New additions feature rare slave registers, Charles Darwin’s archives, and Europe’s wartime children’s drawings
UNESCO added 74 new documentary heritage collections to its Memory of the World Register, bringing the total number of inscribed collections to 570.
The entries from 72 countries and four international organizations cover topics such as the scientific revolution, women’s contribution to history, and major milestones of multilateralism.
The register consists of documentary collections, including books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, and sound or video recordings, that bear witness to humanity’s shared heritage.
Collections are added to the register by decision of UNESCO’s Executive Board, following the evaluation of nominations by an independent international advisory committee.
Among the newly inscribed collections, fourteen pertain to scientific documentary heritage. Itḥāf Al-Mahbūb documents the Arab world’s contributions to astronomy, planetary movement, celestial bodies, and astrological analysis during the first millennium of our era. The archives of Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, which contain the first recorded X-ray photographs, and Carlos Chagas, a pioneer in disease research, have also been included.
Other additions include collections relate to the memory of slavery, submitted by Angola, Aruba, Cabo Verde, Curaçao, and Mozambique, as well as archives concerning prominent historical women—still largely underrepresented on the register—such as girls’ education pioneer Raden Ajeng Kartini (Indonesia and the Netherlands), author Katherine Mansfield (New Zealand), and travel writers Annemarie Schwarzenbach and Ella Maillart (Switzerland).
Several collections document key moments in international cooperation, including the Geneva Conventions (1864–1949) and their protocols (1977–2005) (Switzerland), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations), and the 1991 Windhoek Declaration (Namibia), a global reference for press freedom.
Census of slaves in Angola Cape Verde and Mozambique determined by Portuguese decree of 12/14/1854
Submitters: Angola, Cabo Verde, and Mozambique.
This joint nomination comprises 79 slave registration books from Angola, Cabo Verde, and Mozambique, created mainly between 1856 and 1875. Issued by decree of the Portuguese Crown, these records documented all enslaved and freed individuals in its overseas territories, laying the groundwork for the abolition of slavery in 1869. At a time when slavery had opponents around the world, and the United Kingdom was striving to ban it, these books provided detailed records, including names, sex, birthplace, age, physical traits, occupations, and information on slave owners. This provides a privileged view of the situation of slavery, given the fact that a large part of the enslaved Africans were forcibly expelled from ports there.
Vita Sanctorum Marini et Leonis, Manuscript MS F.III.16, Turin, Italy
Submitters: Croatia, Italy,
and San Marino.
The Manuscript F.III.16, preserved in its entirety at the National University Library of Turin (Italy), contains the Vita Sanctorum Marini et Leonis (ff.182r-190v), a unique hagiographic text and the earliest known testimony of the lives of Marinus and Leo, two stonemasons who arrived at the Italian Adriatic coast from the Croatian island Rab. They conveyed relevant values still embodied in the material and immaterial heritage of three different states: Croatia, Italy, and the Republic of San Marino. The Vita represents a milestone for a renewed intercultural dialogue among countries and the construction a shared legacy. It holds a great historical relevance in the European context, recalling the founding of the Republic of San Marino and embodying the fundamental pillars of the institution, such as inclusion, openness, and solidarity, as advocated by the Saints in their concept of community. The text adopts the Caroline minuscule script, the basis of a common language for Latin-script Europe.
The Archives of the Spoken Word
(1911-1953): memory of the human voice
Submitter: France.
Speech is probably humanity’s most shared cultural asset. At the beginning of the 20th century, the phonograph made recording and reproducing sounds possible. Using these technologies, the linguist Ferdinand Brunot created the “Archives de la Parole” in 1911, with the support of the Pathé company. Brunot and his successors, who made recordings to preserve spoken and sung language evidence, built up a unique audio heritage of over 3,000 documents. Almost every aspect of the spoken word is covered: from the poetry of Guillaume Apollinaire (1913) to the Indians of Amazonia (1935), from Commandant Dreyfus (1912) to the polyrhythmic and polyphonic riches of Africa (1931), from national languages to patois and dialects, right through to the great pioneering surveys of ethnomusicology. Preserved and digitized by the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, it is accessible through the Gallica online digital library.
