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| Source: Government of Thailand Facebook page Three Thai heritage items joined the Memory of the World Register in 2025. |
Established in 1992, UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme aims to promote the preservation of – and universal access to – the documentary heritage of humanity. Often extremely fragile, this heritage is exposed to risks of deterioration and disasters.
The programme aims to:
- Facilitate preservation of the world's documentary heritage, particularly in areas affected by conflict and/or natural disaster
- Enable universal access to documentary heritage worldwide
- Enhance public awareness about the significance of documentary heritage among the wider public
UNESCO shares best practices, and maintains the Memory of the World Register to record the broadest threads of human history. Each entry in the register has been recommended by the International Advisory Committee and approved by the Executive Board as significant to the world.
The collections include books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, sound or
video recordings. Seventy-four entries were added in April 2025, bringing the total number of inscribed collections to 570. The entries, from 72 countries and four international organisations, cover topics such as the scientific revolution, women's contribution to history and major multilateralism milestones.
Among the newly inscribed collections are Asia-Pacific archives concerning prominent historical women—still largely underrepresented on the register—such as girls' education pioneer Raden Ajeng Kartini (Indonesia and the Netherlands), and author Katherine Mansfield (New Zealand).
In addition to the International Register, UNESCO has supported the creation of four regional registers and National Memory of the World Committees in more than 100 countries.
2025 entries from the APME region include:
Archives of the expedition of d’Entrecasteaux (1791-1794)
Submitters: Australia and France
The d'Entrecasteaux expedition, a voyage of scientific exploration around the world, explored Tasmania and the coasts of Australia, New Caledonia (France), Tonga, Papua New Guinea and many Pacific islands. The archives consist of 58 boxes and registers including correspondence, logbooks, drawings, plans, maps and coastal surveys, totalling around 27,000 pages.
The highlight of this voyage was the establishment of one of the first contacts between Europeans and Tasmanian Aborigines (Palawa de Lutruwita), offering a unique example of a cross-cultural encounter. The logbooks contain accounts of these contacts as well as Franco-Palawa vocabularies.
Cuneiform inscriptions of Dilmun Kings on stone vessels (c. 1700 BCE)
Submitter: Bahrain
The four fragments from stone vessels bear cuneiform inscriptions that authenticate the reign of Dilmun kings, who ruled Bahrain islands and neighbouring territories from around 2250 to 1650 BCE. These inscriptions represent the southernmost use of cuneiform writing in the ancient Near East.
The nominated items bear the names of two kings: Yaglī-‘el and his father Ri'mum. The linguistic roots of these names point to a West Semitic Amorite origin. The cuneiform texts document what was once a largely mythical kingdom of legend and confirms Bahrain as a major player of international trade, strategically located between Babylonia and the Indus Valley.
The Suizhou Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng
Submitter: China
The bianzhong are a set of Chinese bronze bells that were discovered in the tombs of Marquis Yi of Zeng in 1978, in Suizhou City, Hubei Province. The bells date back 2,400 years, making them the largest and most well-preserved set of bronze bells in the world.
The set bears inscriptions totalling 3,755 characters, representing the only known musical theory documents of the 5th century BCE with such a scale. The set showcases a ‘one bell with two tones’ system, a 12-tone musical temperament and tuning system that was previously unknown.
The inscriptions and musical information represent the earliest surviving archaeological documents that demonstrate the mathematical relationships in music.
The Steles of Shaolin Temple (566-1990)
Submitter: China
Shaolin Temple, established in 495 AD, is known as the ancestral home of Chinese Buddhism's Chan sect, an ancient royal temple, and one of the birthplaces of Chinese martial arts. The 499 surviving steles present a relatively complete and coherent sequence of historical documents in the form of stone inscriptions dating back to 1424.
These inscriptions serve as original records created in the process of extensive interactions between Shaolin Temple and national political powers, famous intellectuals, secular society, and overseas monks throughout various Chinese dynasties. The inscriptions cover various aspects such as politics, economy, religion, taxes and corvée, military affairs, culture, and natural landscapes.
The Shaolin Temple steles exemplify the ingenious integration of stone carving artistry with preserved texts.
