An ancient Latin manuscript in Kazakhstan, with a cover made of human skin and only 10 out of 330 pages deciphered, is shrouded in mystery.
The manuscript, written in old Latin in 1532 and covered in human skin, is on display at the Rare Publications Museum of the National Academic Library in the capital, Astana.
According to Möldir Tölepbay, an expert in the Science Department of the National Academic Library, the manuscript was donated to the library by a private collector in 2014 and has been on display in the museum ever since.
Tölepbay stated that they have received numerous visitors who are curious about the manuscript, which was bound using a once common, now obsolete bookbinding method. "This method is known as anthropodermic bookbinding, which means that human skin was used in the process," she said.
Tölepbay also mentioned that necessary scientific research has been conducted on the manuscript's cover, adding that, "The manuscript was examined at the laboratory of the National Medical Science Center in Astana. It was concluded that human skin was used on the cover of the manuscript."
While the content of the manuscript remains a mystery, Tölepbay said that the book, which belongs to a notary named Petrus Puardus from northern Italy, was written in old Latin in 1532 and consists of a total of 330 pages.
Tölepbay stated that they have sent the manuscript to a special research institute in France for further analysis, adding that based on the first pages they were able to read, it was assessed that the book contained general information about financial transactions such as credit and mortgages. However, the manuscript has not yet been fully deciphered.
Tölepbay also mentioned that the National Academic Library hosts nearly 13,000 rare publications, including books made from snakeskin, precious stones, silk fabric and golden thread.
