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#EYAColourful 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

Early C13th manuscript edition of the Kokin wakashū of 905, the first imperially commissioned anthology of waka, Japanese court poetry. #EYAHandwriting https://ow.ly/MUKw50YRIVm#EYAHandwriting

Hausa poem in praise of Muhammad written by Dāwūd, Son of the Imam of the Mosque of Bello. #EYAHandwriting https://ow.ly/hZmg50YRICG

Notebooks of William Dawes, 1790, documenting the grammar and vocab of the language spoken in the area around Sydney, Australia. These books are the major source of information about the Aboriginal language of Sydney. #EYAHandwriting https://ow.ly/iW7n50YRHmE

This palm-leaf manuscript contains three religious works written in Pali with Sinhalese. #EYAHandwriting https://ow.ly/xuiK50YRH01

Vocabularies of the Taheitian & some other languages, compiled by Joseph Banks during Captain James Cook's first voyage in 1760. #EYAHandwriting https://ow.ly/1fPX50YSp3C#EYAHandwriting

A handwritten native Siamese primer. With an inscription by G.Perry stating that he received it from Captain Francis Light (whose signature is added at the end) at Madras on the 14th July 1778. #EYAHandwriting https://ow.ly/72O750YSqbS#EYAHandwriting

Would love a boost for this post to get it to those interested in Arabic manuscripts please and thank you. #Skystorians #MedievalSky @soasuni.bsky.social @soaslibrary.bsky.social @soas-speccoll.bsky.social @soashistory.bsky.social @britishlibrary.bsky.social

The Stencl papers contain hundreds of scribbled drafts of poems and memoirs, often written on the back of re-purposed paper, such as napkins or receipts. https://ow.ly/gTcB50YRF0e #EYAHAndwriting

This manuscript map was draw and annotated by David Livingstone documenting his '‘Journey thro’ Barotseland’ in 1853 https://digital.soas.ac.uk/Documents/Detail/david-livingstone-manuscript-map-of-journey-thro-barotseland/948746 #EYAHandwriting

This letter, dated 1777, is from Than Phya Phimon Aisawan, Siamese Governor of Thalang and Than Phya Surintharacha, Siamese Superintendent to Captain Francis Light. The letter relates to the supply of 4000 muskets by Light to the Siamese Gvt. MS380629 #EYAHandwriting

The hand captured in these images published by the International Association of the Vrindaban Research insitute show three gestures traditional in Indian dance: Bherunda, Chatura and Garuda. #InternationalDanceDay https://digital.soas.ac.uk/documents?returning=true

This portrait of Honourable William Ainslie, Puisne Judge of the High Court, Calcutta is from Sketches of Indian military and civil service notabilities of the Victorian-Edwardian age. See more portraits here: https://ow.ly/M38T50Ysocp #EYACrime

This example of mail art by Hassan Musa, 1933 is titled 'En taule avec des amis Hollondais' (in jail with Dutch friends'. See more of his work here: https://ow.ly/9Q7050YsnOV #EYACrime

This manuscript contains illustrations of the ten halls of Bhuddistic judgement with their various kinds of punishment. This image shows the Hades or Hall of Buddha, also known as the Courts of Hell.#EYACrime https://ow.ly/13EL50YsmGR

Next time you're at SOAS Special Collections why not check out some of our comic magazines? This didactic cartoon comic showcases the inadvisability of crime with a comedic twist! (PP MS 46, Hake, Box 29) #EYAcrime

Smuggling shadowed every China Navigation Co. voyage - bold, audacious, and woven into daily life. In the chaos of departure, 'pidgin' contraband slipped aboard: opium, alcohol, tobacco, textiles. Sailors looked away… or helped. #EYACrime Read more here: https://ow.ly/PqPy50Ysl2S

In 1925 William Reid, a Taikoo Sugar Refinery employee was accused of embezzlement. The event led to the revision of accounting practices #EYACrime Read more here: https://ow.ly/kQ4B50YskHt

This 1839 essays discusses the repercussions of British army soldiers drinking too much. #EYACrime https://ow.ly/YLqA50Yskyz

The six men in this photograph were accused of carrying out the Kucheng massacre in Fujian in 1895 when 11 British missionaries were killed by members of a Luist fasting group. #EYACrime https://ow.ly/fLWq50Ysk33

These beautiful watercolour illustrations of moths, and their caterpillars is from an Album of Paintings of Insects by Cantonese artist Fatqua (early-mid C19th) #EYAWildlife https://ow.ly/UfOY50Yp7yj

This fantastic image of men fishing with cormorants was taken in China by businessman George E Cormack, 1915. Cormorant fishing is a traditional method in which trained birds dive for fish, and it has a long, layered history across East Asia #EYAWildlife

#WomenHistoryMonth An illustrated work portraying Edo‑period women from various social classes, including geishas, townswomen, samurais and sex workers, depicted in everyday life and rendered with a graceful dignity that subtly challenges social norms. (JWP 45B-1)

Fish being sun-dried in Aberdeen, Hong Kong, photographed by Henry Rue in 1910-1913. #EYAWildlife https://ow.ly/UNwV50Yp6ek

When the beauty of a book begins with its cover! A paper collection of woodblock prints with motifs from Chinese flora and fauna by Rong bao Zhai (ANA/1434)

