Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-03
LIBRARY RECEIVES
ANCIENT TABLETS
Collection Includes Cunei-
form Writing of Sumerian
Civilization of $500 &c.

Several clay tables with the cuneiform
writing Of the Sumerian civilization
which had its great cultural period
nearly $500 years before the Christian
era, together with rare Oriental manu-
scripts and other Orientalia have been
presented to the Library of Congress by
Kirkor Minassian of New York.
One especially priced is a Cufic script
on parchment from manuscript of the
Koran dating from about the eighth
century.
The material in the gift was brought
together by Mr. MinaSsian over a period
OF years while he was rummaging far
away corners for antiques during
numerous visits to the Near East. Egypt
and beyond, often to Persia, Afghanis-
tan and India. and, on one occasion. to
the borders of Tibet Recently he came
to Washington and made his first visit
to the Library of Congress, where his
first act was to go to the upper floor and
visit the shrine which contains the
originals of the Declaration of In
dependence and Constitution of the
United States. Then he went back to
New York, packed a satchel with repre-
sentative specimens from his collections,
and returned to Washington to bring
a gift. which, as he said in his letter
of conveyance. was for "our Library of
Congress- He was born in CONSTANT
nople, but long since transferred his al
legiance to the United States.
Work Is Artistic.
If the Cufic script is properly to be
ascribed to the eighth century, it is very
early. for 1t must then have been writ
ten within century or so of the death
Of Mohammed. With it are other speci-
mems of Cuf1c script one of the eighth
or ninth century, perhaps dating from
the time of the celebrated Harun al
Rashid, one of the ninth century and
one of the eleventh century.
There also are among the manu-
scripts double sheets of parchment from
tenth century Koran, a parchment
sheet with gold decorations from an
eleventh century Koran In Maghribi
character. folios from thirteenth GEN.
fury Koran in Talut, written on white
paper and decorated with roses and
medallions of gold, and sheets from
later manuscripts of the Koran. one
IN Persian and Arabic thirteenth CEN
turyl: two in Mastaliq character. one
Persian OF the Boukhara school of the
sixteenth century, written in double
columns, with deliberately stenciled bor
ders, and one, also Persian, of the
seventeenth century, with a decorative
head line in gold.
The artistic work exemplifled by these
manuscripts is in each instance char
acterstlc OF the period. A seventeenth
century Arabic manuscript contains on
opposite pages exquisitely colored views
OF mecca showing the Great Mosque
ana, IN 1t, the kaba, or building shell
terlng the sacred stone Gabriel gave to
rd xf.t,f Ill
hammedans face in their devotions. A
manuscript prayerbook of the seven
teenth century written in the Arabic of
the turkish school is carefully executed
with the text of each page inclosed with
line Of blue and gold. A Koran of a
century later, written in the same lam
guage and school, is of the same careful
execution, has an Illuminated title-page.
decorations at the beginnings of the
surahs, rosettes and medallions, both of
gold. scattered through the text, and the
original binding heavily embossed with
gold.
Nine Clay Tablets in Gift.
A number Of other manuscripts in
Mr.. Minassian's donation also are
worthy OF mention, among them one In
Geez OF about the fifteenth century a
sixteenth century Hebrew manuscript
scroll Of the book of Esther written on
parchment, two Greek music manu-
scripts Of the seventeenth century, and.
with them, several specimens of early
European bookbinding, and an Aesop of
1854 in its original binding.
The clay tablets are nine in number.
One Is cone, typical specimen, the
inscription on which has its modern
analogue in the records deposited in the
corner stone Of building. Two of the
tablets are of the kind used for teaching
boys and girls In the temple schools of
Sumeria 1000 years ago. A proverb of
the day reads: HE who shall excel in
underwriting shall shine like the sun -
The goal must have seemed far one to
the Sunerian child who had upward
of 400 different signs to learn before he
could read and write