Trilingual Inscription (TribhashaSellipiya)
Submitters: China and Sri Lanka
The Trilingual Inscription is a stone tablet with Chinese, Persian and Tamil inscriptions praising Buddha, the Hindu god Vishnu and Allah. Dated 15th February 1409, the tablet was installed by the Chinese Admiral Zheng He. Originally inscribed in the Treasure Boat Shipyard Park in Nanjing, it was brought to Sri Lanka during his third voyage.
The text mentions offerings made to a sacred mountain shrine. This is the only trilingual inscription having texts in Chinese, Tamil and Persian which represent three different regions and cultures.
Discovered in 1911 in Sri Lanka by a British engineer, it is now preserved in the Colombo National Museum, with a replica exhibited in the Galle National Museum.
Manuscript of the Nāṭyaśāstra of Bharatamuni: A Seminal text of Indian Performing Art
Submitter: India
Preserved at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute and codified around the 2nd century BC, the Nāṭyaśāstra of Bharatamuni is an epitome of the Nāṭyaveda, an oral body of knowledge of performing art containing 36,000 verses known as the Gāndharvaveda.
The Nāṭyaśāstra embodies a comprehensive set of rules that define nāṭya (drama), abhinaya (performance), rasa (aesthetic experience), bhāva (emotion), saṅgīta (music), among others, thus articulating the character of Indian theatre, poetics, aesthetics, dance and music.
Bharatamuni makes a groundbreaking statement in Nāṭyaśāstra, asserting that ‘no meaning can blossom forth without rasa’, a profound contribution to world literature.
Manuscript Collection of Bhagavadgītā: Ancient Saṁgraha-grantha of Indian thought with World-wide Readership and Influence
Submitter: India
The Bhagavadgītā, containing 700 verses in 18 chapters, is embedded within the Bhīṣmaparva (adhyāya 23-40) of the epic Mahābhārata. It takes the form of a dialogue between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna with armies lined up for the great war intended to free Arjuna of dejection (viṣāda).
Bhagavadgītā is a central text in the continuous, cumulative ancient intellectual Indian tradition, synthesising various thought movements such as Vedic, Buddhist, Jain and Cārvāka. Due to its philosophical breadth and depth, the Bhagavadgītā has been read for centuries across the globe and translated into many languages.
Archives of Javanese Dance: Mangkunegaran Dance Arts, 1861-1944
Submitter: Indonesia
These archives document choreography, musical notes, and performances of the traditional Mangkunegaran dance, which was created by Mangkunegara IV and passed down through Mangkunegara VII (1861-1944).
The collection consists of 1,595 sheets of textual documents and 640 photographs. Serving as the basic reference for the development of traditional classical dance for present and future generations, the archives not only a testament to the legitimacy of Indonesia’s original art but also preserve the cultural heritage of an ethnic group.
The Sang Hyang Siksa Kandang Karesian Manuscript
Submitter: Indonesia
The Sang Hyang Siksa Kandang Karesian manuscript (SSKK) is a 16th-century Sundanese manuscript currently stored in the National Library of Indonesia. Written on a rare material – gebang (Corypha gebanga) leaf, it is one of only 30 such manuscripts remaining in Indonesia.
Dated to the year 1440 Saka, or 1518 CE, the SSKK is written using Old West Javanese quadratic script in the Old Sundanese language, an extinct archaic predecessor to Modern Sundanese.
The SSKK contains guidelines and moral teachings that reflect customary law in the 16th century, revealing the rich culture of the Sundanese people at that time and shedding light on political trade relations between Sunda and various countries in Asia.
The Works of Hamzah Fansuri
Submitters: Indonesia and Malaysia
Hamzah Fansuri contributed greatly to Malay culture and intellectual thought during the 16th century, marking the beginning of the Malay spiritual revolution. He initiated the genre of kitab, systematic academic writing in Malay. He was the first to lay the foundations of scholarly debate in the language, using it in poetry and prose.
His work in the form of poetry (syair) became popular in the Archipelago, greatly influencing the development of Malay literature and laying the groundwork for modern Indonesian and Malaysian literature. Hamzah Fansuri, through his prose and poetry, spread Sufi teachings, particularly the concept of wujudiyah (unity of existence), leading to the burning of his books due to their controversial content.