Luigi Sturzo Archives
(1890-1959)
Submitter: Italy.
Luigi Sturzo successfully introduced a philosophy that combined liberal democracy with the Christian social democracy of the late 19th century. The political party he founded in 1919 became a reference point for forming Christian-inspired movements across Europe and Latin America. The Archives, therefore, represent a re-worked version of the core values of the international Catholic political culture. Authentic, unique, and comprehensive, they preserve Sturzo’s writings and correspondence from 1890 to 1959. Comprising 1,500 folders divided into three sections (Correspondence, Writings, Works), they are accessible for consultation in a 16th-century building in the heart of Rome.
Deger-e-ece toytoysan dürsü-yin tusbür-yig bürüdkegsen bicig
(A Complete Record of the Body by Imperial Order)
Submitter: Mongolia.
The manuscripts provide information on Western and “Traditional” Eastern medicine from the mid-18th century. These texts serve as textbooks detailing the human body’s structure and doctors’ research in ancient Mongolian medical schools. Written in the ancient Mongolian script, the manuscripts contain various medical terms originating from Europe, translated into Mongolian, demonstrating the extensive cultural and knowledge exchange between the regions. The collection is one of the earliest forms of medical literature found in Mongolia that reflects the unique characteristics of European and Eastern medical approaches. The nomination includes nine parts: the Mongolian translated parts/books 2, 3, and 4 from Volume 1, Parts 1-2 from Volume 2, and a handwritten copy of Volume 1 containing four parts.
The Ikaros Inscription
Submitter: Kuwait.
The Ikaros Inscription is a Hellenistic limestone stela excavated in 1960 on Failaka Island in Kuwait. The inscription contains 44 lines of Greek carvings, translating to a letter to ‘the inhabitants of Ikaros’, containing administrative, religious, social, and economic orders. Scholars believe it to be dated between 246 and 226 BC. It is displayed at the Kuwait National Museum, measuring approximately 0.62 meters in width and 1.26 meters in length. The Ikaros Inscription is the only complete letter on a stela discovered in Kuwait and the surrounding region. It is notable for being the first instance of the name ‘Ikaros’ being applied to the island, and it also includes references to the names and dates of Seleucid rulers and their administrators.
Drawings and writings of children during
wartime in Europe: 1914-1950
Submitters: Canada, Czechia, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland.
The collection of young people’s documents, drawings, paintings, and writings, along with two youth journals, depicts key “wartime” events and their aftermath. Through their creativity, rich motifs, and direct language, these documents transcend national borders, offering possibilities for dialogue and compassion. They serve as a democratic heritage of European urban and rural cultures, created by boys and girls of different ages and social classes. They offer universal testimonies of other cultures and valuable insights for future generations.
Documentary heritage of the enslaved people of the Dutch Caribbean and their descendants (1816-1969)
Submitter: The Netherlands for Aruba.
The system of slavery in the Dutch Caribbean lasted for over two centuries, shaping social structures that still impact the societies today. The nominated documentary heritage consists of slave records, manumission and emancipation registers, and civil registry documents of formerly enslaved people. The archives, located in Suriname, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the Netherlands, shed light on the state of compensation received by plantation owners after the abolition of slavery in the Dutch Caribbean in 1863. The records show the connections between the Dutch, French, and British networks in the Caribbean, as part of the global network of slavery and slave trade, offering a better understanding of the mechanics behind one of the significant periods in human history.
UNESCO Memory of the World Register
Kitab Al-Qanun fi Al-Tibb The Book of Medical Laws (Book Four) Algeria.
Marubi National Museum of Photography Archive of negatives, objects, and documents of Pietro Marubbi and Kel Marubi Albania.
The Lawcode of Mkhitar Gosh Armenia.
Archives of the expedition of d’Entrecasteaux (1791-1794) Australia and France.
Cuneiform Inscriptions of Dilmun Kings on Stone Vessels (c. 1700 BCE) Bahrain.
The archives, engravings, and manuscripts used by the Bollandists (17th-18th centuries) Belgium.
Secular Town Council of Potosí (1585-1817) Bolivia.
Carlos Chagas Archive Brazil.