This cheeky monkey in a tree was photographed by anthropologist Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf somewhere in the border region between Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh in 1943. #EYAWildlife https://ow.ly/8y9F50Yp5Rm

Anthropologist, Christoph von Furer Haimendorf was lucky enough to capture a photo of this young wild elephant in upland Kerala in 1953 #EYAWildlife https://ow.ly/ZLCf50Yp4ZY

A beautiful painting of a bird by Wang Guochen, late C19th. #EYAWildlife

This elegant drawing of a crane and her chicks nesting in a pine tree is by Japanese artist Utamoro Kitgawa, late C17th. https://digital.soas.ac.uk/Documents/Detail/crane-and-chicks-in-a-nest-on-a-pine-tree/975524 #EYWildlife

Who are better at #EYAConnections but ambassadors! You can view the full 17th Cent. 'Procession of Korean Ambassadors' scroll at https://ow.ly/RouS50Y9Pn4#EYAConnections(MS 86566)

Join us for Curators’ Tours of our current exhibitions: ✨ Thurs 26 Feb – Mughal Banaras 🗓 Thurs 5 March – I Couldn’t Stand By ✨ Sat 7 March – Mughal Banaras Fresh perspectives and expert insights. Free, booking required: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/curators-tours-4819675?just_published=true

This Christian liturgical text, written in Bohairic Coptic with Arabic glosses (MS 13997), shows us how languages meet through the written word! Explore these #connections at https://digital.soas.ac.uk/Documents/Detail/christian-liturgical-texts-in-bohairic-coptic-with-arabic-glosses/1047560

Valentine’s Day may have passed, but there’s still time to explore stories of love and #connection in the SOAS Special Collections. Browse our E Coll 5 collection (E Coll 5/450236) for advice from the past! #EYAConnection

Sir Robert Hart, Inspector General of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service became a key figure in the history of China in the 19th century and its foreign relations with the West. Read more here: https://ow.ly/1aRU50Y9jYP #EYAConnections

Wishing all our readers joy & prosperity as we welcome the Year of the Horse. May the year ahead bring you good fortune & new opportunities! This horse, by Kitao Masayoshi is from his 1813 drawing manual Chōjū ryakugashiki https://blogs.soas.ac.uk/archives/2019/03/28/choju-ryakugashiki/

To all of you starting your celebrations of #SpringFestival and #ChineseNewYear the #YearOfTheHorse from us may we wish you an absolutely fabulous 2026

In this blog Professor Niki Alsford unveils Taiwan’s Formosa Church News, a missionary publication that also became a platform for local voices, a tool for linguistic preservation, & a record of Taiwan’s evolving identity. #EYAConnections https://ow.ly/Xl6A50Y9jm6

Mikidadi Kichange’s relationship with anthropologist Pat Caplan began during her 1965 fieldwork on Mafia Island & developed into a decades‑long friendship, with the two calling each other 'brother & sister.' Caplan later wrote a biography of Mikidadi in 2014. #EYAConnections

Meet Jateen - from 13.30 to 15.00 on Thurs 12 Feb one of the curators of our current exhibition Mughal Banaras will be in the Gallery to tell you more and answer questions about the project.

From 1930s Whitechapel, Stencl championed Yiddish through his writing and as editor of Losh un leben, reconnecting refugees, poets and workers across borders. #EYAConnections https://digital.soas.ac.uk/archives/papers-of-abraham-nahum-stencl#EYAConnections

Mail art turns the postal system into a creative playground - small works like drawings, collages, stamps, poems, & textiles sent across the world. It’s non‑commercial, open to everyone, and makes communication itself the artwork #EYAConnections #HassanMusa

A 1960 menu from CNCo’s ship Changsha reveals a world of caviar & lobster. But it’s more than a record of opulent dining. Covered in passengers’ signatures, it captures a golden age when ocean voyages forged friendships & sparked autograph‑collecting. #EYAConnections

Ready to explore #Bloomsbury? All within a short stroll use our handy map to visit these hidden gems: @thecryptgallerylondon @peltzgallery @the_warburg_institute @soas_gallery @aaschool @pushkinhouselondon @swedenborghouse @mimosahouselondon. Which will you visit first?

Let's explore a few of our lesser known #EYADUSTY collections! This watercolour artwork, depicting Arab figures, was produced by the Algiers Mission Band. It can be traced back to a journal by Lilias Trotter, who was a founding member from 1888-1928. (AWM/AMB, Box 14a)

🧵6/6 In this pictorial letter, Hassan Musa draws an extension to a photograph of his wife and children "having fun" in front of his self-portrait Autoportrait avec les idees Noires (2003, Sarah Baartman and Josephine Baker). https://digital.soas.ac.uk/results/brief/?t=hassan+musa

Last chance! 'Contextualising Jahandar Shah and the ‘Later’ Mughals of Banaras', is tomorrow, Wednesday 21st January, at 6:15pm at SOAS. Free and open to the public: https://ow.ly/IjEU50Y0fUv

🧵5/6 The Musa family's New Year's 1999 greeting card with painting by Hassan and his daughter Aya, who drew Santa Claus; signed by the four Musas. https://digital.soas.ac.uk/results/brief/?t=hassan+musa

🧵4/6 Hassan Musa created this colourful New Years card in 2006. SOAS holds a number of his mail art works. Find out more here: https://ow.ly/cM2r50XSRBU