramstedt
published it preliminarily in 1912 (Ramstedt 1912).
Other Chinese Turfan finds of interest in the Mannerheim Collection are Nr 37, a
Chinese court-note provided with a red official stamp and written upon a text printed
with wood-blocks; Nr 75, a petition; Nr 29, a Vajracchedikâ text with some words in
rather clumsy Uighur writing on the reverse, and Nr 33, archaic Tibetan writing on the
reverse of a Chinese text.
The Ancient Turkic (Uighur) documents comprise, in addition to the above mentioned
rather late loan contracts, conventional Buddhist confessions of sins, a popular
calendar containing divination concerning health conditions, a Buddhist text treating
the liberation from the world of samsâra, a contract concerning the sale of a house,
etc. (Halén 1979/91).
Since almost all of the fragments in this collection belong to Buddhist texts, they
probably were found in the ruins of some Mahâyâna Buddhist temples or
monasteries. In general, the Mannerheim collection of fragments adds valuable
information on the history of Buddhism in the Turfan area.
The Sogdian fragments are written on the reverse of a discarded Chinese scroll
containing the Lotus Sûtra. One of them is a formulaic address of a letter, executed
in a clumsy cursive hand, apparently written as an exercise or model, with interlinear
variants, doodles and probationes pennae. Both sides of Nr 43 contain Manichaean
hymns in Middle Persian. This was probably the first ever published Middle Persian
text in S o g d i a n script. On the border of the Chinese text are visible underneath a
series of block-printed Buddha images in red ink (Sims-Williams & Halén 1980).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The identification of Mannerheim's Chinese texts was mainly carried out by Prof. Kôgi
Kudara, Ryûkoku University, Kyoto. As a source I have used his draft entitled
'Chinese Buddhist Manuscripts from Central Asia in the Mannerheim Collection,'
CISHAAN Seminar A-4, Tokyo, 5th September 1983, whereas the printed abstract on
p. 475 in the CISHAAN publication is very much abbreviated. Thanks are also due to
Dr Jean-Pierre Drège, École pratique des hautes études, 4e section, Équipe de
recherche sur les documents de Touen-houang et matériaux connexes (letters to the
Helsinki University Library, dated June 29 and August 4, 1983).
LITERATURE
Halén 1979/91: Harry Halén, Die uigurischen Mannerheim-Fragmente 1-2. Studia
Orientalia 51:4 (1979), 9+vii pp. & 67 (1991), 161-169.
Mannerheim 1954: The Memoirs of Marshal Mannerheim. Transl. by Count Eric
Lewenhaupt. New York 1954.
Ramstedt 1912: G. J. Ramstedt, Ein fragment mongolischer quadratschrift. JSFOu
27:3 (Helsinki 1912) = A fragment of Mongolian "Quadratic" script; in: C. G.
Mannerheim, Across Asia from West to East II (Helsinki 1940); Pentti Aalto, Altaistica
1: The Mannerheim fragment of Mongolian Quadratic script. Studia Orientalia 17:7
(Helsinki 1952); Pentti Aalto, Fragmente des mongolischen Subhâsitaratnanidhi in
Quadratschrift. Mitteilungen des Instituts für Orientforschung 3:2 (Berlin 1955), 279290.
Ramstedt 1940: G. J. Ramstedt, Four Uigurian documents; in: C. G.
Mannerheim, Across Asia from West to East II, Helsinki 1940; emended version in:
Nobuo Yamada, Sammlung uigurischer Kontrakte. Hrsg. von. Juten Oda, Peter
Zieme, Hiroshi Umemura & Takao Moriyasu. Osaka UP 1993, 18-19, 136-137, 150153, 250-253.
Reuter 1913-18: J. N. Reuter, Some Buddhist fragments from Chinese Turkestan in
Sanskrit and "Khotanese." JSFOu XXX,37. Helsinki 1913-18 and C. G.
Mannerheim, Across Asia from West to East II. Helsinki 1940; an emended edition of
the Khotanese Saka fragments was published by H. W. Bailey, Khotanese Texts V.
Cambridge 1963, 394-395.
Sims-Williams & Halén 1980: Nicholas Sims-Williams & Harry Halén, The Middle
Iranian fragments in Sogdian script from the Mannerheim Collection. Studia
Orientalia 51:13 (1980).
