IDP News: Newsletter of the International Dunhuang Project

IDP News: Newsletter of the International Dunhuang Project

http://idp.bl.uk/pages/archives_newsletter.a4d

Publisher: International Dunhuang Project (IDP)

In 1900 a hidden cave was discovered at a Buddhist site near the ancient
Silk Road town of Dunhuang. Sealed in about 1000 AD, it contained tens of
thousands of manuscripts, paintings and printed documents on paper and silk
dating from 400-1000 AD. The worldıs earliest and largest paper archive, the
caveıs contents included many unique documents, including the worldıs
earliest dated printed book (868 AD). The majority were in Chinese, but
there was a large collection of Tibetan documents as well as items in Turkic
Uighur and several other languages.

Unfortunately, the material was dispersed to collections worldwide making
access to all the manuscripts difficult. The large quantities of material
also put a strain on the curatorial and conservation resources of all the
holding institutions, and the collections are still not catalogued or
conserved in their entirety.

The International Dunhuang Project (IDP) was established in 1994, following
the first ever meeting of conservators and curators from all collections, to
address these problems. Its founder members agreed that its secretariat
should be at the British Library and that its objectives should be to
promote the study and preservation of pre-eleventh century manuscripts and
artefacts from Dunhuang and other Silk Road sites. IDP is funded by
donations from supporters and grants from several institutions and
foundations. 

Objectives:

    *  To establish the full extent of the documentary legacy from Dunhuang
and other Central Asian Sites and to share that information through the
development of an international database.
    * To develop new techniques for the preservation of the original
documents through close collaboration with research chemists and paper
technologists.
    * To promote common standards of preservation methods and documentation.
    * To catalogue the material according to common or compatible standards.
    * To store the documents in the best possible environment and reduce
handling to a minimum.
    * To stimulate research on the material and increase access through the
production of surrogate forms, facsimile publication, microfiche, and
computer stored images.

ISSN 1354-5914

The International Dunhuang Project
The British Library
96 Euston Road 
London NW1 2DB, UK 

Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7319
Fax: +44 (0)20 7412 7641
Email: kate.hampson@bl.uk

Content freely accessible online.

Current newsletter available online. Archive available in PDF format.

Current Issue: No. No. 25 - Spring 2005

Date: 3 February 2006