At Carolina Rediviva there is a valuable collection of oriental manuscripts. This grew from the acquisitions made by Swedes on their journeys and missions in foreign climes during the 17th and 18th centuries.
The Library's oriental manuscript collection includes:
- 520 in Arabic
- 305 in Persian
- 460 in Turkish
- approx. 50 in Hebrew and Aramaic
- approx. 75 in Ethiopian languages
- a small number in other oriental languages such as Armenian, Mongolian, Pali, Sanskrit, Tamil and Tibetan
We have more recently acquired a large collection of microfilms of Arabic, Persian and Turkish manuscripts, mainly from Turkey.
Some examples of oriental manuscripts in the collections
- al-Hiyal al-ruhaniya by al-Farabi, an Arabic manuscript on geometry from the 11th century [O Vet. 27]
- Jalal u Jamal, a love poem from Persia, richly illustrated with miniatures, 1502-1503 [O Nova 2] [Available on CD-ROM]
- Koran dated 1090, written on parchment [O Bj 48]
- Rubáiyát, Omar Khayyám's quatrains, i.e. 4 lined poems, on the art of enjoying life, approx. 18th century [O Nova 42]
- Shahname by Firdawsi, in a Turkish translation with magnificent miniatures, 1620-1621 [O Cels. 1]
Catalogues
Tornberg, C. J., Codices arabici, persici et turcici Bibliothecae Regiae Universitatis Upsaliensis. Uppsala, 1849.
Zetterstéen, K. V., Verzeichnis der hebräischen und aramäischen Handschriften der Kgl. Universitätsbibliothek zu Uppsala. Lund, 1900.
Zetterstéen, K. V., Die arabischen, persischen und türkischen Handschriften der Universitätsbibliothek zu Uppsala. 2 vol. Uppsala, 1930-1935.
Löfgren, Oscar, Katalog über die äthiopischen Handschriften in der Universitätsbibliothek Uppsala sowie Anhänge über äthiopische Handschriften in anderen Bibliotheken und in Privatbesitz in Schweden. Stockholm, 1974.
Eimer, Helmut, Tibetica Upsaliensia : Handliste der tibetischen Handschriften und Blockdrucke in der Universitätsbibliothek zu Uppsala. Uppsala, 1975.
Lewin, Bernhard & Oscar Löfgren, Catalogue of the Arabic manuscripts in the Hellmut Ritter Microfilm Collection of the Uppsala University Library : including later accessions. Edited by Mikael Persenius. Uppsala, 1992.
The Section for Manuscripts and Music is happy to assist you with your searches. You can request a document and study it the same day, here in the Special Reading Room in the Library.
