Memory of the World Register in Asia and the Pacific

UNESCO's Memory of the World International Register lists documentary heritage – texts, audio-visual materials, library and archive holdings – that have been judged to be of global importance. The register brings that heritage to the attention of experts and the wider public, promoting the preservation, digitization, and dissemination of those materials. The first inscriptions were added to the register in 1997. As of 2025, 570 pieces of documentary heritage had been included in the register. Of these, 180 are nominated or co-nominated by countries in the Asia and the Pacific region.

The Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP) is a regional committee of UNESCO's programme, maintaining a separate register. There are also national registers, including for the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand.

Items listed below are part of the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register. National and regional registers are listed separately.

List by country/territory

Documentary heritageCountry/TerritoryCustodian(s), Location(s) Yearinscribed Ref. The Endeavour Journal of James CookAustraliaNational Library of Australia, Canberra 2001 The Mabo Case ManuscriptsAustraliaNational Library of Australia, Canberra 2001 The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906) AustraliaNational Film and Sound Archive, Canberra 2007 The Convict Records of Australia Australia State Records Authority of New South Wales Archives Office of Tasmania State Records Office of Western Australia: Alexander Library Building, Perth Cultural Centre 2007 Manifesto of the Queensland Labour Party, 1892 AustraliaState Library of Queensland, Brisbane 2009 Giant Glass Plate Negatives of Sydney HarbourAustraliaState Library of New South Wales, Sydney 2021Archives of the expedition of d’Entrecasteaux (1791–1794)Australia, France Archives nationales Musée du quai Branly Muséum national d'histoire naturelle National Library of Australia2025 7 March Speech of BangabandhuBangladeshLiberation War Museum, Dhaka2017 Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum Archives CambodiaTuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Phnom Penh 2009 Traditional Music Sound Archives ChinaChinese Academy of Arts, Beijing 1997 Records of the Qing's Grand Secretariat – 'Infiltration of Western Culture in China'ChinaPalace Museum, Beijing 1999 Ancient Naxi Dongba Literature Manuscripts ChinaLijiang Prefecture Dongba Research Institute, Dayan 2003 Golden Lists of the Qing Dynasty Imperial Examination ChinaState Archives, Beijing 2005 Qing Dynasty Yangshi Lei Archives ChinaThe First Historical Archives National Library of China, Beijing Palace Museum, Beijing 2007 Ben Cao Gang Mu: Compendium of Materia MedicaChinaLibrary of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences 2011 Huang Di Nei Jing (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon)ChinaNational Library of China, Beijing 2011 Official Records of Tibet from the Yuan Dynasty China, 1304–1367ChinaTibet Autonomous Region Archives, Lhasa 2013 Qiaopi and Yinxin Correspondence and Remittance Documents from Overseas Chinese ChinaGuangdong Provincial Archives Chaoshan Research Institute for History and Culture Shantou Municipal Archives Jiangmen Wuyi Overseas Chinese Museum Meizhou City Qiaopi Archives Kaiping Cultural Heritage Bureau Fujian Province Archives Quanzhou City Archives Jinjiang City Archives Jinjiang Municipal Museum Quanzhou Museum of Overseas Chinese History 2013 Documents of Nanjing MassacreChinaCentral Archives of China The Second Historical Archives of China Liaoning Provincial Archives Jilin Provincial Archives Shanghai Municipal Archives Nanjing City Archives The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders 2015 The Archives of Suzhou Silk from Modern and Contemporary TimesChinaSuzhou Industrial and Commercial Archives Administration 2017 Chinese Oracle-Bone InscriptionsChinaInstitute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences National Library of China Palace Museum, Beijing Peking University Library Tsinghua University Library Shanghai Museum Nanjing Museum Shandong Provincial Museum Lvshun Museum Tianjin Museum 2017 Official Records of Macao During the Qing Dynasty (1693–1886)China,PortugalTorre do Tombo National Archive, Alvalade, Lisbon 2017 Archives and Manuscripts of Macau Kong Tac Lam Temple (1645–1980)ChinaAssociation of Piety and Longevity Kong Tac Lam, Macau 2023 The four treatises of Tibetan MedicineChinaMentseekhang, Traditional Tibetan Hospital (Tibetan Medical & Astro Institute), Lhasa 2023 The Steles of Shaolin Temple (566–1990)ChinaShaolin Monastery2025The Suizhou Bianzhong of Marquis Yi of ZengChinaHubei Provincial Museum2025 Records of the Indian Indentured LabourersFiji,Guyana,Suriname,Trinidad and TobagoNational Archives of Fiji National Archives of Guyana National Archives of Suriname National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago 2011 The I.A.S. Tamil Medical Manuscript CollectionIndiaInstitute of Asian Studies, Chennai 1997 Archives of the Dutch East India CompanyIndia,Indonesia,Netherlands,South Africa,Sri LankaCape Town Archives Repository (Office of the National Archives of South Africa) Madras Record Office (Tamil Nadu Archives) Department of National Archives of Sri Lanka National Archives of Indonesia (Arsip Nasional Republik Indonesia) Nationaal Archief (National Archives of the Netherlands) 2003 Shaiva Manuscript in Pondicherry IndiaFrench Institute of Pondicherry, Pondicherry 2005 Rigveda IndiaBhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune 2007 Tarikh-e-Khandan-e-TimuriyahIndiaKhuda Bakhsh Oriental Library, Patna 