Bibliographic details:
THE MANNERHEIM COLLECTION OF FRAGMENTS
Because almost all of the fragments in this collection belong to Buddhist texts, they
probably were found in the ruins of some Mahâyâna Buddhist temples or
monasteries. Mannerheim's material also adds valuable information on the history of
Buddhism in the Turfan area, from where the most part of his manuscript remnants
originate. Mannerheim did not, regrettably, specify very accurately the finding places,
but mentions certain geographical names:
(1) Southern route of the Silk Road / Khotan area - Khotan: Samples of forged "old"
documents such as they were sold in Khotan. Evidently products of Islam khun, a
famous forger. Purchased by Mannerheim out of pure curiosity.
- Yangi Längär (SE of Khotan) - 1 rather small fragment.
The ruins of Khadalyk (Domoko Bazar, W of Keriya, ENE of Yangi Längär) - 6
documents.
(2) Northern route of the Silk Road / Turfan area
- Yâr Khoto (W of Turfan): a long scroll and minor finds.
- Idiqut Shähri (E of Turfan): various finds, evidently the majority of this collection.
- Chiktym (a small Chinese fort 3 or 4 days' journey eastward from Turfan and close
to some ruins): 4 sheets, judging by the condition of the paper, the they cannot be
very old. These four Ancient Turkic (Uighur) documents were first published by
Ramstedt.
Chinese documents:
Mannerheim's Chinese fragment collection consists of 204 large (more than 16 cm in
diameter), 592 medium size (7-15 cm) and 1175 small (0-6 cm) pieces.
Among them numerous commonly known Buddhist texts can be identified, like Fahua
jing (Saddharmapundarîka, the +Lotus Sûtra+), Huayan jing (Buddhâvatamsaka),
Amituo jing (Lesser Sukhâvatîvyûha, "Sûtra of the Happy Land"), Jinguang-ming jing
(Suvarnaprabhâsa, "Golden Light"), Nieban jing (Mahâparinirvâna), Jingang jing
(Vajracchedikâ, "Diamond Sûtra"), etc.
The oldest There are approx. 30 fragments probably dating back to the Northern
Dynasties, i.e. from the turn of the 5th and 6th century. The largest part is from the
Tang dynasty 618-907 AD.
Nr 27: Mohe sengqi lü (*Mahâsanghika-vinaya). Judging by the quality of the paper it
might be from the middle of the 4th century.
Nr 35: Miaofa lianhua jing (Saddharmapundarîka-sûtra or the so-called "Lotus
Sûtra"), Kumârajîva's translation. Judging by the quality of the paper it might be from
the middle of the 4th century.
Nr 38: From a previously unknown commentary on Amituo jing (Amida-sûtra), mostly
resorted to in China and Japan. The Amida-sûtra is one of the Chinese versions of
the Smaller Sukhâvatîvyûha-sûtra. It teaches that anyone who merely hears the
name of the transcendent Bodhisattva Amitâyus and thinks of it at the hour of death
will be received by the Buddha Amitâbha to be born in the blessed Pure Land, and
that faith in this Buddha should be cherished. The Indian palmleaf manuscript format
of the manuscript implies its great age.
Nr 79: Guanding suiyuan wangsheng jing (Bhaishajyagurupûrvapranidhânavisheshavistâra-sûtra), oldest of the Chinese versions of a sûtra extolling the
transcendent Buddha Bhaishajyaguru or the "Lord of Healing." End of volume 11.
Copied in the 2nd month of the first year of Yonghui, i.e. 650 AD.
Nrs 22 & 63: Two different manuscripts of a Buddhist sûtra entitled Renwang banyao
jing.; end parts and colophons dated in the 31st year of the yanchang era, i.e. 591
AD, and copied in obedience to an Imperial order of Qu Qiangu who was the ruler of
the Kingdom of Gaochang (Turfan) 561-601 AD. He let make 150 copies of this
particular text. Consequently, Albert von Le Coq's collection contains a sample with
the same date as has Nr 63. Count Ètani's collection has samples written in the same
hand and with an almost identical colophon.
Nr 161: Liangchao fu dashi song jingang jing, end part of a commentary on the socalled "Diamond Sûtra" (Jingang jing). Length 325 cm.
Nr 162: From an unidentified Chinese scroll. Length 75 cm.
Nr 164: Miaofa lianhua jing (Saddharmapundarîka), copied from Kumârajîva's
translation from 406 AD. Length 144 cm.
Nr 166: Amituo jing ("Amitâbha-sûtra" = the Lesser Sukhâvatîvyûha or "Sûtra of the
Happy Land"), copied from Kumârajîva's translation from 402 AD.
