Muziris
The Government of Kerala has initiated the Muziris Heritage Project to reinstate the historical and cultural significance of the legendary port of Muziris. It includes Digital Repository of rare books, periodicals, non-book materials, gray literature and other documents. The Digital objects are created by digitizing the private collections available in the households in the Muziris Heritage Preservation Project Area.
This project involved digitization of documents related mainly to the trans-regional trade, cultural and religious activities of Mappila Muslims of Southern Western Coast of India spreading across South Asia, Sothern Arabia, Swahili Costs of Eastern Africa and South East Asia. These documents, kept mostly in archives, mosque libraries and family collections in various places of Kerala, shed lights on people, ideas, goods, networks of traders and scholars, texts, technologies which were in constant motion all across the Indian Ocean region. The themes range from maritime trade, trans-regional networks of traders and scholars and technology transfer to exchange of cultures and diasporic settlements of Arabs (mainly from Oman and Yemen) on the South-Western coasts of India.
Malabar’s trade, cultural and religious linkages with the Gulf countries is one of the recurring themes that have been covered widely in these digitized materials. Written mainly in four languages-Arabic, English, Arabic-Malayalam and Malayalam these materials cover a wide variety of subjects. Settlements of Arabs in Malabar from various parts of Southern Arabia, Arab Dhow making in three major medieval ports of Kerala, religious texts which were widely read in both South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, movements of scholars and traders etc. constitute bulk of the collection. Malabar’s trade and religious ties with Oman has generated tremendous amount of materials.
The major port of Malabar, Calicut was frequented for trade by the people of Oman. Arakkal dynasty, the only Muslim princely state of Kerala had maintained diplomatic relations with the Bu-Saidi rulers of Oman throughout its existence. Another set of digitized materials revolves around the life histories of two Keralites who spent considerable amount of time in their life in Oman- Charaman Perumal and Saiyid Fadl Pasha. Perumal, the first convert to Islam from the Indian sub-continent, is believed to have visited Oman in the 7th century. Saiyid Fadl, who became the Governor of Dhofar Province of Oman, was deported to Southern Arabia in 19th century by the British because of his involvement in a series of anti-British agitations.
Major Collections in the Islamic History Archives
- The manuscripts cover a range of subjects, including copies of Quran, Islamic law, Sufism, theology, history and fiction, in prose and poetic form.
- They range in date from the 17th to the 20th century.
Activities undertaken
- Digitization of rare collection of documents of Islamic heritage
- Muziris Digital Archive System
- E-Book Publishing
Digital Collection |
Quantity |
Printed materials |
2 Lakhs |
e-books |
550 |
Archival records from Digitising private collections of Islamic manuscripts, rarebooks and periodicals of Muziris Heritage preservation project
Digital images of 35 manuscripts owned by A.T.Yusufali Bin Ahammed kuttyThe manuscripts cover a range of subjects, including Periodicals, logic, theology, history and fiction, in prose and poetic form in Arabic and Arabi Malayalam.They range in date from the 17th to the 20th century
- Al Islah weekly language – arabi malayalam editor – e.moidu moulavi year – 1344 ah 1345 ah 1926 ad
- Meenchantha prameyam samastha kerala jamiyyathul ulama 17th annual conference – kozhikkode 15-03-1947
- Surathul kahf translation and collection of different swalath – manuscript arabi malayalam and arabic
- 56 Waka mawlid kithab
- Al Haq fi raddi al haq ethanu paramaartham by abul kamaal k muhammed moulavi m f b kaderi
- Al murshid monthly jamiyyathul ulama kerala editor – e.k.moulavi arabi malayalam year 1367 ah 1948 ad thirurangadi malappuram
Digital images of 20manuscripts owned by islah kuthub khana. The manuscripts cover a range of subjects, including copies of Quran, Islamic law, Sufism, theology, history and fiction, in prose and poetic form; they range in date from the 17th to the 20th century
- Adkiya razanah
- Dzikrul maut and others
- Ifadat al qudsiyyah
- Irshadul ibad
- Kashful dulmath fillmil faraidh
- Mirqathul ahlil haqi wa thameez fi sharahi irshadil yafie
- Mukhthasarul minhaj
- Saba th kuthub
- Fatawa alamgiri vol I to VI rare manuscripts
- Jawahir al khams
Digital images of 20manuscripts owned by islah kuthub khana. The manuscripts cover a range of subjects, including copies of Quran, Islamic law, Sufism, theology, history and fiction, in prose and poetic form; they range in date from the 17th to the 20th century
- Qaseedathul withriya arabi malayalam
- Sharahul a arabi li farawi al mathn al juroomiya
- Vaidyopakaramenna tharjima kithab
- Abwab ul ilm thalassery-makdarul uloom press
- Ajnaas kabir with graphics
- Al-qawa aid jaliyya fi madrasat al arabiyya the arabic infant reader
- Anwar ul baswar
- Areef ilaj ul atfal shishu chikilsa – arabi malayalam
- Fiqh-minhaj al qaum
Digital images of 103 manuscripts owned by Nellikuth A.P.muhammed ali mussiliyar. The manuscripts cover a range of subjects, including Islamic law, Sufism, theology, history and fiction, in prose and poetic form; they range in date from the 17th to the 20th century
- Al durru ssameen al noorul awal al durrul munallam fa thul ssaamad mawahibul malikil jaleel la u ssiraji fi khissathil mi hraj mawahibul jaleel al miskul muatha
- Jawahirul ash ar
- Makhsanul mufradath
- Marziyathu muhammed sadar lamiyathul ilmi qhaseeda badriyya uhdiyy
- Shifa un linnas
Digital images of 61 manuscripts owned by V.M.Kutty. The manuscripts cover a range of subjects, including Islamic law, Sufism, theology, history and fiction, in prose and poetic form; they range in date from the 17th to the 20th century
- Fatthu hushaam padapattu
- Hunine padappattu
- Khaibar pada
- Makkam fathahu
- Saphalamaala
- Uhdu pada
- Aadi muthal puranam
- Adhamnabiude khissapaattu
- Akbar swadaka enna pakshi pattu
- Alathinmulam