This manuscript was donated to the Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen (Royal Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences) in 1875 by H. van Dissel, former Secretary General of VAN SWIETEN. It was originally found in the Sultan's residence immediately after the conquest of the palace in Aceh.
The Birth of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) (Archives about the Formation ASEAN, 1967 – 1976)
Submitters: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand
The archives record the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) by its five founding countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. This collection includes the 1967 ASEAN Declaration and related records, comprising 16 textual files, one photo, one film, three audio files and 12 oral history interview recordings.
The archives describe ASEAN’s foundational mission to turn neighbours into cordial friends and build mutual trust where there were once trust deficits. Furthermore, the archives provide evidence that newly-independent, relatively small countries have their own agency in shaping international politics toward a more peaceful and stable landscape.
The archives serve as a basic reference for ASEAN’s diplomacy, which later became known as the ASEAN Way.
Kartini Letters and Archive: the struggle for gender equality
Submitters: Indonesia and the Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
These documents form an integral basis for understanding the life and ideas of Raden Ajeng Kartini (1879-1904). Kartini's letters, which are kept in Dutch institutions, serve as the source of her ideas, while their impact of on education, emancipation and the struggle for gender equality is reflected in the Kartini archive in Indonesia.
Kartini continues to be a major source of inspiration in Indonesian and global discussions on education, feminism, and gender equality.
Collection of documents from Mount Mugh
Submitters: International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS) and International Center for Documentary Heritage (ICDH) under the auspices of UNESCO
The Sogdian documents from Mount Mugh are the keystone for understanding the history, social and economic life, customs and ethnic diversity of Central Asia during the transition from the pre-Islamic into Islamic period in the early 8th century CE.
The documents show the life of Dewashtich, the ruler of Penjikent principality, until his defeat by Arab forces in 722. Everyday business records, letters, contracts, diplomatic exchange and spy reports are included in the collection.
The ethnic diversity of Sogdiana is reflected in Arabic, Chinese and Old Turkic texts found in the collection, while the role of women in the society is documented by a marriage contract.
Three Editions of Buddhist Sacred Canons stored at Zojoji, Japan
Submitter: Japan
The spread of Buddhism from South Asia to China led to centuries of scriptural translation, resulting in a Chinese-language canon totalling over 5,000 fascicles. The Three Editions represent three separate endeavours to print complete collections of these scriptures in China and Korea during the 12th and 13th centuries.
Some 12,000 volumes of this material have been preserved in near-perfect condition. In the modern era, Japan has printed two critical editions of the Mahayana Buddhist canon based on these references.
As the first scholarly publications of the Chinese-language Buddhist canon using movable type, they have enabled widespread access to this literature throughout East Asia, contributing to the preservation of Buddhism itself. The content has recently been digitised.
Manuscript Chronicle of Khans
Submitter: Kazakhstan
Chronicle of Khans stands as a vital piece of cultural heritage, shedding light on the original history of the Kazakh people. The manuscript is a genealogical work composed in the Chagatai dialect of the Turkic language spanning from Adam to the Prophet Muhammad, and encompassing the histories of rulers from Turkic-Mongolian, Persian, and Arab eras.
Analyses suggest that the manuscript dates to the 18th century.
The Ikaros Inscription
Submitter: Kuwait
The Ikaros Inscription is a Hellenistic limestone stela excavated in 1960 on Failaka Island in the State of Kuwait. The inscription contains 44 lines of Greek carvings, which translate to a letter to ‘the inhabitants of Ikaros’, containing administrative, religious, social, and economic orders. Scholars believe it to be dated between 246 and 226 BC.
Measuring approximately 0.62 m in width and 1.26 m in length, it is displayed at the Kuwait National Museum.
The Ikaros Inscription is the only complete letter on a stela discovered in Kuwait and the surrounding region. It is notable for being the first instance of the name ‘Ikaros’ being applied to the island, and it also includes references to the names and dates of Seleucid rulers and their administrators.
Inscription of Khüis Tolgoi 1
Submitter: Mongolia
The inscription is a rock engraving written in the ancient Mongolian language using the Brahmi script. Created in the Mongolian heartland over 1,400 years ago, it is an important source for studying the grammatical structure and lexicon of ancient Mongolian language.