Nr 143A-E: A previously unknown commentary on Ashvaghosha's Dacheng qixin lun
(Mahâyânashraddhotpâda-shâstra, "Awakening of the Mahâyâna Belief"), which has
been used as a basic text of Buddhist philosophy in China and Japan. Its Sanskrit
original has not been preserved. Main text in large characters, interlinear
commentary in parenthetical double columns.
Nr 145: A stamped image of the Buddha is visible among the Chinese characters.
Nr 52 & 155-157: Foming jing, "Sûtra of the Buddha Brightness."
Nr 153: Remnants of the cover sheets of scrolls containing the names of the texts or
authors.
Nr 37: A Chinese court-note written upon a text printed with wood-blocks and
provided with an official red stamp and.
Nr 75: A petition.
Nr 160: Remnants of a silk painting, other fabric and text fragments.
Nr 168: Mannerheim's original cigar box containing very small morsels of
manuscripts. The local poulation used such stuff as manure on their fields.
Other Buddhist manuscript fragments
Fragments found at Yangi Längär SE of Khotan, and the ruins of Khadalyk close to
Domoko Bazar (far away in an ENE direction from Yangi Längär).
According to Mannerheim only 1+6 fragments:
Nrs 1-9 are in Sanskrit: Nr 3 seems to be a discourse between the Buddha and the
senior monk Kâshyapa, Nr 5 is from the Saddharmapundarîka, Nr 6 from the
Suvarnaprabhâsa, Nrs7-8 from the Shatasâhasrikâ-prajñâpâramitâ) - Nr 10 in
Sanskrit and Khotanese (Saka),
Nr 11 in Khotanese (Saka): Sanghâta-sûtra.
(J. N. Reuter, Some Buddhist fragments from Chinese Turkestan in Sanskrit and
äKhotanese." JSFOu XXX,37. Helsinki 1913-18, and C. G. Mannerheim, Across Asia
from West to East, II. Helsinki 1940; retranscriptions of the two Khotanese fragments
in H. W. Bailey, Khotanese Texts V. Cambridge 1963, pp. 394-395.)
Nr 29: Vajracchedikâ-prajñâpâramitâ, "Sûtra of Transcendent Wisdom cutting/striking
through (spiritual ignorance) like a thunderbolt," the so-called "Diamond Sûtra." On
the reverse some words in Uighur writing.
Nr 39: Possibly from another Diamond Sûtra. Early calligraphy (7th century?).
Nr 33: Archaic Tibetan writing on the reverse of a Chinese scroll. The Tibetan empire
dominated the Turfan region in the 8th century.
Documents in Ancient Turkic (Uighur)
Nrs 14-16:
Four Buddhist texts containing conventional confessions of sins.
Seven fragments from various Buddhist texts.
Popular calendar for divination concerning the health.
A Buddhist text about the liberation from the world of suffering and delusion
(samsâra).
Nr 17: Contract concerning the sale of a house.
Harry Halén, Die uigurischen Mannerheim-Fragmente 1-2. Studia Orientalia 51:4
(1979), 9+vii s. & 67 (1991), 161-169.
SUS 2.49.1: Four Ancient Turkic (Uighur) contracts of lease; 11th to 12th century or
younger, brush on paper. Found at Chiktym to the East of Turfan.
G. J. Ramstedt, Four Uigurian documents. 12 p. in Across Asia II; korjattu versio:
Nobuo Yamada, Sammlung uigurischer Kontrakte. Hrsg. von. Juten Oda, Peter
Zieme, Hiroshi Umemura & Takao Moriyasu. Osaka University Press 1993, pp. 1819, 136-137, 150-153, 250-253).
Sogdian and Middle Persian documents
Nr 13: Manichaean hymn text in Middle Persian. This should be the first ever
published Middle Persian text in Sogdian script.
On the border of the Chinese text underneath is a series of block-printed Buddha
images in red ink. This kind of repeated impressions were produced by printing from
a single woodblock for devotional purposes.
The motive was to gain religious merit by multiplying images of the Buddha.
A, B, C: written in cursive Sogdian script on the reverse of a discarded Chinese scroll
containing the Lotus Sûtra (Kumârajîva's translation).
C is a formulaic address of a letter, executed in clumsy cursive hand, apparently
written as an exercise or model, with interlinear variants, doodles and probationes
pennae.
Nicholas Sims-Williams & Harry Halén, The Middle Iranian fragments
in Sogdian script from the Mannerheim Collection. Studia Orientalia 51:13
(1980), 15 p.
Forged documents
Nrs 18-19: Loose leaves from modern-style bound books. Obviously products of the
well-known forger Islâm Âkhun. Two different kinds of fancy scripts.