The Ethno-Historical Map by Curt Nimuendaju: A cartographic encyclopedia at the service of languages, cultures, and memories of indigenous peoples Brazil.
John Peters Humphrey The Archives of an International Human Rights Career Canada.
The Notman Photographic Archives An Exceptional Record of a Nineteenth-Century Studio Canada.
The Suizhou Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng China.
The Steles of Shaolin Temple (566-1990) China.
Trilingual Inscription (Tribhasha Sellipiya) China and Sri Lanka.
Andrija tampar’s diaries (1931-1938) Croatia.
Short films of the Zagreb School of Animated Films (1956 – 1979) Croatia.
Situation plans of towns and villages of Jewish settlement in the Habsburg Empire Czechia.
Collection of cartographic documents by Pavel Josef afarík Czechia.
Ithaf Al-Mahbub Egypt.
Edvard Westermarck’s Archives at Åbo Akademi University Library Finland.
The Archives of the Planet (1909-1932) France.
The Treaty of Perpetual Peace of Fribourg (1516) France and Switzerland.
Representative radiographs from the Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen estate Germany.
The Munich Manuscript of the Babylonian Talmud Germany.
The Literary Estate of Friedrich Nietzsche Germany and Switzerland.
Manuscript of the Natyasastra of Bharatamuni A Seminal Text of Indian Performing Art India.
Manuscript Collection of Bhagavadgita: Ancient Samgraha-grantha of Indian thought with Worldwide Readership and Influence India.
Archives of Javanese Dance: Mangkunegaran Dance Arts, 1861-1944 Indonesia.
The Sang Hyang Siksa Kandang Karesian Manuscript Indonesia.
The Works of Hamzah Fansuri Indonesia and Malaysia.
Kartini Letters and Archive: The struggle for gender equality Indonesia and the Netherlands
UNESCO IBE Historical Archives (1925-1969) International Bureau of Education (IBE).
Collection of documents from Mount Mugh The International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS) and the International Center for Documentary Heritage (ICDH) are under the auspices of UNESCO.
Architecture and archaeological excavations in the State Archives of Naples (1712-1955) Italy.
Three Editions of the Buddhist Sacred Canons are stored at Zojoji. Japan.
Manuscript “Chronicle of Khans” Kazakhstan.
Petrus de Caxaro’s Kantilena Malta.
Aerial Photography from the Ingenieros Civiles Asociados (ICA) Foundation Mexico.
Inscription of Khüis Tolgoi 1 Mongolia.
Al Orjoza fi teb by Ibn Toufail Morocco.
Archives of the Deltadienst The Netherlands.
Documentary heritage of the enslaved people of the Dutch Caribbean and their descendants (1816-1969) (Curaçao Addition to Existing Inscription) The Netherlands for Curaçao.
A’nuwniah Al Kubra (An essential Omani marine navigation manuscript) Oman.
Revealing Truth: Jeju 4·3 Archives The Republic of Korea.
Korea Reforestation Archives:
A reforestation model achieved through public-private governance The Republic of Korea.
The Khludov Psalter The Russian Federation.
Archives of the European War Office in Madrid (1915-1921) Spain.
Arabic letters Spain.
Documents Connected with the Panadura Vadaya (The Great Debate of Panadura) in 1873 Sri Lanka.
The Karl Tirén Collection of Sami Joik Sweden.
The Ravensbrück Archive at Lund University Library Sweden.
The Geneva Conventions of 1864, 1906, 1929, and 1949, as well as the Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005 Switzerland.
Annemarie Schwarzenbach and Ella Maillart Two women’s views on the world Switzerland.
The Manuscript of Nanthopananthasut Kamlaung (22 July 1736)Thailand.
The King of the White Elephant and the archival documents Thailand.
Karatepe-Aslantaş Inscriptions Türkiye.
Camiu’t Tevarih/Jami’ al-Tawarikh Türkiye and Uzbekistan.
Documentary heritage relating to the life and work of Charles Darwin The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Drafting of the International Bill of Human Rights UN Archives and UN Official Documents – 1946 to 1966
Composer Hoàng Vân Collection Vietnam.
IMO Legacy Collection
World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
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