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The preservation of these documents is important for the people who own them, as well as as for scholars who want to study the dissemination of ideas throughout the Malay World." This project aims to preserve through digitisation and list private collections of documents for future generations to enhance possibilities to gain a better understanding of Malay intellectual history. The remnants of this manuscript and book culture can still be found in private collections of books and manuscripts scattered throughout the region. This collection process not only resulted in several large repositories of Malay manuscripts, but also kindled a renaissance of Malay writing at the court of Riau and beyond. In their endeavour to standardize the Malay language, Dutch officials collected manuscripts from the archipelago these manuscripts became the basis for a standard grammar and dictionary of the Malay language. During the nineteenth century the area was part of the Dutch East Indies and considered to be the core area of Malay language and culture, and the heir to the legendary port/state of Malacca.
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There is a strong possibility of these documents being lost forever if this situation continues unchecked.The Riau Archipelago spreads over a vast geographic area in the triangle between Sumatra, Singapore and the Borneo. However, these collections are in private hands, have not had the benefit of professional archival care, and are being cannabilised for commercial sale by antique hunters. "There are small collections of documents in the Riau Archipelago, which may throw new light on our appreciation of the wider Malay-Muslim world. Riau manuscripts: the gateway to the Malay intellectual world We now have 4 collections and more than 179 titles of manuscripts in our archive.” As such, repositories, cultural and national heritage centers, manuscript libraries and museums are invited to share and provide access to their manuscript contents and expert knowledge concerning Malay scriptorium. “.MyManuskrip or Digital Library of Malay Manuscript enables repositories within Malaysia and those outside to participate in building and offering manuscript content as well as outputs of manuscript research such as articles, reports, theses and links to relevant sites. MyManuskrip (Digital Library of Malay Manuscripts).
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