More Research Can Be Done On Malay Manuscripts, Says Iranian Conservation Scientist

By V. Sankara KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- More research can be done on the materials and techniques used to create ancient Malay manuscripts written in the Jawi script, according to a Malaysia-based Iranian conservation scientist specialising in materials technology of manuscripts and miniature paintings. Dr Mandana Barkeshli said she is interested to examine the different methods used to create Malay manuscripts which – in her opinion – hasn’t been explored much compared to the materials used in Islamic manuscripts, namely Persian Safavid and Qajar, Turkish Ottoman, and Indian Moghul illustrated manuscripts. She believes that in order to understand how to preserve the manuscripts, one must have knowledge of the nature of the material used to create the manuscripts. "More research can be done on Malay manuscripts that are written in Jawi derived from natural plants and minerals which is still yet to be explored. Besides that, we want to know the traditional and local materials used, like fungicides and insecticides, in the preservation of such manuscripts. “It is also important to have the knowledge to preserve these Malay manuscripts or otherwise we are going to lose it to the next generation,” she told Bernama in an exclusive interview at her residence, here, recently. Barkeshli, who is an Honorary Principle Fellow of Melbourne University and resides in Kuala Lumpur with her family for more than 20 years, said that research on the different motifs of Malay illuminated manuscripts - such as Al Quran inspired by plants and flowers - is interesting to conduct. “Science makes a big role in the preservation of artworks. In relation to the knowledge of material and techniques used in Malay manuscripts, which directly relates to their preservation strategy, there is a great shortage of specialists in the subject,” said the founder and the former chairman of the Islamic Manuscript Association in Cambridge. Barkeshli, who was Associate Professor of the Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design’s Applied Arts and Design Department at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) from 2009-2016, said she has supervised several research projects to identify the materials and techniques of Malay manuscripts and to explore the potential local and traditional materials for preservation, conservation and restoration of such manuscripts. And as the first Head Curator of the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, Barkeshli is internationally-recognised for her discoveries related to traditional preventive measures in Persian manuscripts such as saffron stigmas used as inhibitor to counteract destructive effect of green verdigris pigment in Persian miniature paintings, and henna dye used as fungicide in Persian paper dyeing processes during 16th to 19th centuries. In her scientific research, she has discovered that saffron is a strong buffer and it makes the pH of the copper green colour of verdigris on a constant level to prevent its damage on paper and manuscripts. -- BERNAMA