A #EYASurprise in Persian poetry ms 46453 is a snake skin! It came to London in the 1920s via St Petersburg. We think it may have been used to ward off pests and rodents from eating the manuscript.

The Chōsen shisetsu gyōretsu zukan handscroll painting shows a procession of Korean Ambassadors on a visit to Japan in 1655. It is over 12 metres long! #EYASurprise https://ow.ly/EBEc50ZwzIX

One of the more unusual items in our collections is a lock of hair belonging to James Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission! #EYASurprise

Example of mail art by Hassan Musa. These small-scale works are sent through the regular mail as “free art” to surprise friends and all persons who glimpse at them along the way and afterwards #EYASurprise #https://archives.soas.ac.uk/records/MS_381333

A view of Mount Fuji from under Mannen Bridge by Hokusai Katsushika, c. 1830 #EYAArchitecture https://ow.ly/i0Wo50ZriBe

Chinese post office at Nanning photographed early C20th by Reginald Follett Codrington Hedgeland, officer in the Chinese Maritime Customs Service. #EYAArchitecture https://ow.ly/4bb850ZriiQ

Nyatapol temple is one of the few traditional buildings in Bhaktapur that survived the 2015 earthquake intact. Photo by cIRcle, Uni of British Columbia Library, 2018 as part of a project to document the aftermath of the earthquake. #EYAArchitecture

Photograph of the Augustus Bridge and Dresden cathedral, Dresden, Germany taken by tea merchant, John C Oswald in 1887. #EYAArchitecture

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Hong Kong. Photograph taken by Herny Rue c. 1910-1913 #EYAArchitecture #https://digital.soas.ac.uk/Documents/Detail/r.c.-cathedral-hong-kong/204650

Plans for the new Philips building on the main campus of SOAS, to house the library, offices, teaching rooms, sports facilities, and other dedicated spaces. Read more here about a recent project to catalogue these: https://ow.ly/IpFt50ZlTRE #EYAArchitecture

Complex Concrete: The twists and turns of the Philips Building

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the iconic Philips Building, designed by Denys Lasdun & Partners.

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Plans by W. Deans Cowan showing front view and pulpit of church at Ambalavao, pulpit of church at Antranobrika, pulpit of church at Ivohidahy. A note on reverse of plan reads "The roofs are at present thatch, but we hope to have tiles. The walls are brick." #EYAArchitecture

This photograph, taken by Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf, probably of the town of Cochin, shows an interesting mixture of architectural styles. The conical roof of the early Kerala temple is set against the tower of a colonial building and other roof tops. #EYAArchitecture

Digitization & cataloging are complete for 26 manuscripts in private collections located in Armenia and Georgia, accessible online (vhmml.org) and by visiting HMML in Minnesota. The manuscripts were digitized by Dr. Konrad Siekierski for the "Home Saints" project. Details: https://bit.ly/4uXYoIO

Our collection of Manes' documents and diaries from this time are likely the most detailed descriptions of daily life written by any inmate of any concentration camp, not as a memoir, but whilst he was there The full collection has been digitised and can be found at www.whlcollections.org

Wiener Digital Collections - The Wiener Holocaust Library

Based in London, The Wiener Holocaust Library is the world’s oldest and Britain’s largest collection of original archival material on pre-war Jewish life, the Nazi era and the Holocaust.

whlcollections.org

Kuruma-ebi (prawns) and Aji (horse mackerel, Trachurus japonicus, Caranx trachurus), from the first series of fish published by Eijudo, c.mid 1830′s, with a poem by Toshinoya Tomiharu. #EYAColourful https://digital.soas.ac.uk/Documents/Detail/974993

This stunning painting of a fishing boat in India was painted by Gopal Ghose (1913-1980). #EYAColourful https://ow.ly/6NOK50YYVe4

An exciting project to catalogue Charles #Darwin's personal library is underway! Learn about it in our latest blog: specialcollections-blog.lib.cam.ac.uk?p=32108

The National Library of Ireland invites everyone — wherever you are — to explore #Ireland from the comfort of home with our photographic series #AroundtheIsland. Take a journey through the NLI’s collections & connect with your ancestral counties by exploring our videos: https://ow.ly/TsAU50Zfytf

Around the Island

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We are delighted to announce that the newly arranged catalogue for the Methodist Missionary papers is now available online: https://archives.soas.ac.uk/records/MMS

This beautiful lacquer binding shows a bird perched on a spray of roses and a butterfly on a dark chocolate ground. The centre bears the date 1165 AH (1751 CE) #EYAColourful https://digital.soas.ac.uk/Documents/Detail/muraqqa-covers-exemplar/918586

This Japanese illustrated popular reader for children, 1916 tells the story of General Nogi. #EYAColourful https://ow.ly/GQnG50YYSM1

This Mamluk tile reflects the growing impact of Chinese ceramics, most evident in the colour scheme mimicking Chinese blue-and-white ceramics of the Yuan and Ming dynasties. #EYAColourful https://ow.ly/3JUT50YYSBq

We love this illustration of the African Grape Vine by missionary and scientist Richard Baron during his time in Madagascar, 1872-1907 #EYAColourful https://ow.ly/Aook50YYRzt

Our online catalogue for the Methodist Missionary Collection will be unavailable today for essential maintenance. We are aiming to re-publish a new, improved listing tomorrow. Keep an eye out for updates!

Despite its vibrant colour, this painting by Ehigbor Osagie-Bruce Jude lyoghiojie highlights his concerns for the difficulties that confront ordinary people. #EYAColourful https://ow.ly/YKWw50YYRcp

The Ethiopian Manuscript Microfilm Library (EMML) has photographs of 9,000+ manuscripts microfilmed in Ethiopia from 1973–1994. Manuscript descriptions from the complete 10-volume EMML print catalog are now represented and expanded upon online in HMML Reading Room. Details: https://bit.ly/3PBBIPM

This beautiful print, 1852, by Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Sankai medetai zue, shows a combination of a beauty and a provincial product: Bonseki of Bichū and a woman looking at buds of plum blossoms. #EYAColourful https://ow.ly/21hU50YSrL9

Front binding of Muhammad Zuhūrī's Divan (late C16th). The cover is painted in a wonderfully colourful collection of flowers in reds, pinks and blues on a gold ground with small stylised birds appearing here and there. #EYAColourful https://ow.ly/lz6T50YSryC

'Royal Lamba' from Madagascar, presented to Rev A. R. Down as the district missionary. The age of this burial cloth is unknown. Lambas used for royal burial were of finer quality with gold threads. #EYAColourful https://ow.ly/kbSH50YSqWp in

18th century Christian liturgical texts in Bohairic Coptic with Arabic glosses. Coptic was derived from Ancient Egyptian and written in a modified Greek alphabet. #EYAHandwriting https://ow.ly/Jra450YRJMc