ORIENTAL BOOKS BROUGHT BACK BY MANNERHEIM
In Mongolian:
An edifying Buddhist text entitled Arban bürin surgal-un silüg-ün debter "A booklet in
verses concerning each of the Ten Teachings."
Ciuvan-i boo kemekü sudur, a chronicle of the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368); translation
from Chinese.
In Persian:
Km Ex. 4803:272a: A Persian manual of divination and calculation.
In Turkic (Chaghatai-Uzbek-Eastern Turki)
Täzkirä texts: Accounts of the miraculous life and deeds of saints of different eras.
Such texts are preserved and publicly read in the grave chapels (mazar) of Central
Asian Muslim saints.
So-called parmak verses by Mullah Niyâz about the Four Holy Imâms, composed in
1737; a late copy; incomplete.
Täzkirä-i pâdishâh-i jehân, biographies of the spiritual fathers or hodjas. Incomplete.
(title page missing), romantic and edifying narratives. Incomplete.
Parmak verses in Persian style, composed by Rehîm Shâh Sheikh in 1296 AD; a late
copy.
Narratives from the same source as Nr 2. End missing.
6. Four treatises, all badly done. Copied by Memet Niyaz Mullah in 1880.
Incomplete.
I. Commentary on the Persianwork Shähr-e Golshän.
II. A brief täzkirä concerning Imam Jä'fär-i Sâdiq.
III. Täzkirä-i pâdishâh-i jehân, includes most of the hodja biographies (Nr 2).
IV. Verses by Memet Niyaz.
7. Rabgûzî, Qisas al-anbiyâ', "History of the Prophets", a translation in Eastern Turki
from Arabic via Persian. A widely appreciated collection of pious stories.
8. Emîr Museiyib Ghâzî, a so-called Museiyib-nâme, a narrative of Husain's
martyrdom. Copied at the earliest in 1718.
9. Ashâbu 'l-kähf, a narrative from the Cave of the Seven Sleepers. A late copy.
G. Raquette, Collection of manuscripts from Eastern Turkestan. An account of the
contents, in: C. G. Mannerheim, Across Asia from West to East II (Helsinki 1940);
Ashâbu 'l-kähf. A treatise in Eastern Turki. Transl. & ed. by Emine Gürsoy-Naskali.
MSFOu 192. Helsinki 1985.
In Tibetan:
Km Ex. 4871:40: An edition of five canonical Kanjur texts called collectively
Pañcarakshâ, "The Five Protectresses," gZung ch'en sder lnga yin. Also used at law
courts when swearing an oath. Translated from Sanskrit.
part ka (1): Mahâsahasrapramardana / sTong ch'en mo rab tu 'joms pa.
part kha (2): Mahâmâyûrîvidyârâjñî / Rig sngags kyi rgyal mo rma bya ch'en mo.
- part ga (3): Mahâshîtavana / bSil ba'i chal ch'en po.
- part nga (4): Mahâpratisarâvidyârâjñî / Rig sngags kyi rgyal mo so sor 'brang ma
ch'en mo'i rtog pa.
- part cha (5): Mahâmantrânudhâri / gSang sngags ch'en mo rjes su 'jin pa.
KM Ex. 4871:41: Subhâshitaratnanidhi nâma shâstra / Ch'os rje Sa skya pandi
ta'i bKa' 'bum las Legs bshad rin ch'en gter zhes bya ba, Saskya Pandita's
(1182-1251) aphoristic work "Treasury of elegant sayings" from his collected
works.
KM Ex. 4833:60: On the title page: bKris dpal 'ban 'Jam gling rgyan du byon.
A probably medical treatise in two parts written in running hand (dbu-med).
KM Ex. 4833:63: A medical treatise in two parts, partly illegible. The
initial part has no title, the second is entitled Glo nad byes pa'i yig
ch'ung, "A booklet on foreign consumption (cough)."
KM Ex. 4833:61: Bound booklet, title page and end missing.
KM Ex. 4833:62: rJe bcun Blo-bzang ch'os kyi rgyal mchan gyis mjad pa'i gTor
ma brgya rca, "A Hundred torma strewing-oblations," a religious work on
offerings to demons composed by the 1st Panchen Lama (1570-1662), Blo bzang
ch'os kyi rgyal mchan.
KM Ex. 4833:83: A Tibetan astrological calendar or divinatory treatise, no
title. The headings contain the names of various asterisms (skar ma).
KM Ex. 4871:19b: A small sample of Tibetan musical notation indicating how
to recite the accompanying hymn text.
KM Ex. 4871:28-38: Tibetan wooden printing blocks. A client often had to
make an impresion of a desired work on his own paper and with his own ink
himself.