The scripture also provides insights into the spiritual beliefs of the nomadic people that inhabited the Mongolian steppes. It supports claims that the tribal confederations and nomadic empires practised Buddhism before the rise of the Mongol Empire of Chinggis Khan.
Deger-e-eče toɣtoɣsan dürsü-yin tusbür-yig bürüdkegsen bičig (A Complete Record of the Body by Imperial Order)
Submitter: Mongolia
The manuscripts provide information on Western and “traditional” Eastern medicine from the mid-18th century. The texts serve as textbooks detailing the structure of the human body and the research of doctors in ancient Mongolian medical schools.
Written in the ancient Mongolian script, the manuscripts contain a range of medical terms originating from Europe, translated into Mongolian, demonstrating the extensive cultural and knowledge exchange between the regions.
The collection is one of the earliest forms of medical literature found in Mongolia that reflects both the unique characteristics of European and Eastern approaches to medicine.
The nomination includes nine parts: the Mongolian translated parts / books 2, 3 and 4 from Volume 1, Parts 1-2 from Volume 2, and a handwritten copy of Volume 1 containing four parts.
Katherine Mansfield literary and personal papers and belongings
Submitter: New Zealand
Katherine Mansfield (the pseudonym of Kathleen Beauchamp, 1888-1923) is New Zealand's most celebrated writer internationally, and one of the world's foremost modernist writers.
Known for her poetry, reviews and work as an editor for some of London's avant-garde literary journals, Manfield is most renowned for her short stories. She gained international reputation for her reinvention of the modern short story form in English.
The Mansfield collections include original correspondence, notebooks and journals, personal belongings, including her typewriter and Maori artefacts. They document the writer's artistic preoccupations, development, and methods, as well as her complex personal life. The papers held at the Alexander Turnbull Library represent the largest collection of Mansfield material in the world.
A’nuwniah Al kubra (An important Omani marine navigation manuscript)
Submitter: Oman
A’nuwniah Al kubra is one of the most important Omani manuscripts in the field of navigation and marine sciences. It records valuable information about ship movements and international shipping routes. Its most significant feature is its scientific contribution to humanity, particularly its deviation from the work of earlier geographers.
Scientists who preceded Ahmed bin Majid had divided the land into only seven regions, confining these regions to the northern hemisphere. A’nuwniah Al kubra added seven more regions in the south.
The manuscript offers realistic depictions of the societies the author and his navigational crew encountered during their journeys. It also provides detailed descriptions of the marine environment, its creatures, including creatures such as whales, snakes, and coral reefs, as well as the methods used for docking ships.
Revealing Truth: Jeju 4·3 Archives
Submitter: the Republic of Korea.
The archives consist of 14,673 documents related to Jeju 4·3, an armed uprising led by the Jeju branch of South Korean Labor Party on 3 April, 1948. This event escalated into guerrilla warfare, resulting in atrocities inflicted upon innocent inhabitants.
These archives preserve suppressed memories of Korea’s post-colonial transition, highlighting endeavours to rehabilitate the honour of victims who had long suffered the stigma associated with communism. The archives also focus on collective efforts to embrace those who had once been perpetrators, fostering a vision of Jeju as a community of coexistence.
Korea Reforestation Archives: A reforestation model achieved through public-private governance
Submitter: the Republic of Korea
The archives document reforestation projects spearheaded by the Republic of Korea to restore devastated forests. Comprising 9,619 documents – including government gazettes, decrees, official documents, brochures, and photographs, the archives provide insights into policies and programs that address issues such as climate change, soil erosion, and forest ecosystem restoration.
The Forestry Act in 1961 and the First Ten-Year Forest Rehabilitation Plan in 1973 were pivotal in these efforts, providing various incentives to encourage public participation. Recognised as successful examples of public-private governance in reforestation, the materials contained in the archives are widely used in international training programmes for forest officials in developing countries and forest-oriented Official Development Assistance (ODA) initiatives.
Documents connected with the Pānadurā Vādaya (The Great Debate of Panadura) in 1873
Submitter: Sri Lanka
This transcription spans 27 and a half page of handwritten text on paper using ink. The four documents, kept at the Rankot Viharaya Buddhist temple in Panadura, were created against the backdrop of religious discord between Buddhists and Christians in mid-19th century. They consist of correspondence between the Christian and Buddhist leaders advocating for an open dialogue on doctrinal issues, as well as a transcription of the entire dialogue.
