Dating Kitab Tibb MSS 3290: Watermark analysis and orthographic evolution in Malay medical manuscripts

Abstract

This study establishes the provenance and approximate date of Kitab Tibb MSS 3290, a Malay medical manuscript held at the National Library of Malaysia, through codicological and paleographic analysis. Malay Kitab Tibb manuscripts are critical to understanding pre-modern Southeast Asian medical and cultural history, yet many remain undated due to scribal anonymity and fragmented records, limiting their scholarly utility. This study addresses this gap by analyzing Kitab Tibb MSS 3290, a manuscript catalogued as lacking a watermark, to demonstrate how interdisciplinary methods—codicological watermark analysis and paleographic Jawi orthography—can resolve dating ambiguities and illuminate colonial-era knowledge networks. Combining physical examination of European laid paper, watermark identification via Churchill (1965) and Heawood (1969) indices, and comparative orthographic assessment with dated manuscripts, the study revealed a previously undocumented Dutch lion watermark (c. 1683–1750) and transitional Jawi features, including the omission of syaddah, limited vowel insertion (e.g., [دالم]), and numeral-based reduplication ([راج٢]). These findings align MSS 3290 with late 18th-century texts like Hidayah al-Salikin (1778) and situate it within the VOC’s paper trade networks, underscoring synergies between Malay medical traditions, Islamic scholarship, and European material culture. The results challenge archival cataloguing practices, advocate for re-evaluating undated manuscripts, and highlight adaptive literacy practices in colonial contexts. By integrating material and linguistic evidence, this study offers a replicable model for dating Malay manuscripts, enriching narratives of Southeast Asia’s intellectual heritage and reaffirming MSS 3290 as a bridge between indigenous knowledge and colonial commerce. These insights urge renewed efforts to preserve and reinterpret regional manuscripts, emphasizing their role in global historical discourse.