Extremely rare set of ancient books made from leaves discovered in Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) – Experts say the set of 5 books written on tree leaves is considered extremely rare.

Recently, during a business trip to Ky Son, we were fortunate to get to know and admire ancient books made of leaves, hundreds of years old, passed down through many generations.

Mr. Vi Thanh Tuan, Keo Luc 2 village, Pha Danh commune, is introducing valuable ancient books that he still preserves.

Mr. Vi Thanh Tuan in Keo Luc 2 hamlet, Pha Danh commune is one of the rare owners in Western Nghe An who still preserves a unique set of ancient books written on tree leaves. Mr. Tuan said that this set of books was passed down to him by his father.

In the books there are many different drawings along with the writing which Mr. Tuan believes is ancient Thai. However, some local researchers believe that this is ancient Lao writing.

Since childhood, he heard that there was a time when his father worked for a pagoda in Ky Son and was given this set of books by the pagoda. Although he did not know the exact content, some of the drawings in the book showed the growth process of rice plants, or there was a picture saying that if you tattooed such a drawing on your body, children would love you... Mr. Vi Thanh Tuan said that the writing on the books he was keeping was in ancient Thai.

Mr. Tuan explained that if he tattooed this drawing on his body, many children would love it.

It is not known when this set of leaf books was made or where it came from, but the ancient writings on the forest leaves are still bold and clear. The set of books consists of 5 books, one of which is unwritten, the rest each contain different contents. The books are written on leaves, are of equal size, about 25 cm long, 5 cm wide, and are tied together with a rope like twisted hemp rope.

The leaves are tied together with twisted strings.

Mr. Tuan said that until now, his family members and everyone in the village do not know what the book is about. In addition to the writing, some of Mr. Tuan's books also have many different drawings, making viewers very curious.

According to Mr. Sam Van Binh - Yen Luom village, Chau Quang, Quy Hop, a Thai ethnic culture expert, the writing on these books is the ancient Lao language. Currently, these books are considered treasures, not only because of their value in age but also because of the effort to create them and especially the content hidden inside.

It takes years to write a book like this.

To write books like this, the writer must have profound knowledge in many fields and it takes years to complete a book. The preparation stage is also very elaborate because the leaves used to write books must be tied and incubated for a whole year before they can be dried and written on. The ink used to write on the leaves is Chinese ink mixed with the bile of a type of fish that only lives in streams so that the writing can last for hundreds of years without fading.

The contents of the books remain a mystery.

The book series of Mr. Lau Song Do, Sa Lay village, Muong Long.

Mr. Lau Song Do in Sa Lay village, Muong Long commune is also keeping a similar book. Mr. Do said that this book was given to him by a close friend as a souvenir. The content of the ancient book mainly talks about the prayers of a certain ethnic group.

Thai Orchid - Vuong Van