The event fostered reconciliation and mutual respect between the two religious communities. The English translations, later made available in Europe and the US, had a significant impact on religious activists and scholars in those countries, contributing to the recognition of Buddhism as an advanced religion.
The manuscript of Nanthopananthasut Kamlaung (22 July, 1736)
Submitter: Thailand
This 18th-century, 190-page khoi-paper manuscript contains translated and embellished Buddhist literature depicting the Buddha taming the mythical serpent Nanthopanantha-naga. Khoi paper is made from the khoi tree, Streblus asper.
The manuscript showcases a complex literary form and style, timeless moral values, and a sophisticated multilingual manuscript tradition. It reflects Ayutthaya’s centuries-long cultural interchanges in Buddhism, translation, multilingual literacy, and manuscript culture.
Transcribed and published to promote wider readership and accessibility and to ensure its proper preservation, the manuscript has inspired studies in palaeography, literature, history, contemporary arts, and international Buddhist relations.
The manuscript enjoys spiritual support from Buddhist communities worldwide. Its epigraphs, sung by international Buddhist communities and musicians during recent global calamities, convey universal messages of auspiciousness, tolerance and peace.
The King of the White Elephant and archival documents
Submitter: Thailand
The King of the White Elephant is a Thai 35 mm black-and-white feature film produced in 1940, adapted from an eponymous English-language novel. The film skilfully combines traditional Thai performances with Western cinematic language.
Emerging at the onset of World War II, the film stands as a testament to peace and diplomacy, promoting a message of harmony. From an archival standpoint, it is the only surviving Thai film from the pre-World War II era. It is also the first Thai film presented in English language, reflecting the filmmaker's intent for international distribution.
Karatepe-Aslantaş Inscriptions
Submitter: Türkiye
Written around 2,800 years ago, the Karatepe-Aslantaş Inscriptions from the city of Karatepe in ancient Cilicia are a pioneering example of res gestae, a showcase of a ruler's achievements. They contain one of the earliest-known long texts in Semitic Phoenicia and the local Luwian language, both contributing to the development of modern alphabets.
The inscriptions offer a unique insight into the sociopolitical landscape of the Iron Age Eastern Mediterranean. King Azatiwatas’ fortifications, detailed in the inscriptions, promoted economic and political peace, while fostering an environment in which women played an active role in society. The emotional connection between the local population and the Karatepe site further emphasises its cultural significance.
Camiu't Tevarih/Jāmiʿ al-Tawārīkh
Submitters: Türkiye and Uzbekistan
Câmiu't-Tevârîh, written by Resîdüddîn Fazlullah-i Hemedânî, is the first work to document the history of various tribes and nations across Asia and Europe, as well as the states established in these continents. Its significance lies in its impartial perspective, as it was prepared by a committee consisting of two Chinese, a Buddhist monk, a Mongol and a Christian priest.
Câmiu't-Tevârîh presents insights that were groundbreaking both for its era and later periods. The manuscript is unique in terms of its content and the accuracy of the information included, much of which as was gathered from hard-to-access sources through the use of state facilities.
The two oldest manuscripts of Câmiu't-Tevârîh are kept in the Istanbul Topkapi Palace Library, Türkiye (H.1653 and H.1654). Another manuscript is in Uzbekistan (No. 1620).
Composer Hoàng Vân Collection
Submitter: Vietnam
Hoàng Vân (birth name Lê Văn Ngọ, 1930-2018) was a composer at a pivotal moment in the history of Vietnamese music. The collection, spanning over 700 musical works from 1951 to 2010, is notable for its diversity of materials, musical forms, and genres.
Hoàng Vân's works express a singular relationship between his compositions and Vietnam’s cultural and social history, particularly the fate of women and underprivileged classes, in post-colonial and Cold War contexts. The collection also exemplifies the symbiosis of European and Asian musical traditions.
UNESCO also assists countries in developing safeguarding policies, provides training and funding to memory institutions for the digitisation of their collections, and works with educational bodies to integrate these essential elements of our past into school curricula, ensuring their transmission to future generations.