KM Ex. 4833:79: Tibetan wooden block for printing rlung-rta (wind horse)
prayer-flags.
Visual documentation: The Chinese part of the collection was in 1984 microfilmed by
a research team from the Ryûkoku University, Kyôto, Japan. (Contact person: Prof.
Kôgi Kudara).
History: Purchased by Baron Mannerheim in Chinese Turkestan in 1906-08 on his
journey across China from west to east, sent on mission by the Imperial Russian
General Staff for gathering military intelligence.
Bibliography:
- C.G. Mannerheim: Across Asia from West to East in 1906-08 I-II, Helsinki 1940.
- Peter Sandberg (ed.): Photographs by C.G. Mannerheim from his Journey across
- Asia 1906-08. Helsinki 1990. (ISBN 951-1-11357-7 and ISBN 951-50-0506-X in
Swedish)
- Harry Halén & Bent Lerbæk Pedersen: C.G.Mannerheim’s Chinese Pantheon.
Materials for an Iconography of Chinese Folk Religion. 1993 (ISBN 951-9403-67-1)
Management Plan:
The collection was provisorily conserved in 1971 by Mr. Knut Engblom, Helsinki
University Library. The manuscript pieces were pasted with rice glue on thin
Japanese rice paper. Unfortunately, the glue seems to be all too strong to facilitate
loosening through steaming. Some subdivisions need a rearrangement pertaining to
bring together pieces belonging to the same item, but this work has not been carried
out due to technical difficulties.
Assessment against the selection criteria:
Influence: The collection completes other similar ones in London, Paris, New Delhi,
Berlin, St. Petersburg, etc., shedding light on the history of Buddhism and the literary
culture in Ancient Chinese Turkestan.
Time: The fragments are dated to a period from the 6th to 13th centuries. Possibly
there are even older documents among the undated items.
Place: Chinese Turkestan: Khotan and the Turfan area.
People: Chinese, Uighurs, Tibetans, Sogdians.
Subject/Theme: Fragments of Chinese Buddhist sûtras and commentaries to them; a
Manichaean hymn in Middle Persian; Uighur Buddhist confessions of sins; Uighur
legal documents (loans and business contracts); calendarica and a foretelling text;
unidentified Buddhist texts.
Form and Style: Roughly assorted according to paper quality, colour, and calligraphy;
totalling 204 large (more than 16 cm in diameter, inc. Long scrolls), 592 medium size
(7-15 cm), and 1175 small (0-6 cm) fragments in Chinese, thereto documents in
Sanskrit, "Khotanese", Middle Persian, Sogdian and Uighur, some of them with
Brâhmî or archaic Tibetan letters on the reverse.
Integrity: Paper and writing comparatively well preserved.
Rarity: Invaluable for the research of the ancient civilizations of Chinese Turkestan.
Contextual assessment: The Uighur contracts have been re-edited in Japan in an
extensive corpus of such legal documents (see 3.1-2).
Authenticity: In addition to the bulk of authentic ancient manuscript remains, the
collection includes even samples of the well-known forgeries in two different fancy
scripts composed by Islam Akhun, Khotan, and purposedly purchased by Baron
Mannerheim for pure curiosity.
Rarity: Completes the findings from the Dunhuang cave library and other similar
collections elsewhere. Contains samples of previously unknown Buddhist
commentaries and a unique Manichaean hymn in Middle Persian.
Consultation:
Owner: Finno-Ugrian Society/ Professor Seppo Suhonen
Custodian: Finno-Ugrian Society/ Mr. Harry Halén
Regional or National Memory of the World Committee:
Finnish Unesco Committee
Ministry of Education
PB 293
FIN-00171 Helsinki
Finland
http://www.minedu.fi
Independent institutions and experts: Mr. Harry Halén, Secretary, Institute for Asian
and African Studies, Box 59 (Unioninkatu 38), FIN-00014 University opf Helsinki.
Prof. Juha Janhunen, Chair of East Asian Studies (same address).
Nominator:
Name:
Dr. Jorma Hattula
Vice-president (research) of the Academy of Finland
Academy of Finland
PB 99
00501 Helsinki
Finland
Contact person:
In the Academy of Finland:
Senior adviser
Tiina Vihma-Purovaara
PB 99
00501 Helsinki
Finland
email: tiina.vihma-purovaara@aka.fi
Contact details:
Academy of Finland
PB 99
00501 Helsinki
Finland
tel. -358-9-774 881
fax. -358-9-774 299
http://www.aka.fi