From Orality to Textuality and Back: Bringing Endangered Maduranese Islamic Manuscripts in the Museum Istiqlal Back to Life

e Jonathan Zilberg, Ph.D

Associate Research Scholar University of Plymouth Department of Transtechnology

An On-line Collaborative Research Workshop Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta November 30, 2011

Aim and Purpose

The aim of this lecture and collaborative digital workshop is to introduce some of the endangered Islamic manuscripts in the Museum Istiqlal to the UIN students. The purpose is to attempt a collaborative on-line philological exploration of a select few specimens such as the Samarqandi Fiqh from Madura. The specific goal is to translate the marginalia so that we can relive the experience of the pesantren scholars, these being the interpretations of the main text and their transliterations - as given to the students by their kyai. In that way, we relive something of the original experience.

The Workshop Plan

Part One: The Significance of the Museum Istiqlal Part Two: Marginalia My Muse Part Three: What we can do with such materials from an anthropological, pedagogical and national perspective Part Four: From Textuality Back to Orality with your help. If you can recite, or better yet, sing the texts in Arabic and Madurese, film yourselves discussing the marginalia and post such records as on-line video, that would be the ultimate success of such a workshop. Then we would have brought these texts back to life!

The manuscripts we will analyze are as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. M3 11. Al-Idlah MD 2118. Syarh Assamarqandifiqh Ala Mazhab Syafii MD 2122. Syaraf Al-Kalani: Awamil Jurumiah MD 2128. Samarqandi dan Fiqh MD 2131. Hikayat Nabi Yusuf MD 2132. Mauizhah MD 2134. Fiqih Islami

The print versions of the relevant pages for analysis are provided in book format. Note that there is a blank page between each manuscript page. Please record your translations and comments there and post these to the relevant face book folder below the on-line photograph of that page

Part One
Welcome to The Museum Istiqlal
Please go to the Yidiz 2009 conference presentation on-line at jonathanzilberg scribd for a more extensive collection of photographs of the collections than given further below
For a detailed anthropological account, see the Suhuf article provided in print for this workshop. It is also available on-line at jonathanzilbergscribd For a detailed historical account of the creation of the museum, see the latest 2011 edition of Suhuf, forthcoming

Some Basic Facts

This encyclopedic collection of Islamic artifacts was gathered together for the first Festival Istiqlal held in 1991 at which time the plans for building the museum were announced to the public by the Vice President. The Museum Istiqlal and its companion building the Bayt al Quran was later built officially opened on April, 20th, 1997 by President Soeharto.

Occupying an all important symbolic space at the front entrance to the national theme park Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, it attracts on average three thousand visitors a month mainly schoolchildren.

The following images provide a sense of the lay out of the Museum Istiqlal and the type of objects to be found there. Except for the splendid crimson textile with golden prayer displayed prominently at the entrance no individual specimens are presented here for reasons of space and general focus. The collection includes photographs of pages of illuminated manuscripts kept in the National Library, photographs and models and architectural lay outs of mosques from across the archipelago.

There are art works in all media including glass paintings, ceramics, textiles and calligraphy. In addition, there are endangered manuscripts, korans, copies of elaborately inscribed grave stones, and much else.

By using these materials, the broadest goal of this workshop is to stimulate greater national interest in this excellent resource for learning about the diversity and history of Islam in Indonesia. The best outcome of this workshop, outside of bringing these endangered manuscripts to life through applied multi-media performative philology, would be that you become inspired enough to visit the museum and do research on any part of the collection that is most relevant to your academic career and current or future professional interests. An even better outcome would be if you published an article on some aspect of the collection and brought your children and parents to it one day!

As you enter and turn left, you will find pages from the illuminated manuscripts kept in the National Library

The turning right, you enter the section on the architectural variety and history of Indonesian mosques

These are illuminated photographs of the colorful and highly expressive syncretic Islamic arts of Cirebon informed by Javanese tradition

Looking across the museum from within the architecture section. On the right are photographs of the Great Mosques of Banda Aceh and Banjamarsin

The Islamic architecture section leading back to the manuscript gallery behind the furthermost panel

Entering the gallery of prayer books and manuscripts

Old Endangered Manuscripts: Philological Treasure

Exit: This is your National Islamic Museum. Will you ever descend these steps to appreciate your heritage waiting there for you silently in half-darkness?

Part Two: Marginalia My Muse Part Three: An anthropological, pedagogical and national perspective on what we can do with such materials Part Four: Performing the Archives From Orality to Textuality: Origins From Text to Philology: Here, Now and Yesterday From Text to Performance Creating On-Line Interactive Digital Records Experimental Digital Collaborative Research Practice

Conclusion
Terimakasih Sampai Bertemu di Museum Istiqlal

It is after all your sacred heritage!