First applications of non-invasive techniques on Algerian heritage manuscripts: the LMUHUB ULAHBIB ancient manuscript collection from Kabylia region (Afniq n Ccix Lmuhub)

Abstract

Abstract This paper reports a comparative study on inks and pigments of nine old manuscripts belonging to the Algerian heritage. The manuscripts are held by Afniq n Ccix Lmuhib, one of the richest and best known private libraries from Kabylia region – Algeria. They date back from the 14th to the 19th century and treat disciplines ranging from astronomy to poetry. To identify the inks and pigments used by the scribes we applied several non-invasive techniques such as X-ray fluorescence, fiber optic reflectance and Raman spectroscopy. While XRF gives information about the elemental composition of pigments and inks, FORS and Raman analyses give the direct identification of the pigment. This synergy gives us a strong confidence in our identification even and allows to individuate critical cases on which deeper investigations should be done, as some results seems to contradict what is generally believed by art historians. In particular, we identified iron gall ink and ivory/bone black, while the black ink used in the Kabylia region is always reported to be made from burned sheep wool. Our work is the first case study that allows positive identification of inks and pigments used in Algerian manuscripts; interesting aspect, we could compare our findings are with manufacturing of pigments reported in a manuscript from the 17th century, held in the same library.