2011Laghukālachakratantrarājatīka VimalaprabhāIndiaThe Asiatic Society, Kolkata 2011 Shāntinātha CharitraIndiaLalbhai Dalpatbhai Museum, Ahmedabad 2013 Gilgit ManuscriptIndiaNational Archives of India, New Delhi 2017 MaitreyayvarakaranaIndiaThe Asiatic Society, Kolkata 2017 Manuscript Collection of Bhagavadgītā: Ancient Saṁgraha-grantha of Indian thought with World-wide Readership and InfluenceIndiaBhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune2025Manuscript of the Nāṭyaśāstra of Bharatamuni: A Seminal text of Indian Performing ArtIndiaBhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune2025 La GaligoIndonesia,NetherlandsFort Rotterdam, Makassar Leiden University Library, Leiden 2011 Nagarakretagama: Description of the Country (1365 AD)IndonesiaNational Library of Indonesia, Jakarta 2013 Babad DiponegoroIndonesia,NetherlandsNational Library of Indonesia, Jakarta Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies 2013 Asian-African Conference ArchivesIndonesiaNational Archives of Indonesia, South Jakarta 2015 Borobudur Conservation ArchivesIndonesiaNational Archives of Indonesia, South Jakarta 2017 The Indian Ocean Tsunami ArchivesIndonesia,Sri LankaNational Archives of Indonesia, South Jakarta Department of National Archives of Sri Lanka 2017 Panji Tales ManuscriptsIndonesia,Cambodia,Netherlands,Malaysia,United KingdomLeiden University Library, Leiden National Library of Indonesia, Jakarta National Library of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur National Library of Cambodia, Phnom Penh 2017 Archives of Javanese Dance: Mangkunegaran Dance Arts, 1861–1944Indonesia National Archives of Indonesia Mangkunegaran Palace2025Kartini Letters and Archive: the struggle for gender equalityIndonesia,Netherlands National Archives of Indonesia Royal Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies, Leiden Nationaal Archief2025The Sang Hyang Siksa Kandang Karesian ManuscriptIndonesiaNational Library of Indonesia, Jakarta 2025 "Bayasanghori Shâhnâmeh" (Prince Bayasanghor's Book of the Kings)IranGolestan Palace, Tehran 2007 The Deed For Endowment: Rab’ I-Rashidi (Rab I-Rashidi Endowment) 13th Century manuscript IranTabriz Central Library, Tabriz 2007 Administrative Documents of Astan-e Quds Razavi in the Safavid EraIranAstan-e Quds Razavi Library, Mashhad 2009 Al-Tafhim li Awa'il Sana'at al-Tanjim: The Book of Instruction in the Elements of the Art of AstrologyIranLibrary, Museum and Documentation Centre of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Tehran 2011 Collection of Nezami's Panj GanjIranSepahsalar Library (Shahid Mottahri) Malek National Museum and Library, Tehran Golestan Palace, Tehran National Museum of Iran, Tehran Central Library and document centre of the University of Tehran 2011 A Collection of selected maps of Iran in the Qajar Era (1193 – 1344 Lunar Calendar / 1779–1926 Gregorian Calendar)IranLibrary of Political and International Studies of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2013 Dhakhīra-yi KhārazmshāhīIranLibrary of the Sepahsalar Mosque, Tehran 2013 Al-Masaalik Wa Al-Mamaalik: The Book of Itineraries and KingdomsGermany,IranNational Library and Archives of Iran, Tehran , Erfurt 2015 Kulliyyāt-i Saʽdi: Kulliyat of SaadiIranNational Library and Archives of Iran, Tehran 2015 Jāme’ al-Tavarikh: Compendium of ChroniclesIranGolestan Palace, Tehran 2017 Mawlana's Kulliyat (The Complete Works of Mawlana)Iran,Tajikistan,Germany,Bulgaria,Uzbekistan,TurkeySS. Cyril and Methodius National Library, Sofia State Library, Berlin Bavarian State Library Iranian National Committee for the Memory of the World The National Library and Archives of Iran Golestan Palace Library, Tehran Written Heritage Research Institute (Mīrās-e Maktoob), Tehran Centre of the Written Heritage of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, Dushanbe Turkish National Commission for UNESCO, National Memory of the World Committee Al-Biruni Institute of Oriental Studies, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan 2023 Sakubei Yamamoto CollectionJapan Fukuoka Prefectural University Library 2011 Materials Related to the Keicho-era Mission to Europe Japan and SpainJapan,SpainSendai City Museum, Sendai 2013 Midokanpakuki: the original handwritten diary of Fujiwara no MichinagaJapanYōmei Bunko, Kyoto 2013 Archives of Tōji temple contained in one-hundred boxesJapanKyoto Prefectural Library, Kyoto 2015 Return to Maizuru Port—Documents Related to the Internment and Repatriation Experiences of Japanese (1945–1956)Japan, Kyoto 2015 Three Cherished Stelae of Ancient KozukeJapanTakasaki, Gunma 2017 Three Editions of Buddhist Sacred Canons stored at Zojoji, JapanJapanZōjō-ji Temple, Minato2025 Collection of manuscripts of Khoja Ahmed YasawiKazakhstanNational Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty 2003 Audiovisual documents of the International antinuclear movement "Nevada-Semipalatinsk"KazakhstanCentral State Archives of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty 2005 Aral Sea Archival FondsKazakhstanCentral State Archives of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty 2011 Manuscript “Chronicle of Khans”Kazakhstan, Almaty2025 Correspondence of the late Sultan of Kedah (1882–1943)MalaysiaNational Archives of Malaysia, Alor Setar 2001 Hikayat Hang Tuah: The story of Hang TuahMalaysiaNational Library of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 2001 Sejarah Melayu (the Malay Annals)MalaysiaInstitute of Language and Literature, Kuala Lumpur 2001 Batu Bersurat, Terengganu (Inscribed Stone of Terengganu)Malaysia, Kuala Terengganu 2009 The Works of Hamzah FansuriMalaysia, Indonesia National Library of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur