Pis'mennye pamiatniki Vostoka
The periodical "Pis'mennye pamiatniki Vostoka" is an international peer-reviewed journal, which is focused on the study of written legacy of Asia. From 1970 till 1987, it was published annually by the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, Russian Academy of Sciences. In 2004, the IOM, RAS resumed "Pis'mennye pamiatniki Vostoka" as an academic journal; in 2015 the English version of the journal appeared; since 2016 it has been published quarterly.
The main direction of the journal is the study of the manuscripts, early printed editions and archival heritage of the peoples of the Orient, as well as of a wide range of problems in history, philology, source study, historiography, codicology, paleography, epigraphy, textology.
The main topics of the journal are represented by the following headings: "Publications", "Research", "Book Culture", "Collections and Archives", "Restoration and Keeping", "Academic Life", "Reviews". The journal publishes translations of the written monuments of the Orient from the world's manuscript collections, libraries, archives, and museums, as well as various research articles, based on written sources, studying history, literature, religions and culture of the Orient. The Editorial Board accepts articles on the problems of Oriental textology, written monuments, manuscript collections and repositories, problems of manuscript preservation and restoration. Notes on the current academic life events and activity of institutions studying written monuments of the Orient, conferences, research plans, and reviews are also accepted.
The edition is aimed for Orientalists and specialists in various fields of the Oriental studies.
Current Issue
Vol 22, No 2 (2025)
- Year: 2025
- Published: 17.07.2025
- Articles: 9
- URL: https://journals.eco-vector.com/1811-8062/issue/view/13074
Full Issue
Publications
Siyar as-Suluk by Sayid Kazim Rashti. Translated from Arabic and Persian. Part 1
Abstract
The article continues our series of introduced and commented publications of works—currently in the collection of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences—by one of the founders of Shaykhism, Sayid Kazim Rashti. The translation of this treatise, rendered for the first time into a European language, has been made from a manuscript and a lithography.



Research works
The (first) apocalypse of James (NHC V.3; CodTch 2). Introduction, translation, commentary
Abstract
The article introduces into scholarly circulation an annotated translation from Coptic of one of the most interesting Gnostic texts of the Valentinian school, which is now known in two copies (NHC V.3 and CodTch 2). The comparison of the texts allows us to postulate the existence of two versions of the work already on Greek soil and to make interesting observations both about the technique of translation from Greek into Coptic, and about the peculiarities of the existence of the ancient text in general.



History and historiography
“You came into this world to manifest my Sunna”: a hagiographic portrait of Abu Hanifa in the Memorial of the friends of God by Farid al-din ‘Attar (d. 1221)
Abstract
The article offers a translation and analysis of the hagiography of Abu Hanifa from the Persian-language Sufi hagiographical compendium Memorial of God’s Friends by Farid al-Din ‘Attar Nishapuri (d. 1221). The unique position of this hagiography within this seminal work is of particular interest, as it showcases the multifaceted functions characteristic of the hagiographical genre. By their very nature, hagiographic texts must address both the community members and the external audiences who may serve as a potential base for the movement’s expansion. Including a renowned jurist and founder of Hanafi mazhab among the “Friends of God” aligns with the overarching trend in Sufism towards constructing the history of Sufi piety through different eras. However, a careful analysis of the text also reveals a clear polemical orientation, which highlights an essential aspect of both the Sufi movement and the broader medieval Muslim intellectual milieu, characterized by constant debates. Ultimately, the hagiography of Abu Hanifa presents Sufism as the sole possible “righteous” strategy for pious behavior among Muslims, emphasizing the importance of “Friend of God” as a role model for both adherents to the movement and those outside the community.



Collections and Archives
Dmitry D. Eliseev as the first researcher and publisher of works of traditional Korean literature from the IOM RAS collection
Abstract
The article highlights the pioneering contributions of Dr. Dmitry D. Eliseev (1926–1994), a Korean manuscript scholar and senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences from 1954 to 1992. As the first to systematically study and publish traditional Korean literary works from the Institute’s unique manuscript collection, Eliseev laid the groundwork for subsequent research and significantly enriched our understanding of Korea’s literary heritage.



Manuscripts in the funds of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences from the 1866 collection of Khusain Faizkhanov
Abstract
This article is the first attempt to present a brief description of the manuscripts from the 1866 collection of Khusain Faizkhanov, housed in the funds of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Based on the work with published catalogs of Arabic, Persian and Turkic manuscripts, as well as a result of direct acquaintance with the identified manuscripts in the funds of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the article offers a summary list of works included in the aforementioned collection. As a result, 18 manuscripts were identified, of which 7 are Arabic, 5 are Turkic and 6 are Persian, while 14 copies belong to the hand of Kh. Faizkhanov. The article discusses the origin of this collection.



On the history of the St. Petersburg Assyriological school: Sergei Georgievich Koshurnikov
Abstract
Тhe article is dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the remarkable Orientalist and teacher Sergei Georgievich Koshurnikov (1960–2002) who has trained many Russian Assyriologists and historians. It contains a biography of the scholar, supplemented by a description of his scholarly and pedagogical activities. The main areas of S.G. Koshurnikov’s activities are considered: research into the economy and political history of the city of Dilbat in the Old Babylonian era, research into the prosopography of Dilbat, study of the history of ancient Mesopotamia using computer technologies, creation of a database of Old Babylonian economic texts. The list of references includes all of the scholar’s published works.



Academic Life
Conference in memory of O.F. Akimushkin (St. Petersburg, February 19, 2025)



Reviews
Review of the book: J. Stoltz. Illuminating the Mind: An Introduction to Buddhist Epistemology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021. 269 p. — ISBN 9780190907532



Index PPV
Indexes to the Pis’mennye pamiatniki Vostoka Journal 2022, vol. 19, no. 4 (iss. 51) — 2025, vol. 22, no. 1 (iss. 60)


