Rig Veda added to UNESCO heritage list

Thirty manuscripts of the ancient Hindu text Rig Veda dating from 1800 to 1500 BC are among 38 new items that have been added to the United Nations heritage list to help preserve them for posterity.

The list includes the world's first feature-length film, the family archives of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel and the proceedings of the trials of South African anti-apartheid figures such as Nelson Mandela.

The items have been included in the 'Memory of the World Register' set up by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, bringing to 158 the total number of inscriptions on the register so far.

UNESCO Director-General Koochiro Matsuura announced the additions on Tuesday, saying he had approved the latest inscriptions, which were recommended by the International Advisory Committee of the Memory of the World Programme during a meeting last week in Pretoria, South Africa.

The programme, launched in 1992 to preserve and promote documentary heritage of global significance, much of which is endangered, helps networks of experts to exchange information and raise resources for preservation of and access to documentary material.

This year's additions include The Story of the Kelly Gang, an Australian film from 1906 that is the world's first feature length movie, the family archives of Nobel from 1840 to 1900, the personal archives of the Swedish film director
Ingmar Bergman and the archives of the Red Cross from 1914 to 1923.

They also include the not so modern, such as France's Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidery depicting life in the 11th century; Hereford Mappa Mundi, the only complete example of a large medieval world map and Korean printing woodblocks of Buddhist texts dating from the 13th century.

Matsuura also announced that the UNESCO/Jikji Prize, an award of $30,000, has been given to Austria's Phonogrammarchiv, in recognition of its contribution to the advancement of audio and video preservation.

Established in 1899, the sound archive is the oldest in the world and now houses more than 50,000 recordings.