Preserving Zoroastrian Heritage

SOAS and datafutures collaboration

The MUYA project (2016–2023) at SOAS documented and edited the Yasna ritual and created an interactive, subtitled online edition with English translation. It partnered with Mumbai’s M. F. Cama Athornan Institute to organize and photograph over 12,000 Zoroastrian manuscripts.

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Digital Repository Launch with Data Futures annostor

The Multimedia Yasna (MUYA) project (2016–2023), funded by the European Research Council under Principal Investigator Prof. Almut Hintze, advanced Zoroastrian heritage preservation by studying the Yasna ritual, dating to the second millennium BCE in Avestan from oral transmission (still recited from memory by priests) to written manuscripts around the sixth century CE.

The team filmed a full Yasna performance, created annotated editions of key passages using adapted electronic tools, and produced an interactive online edition with subtitles and English translation. In November 2017, researchers from SOAS partnered with Mumbai's M. F. Cama Athornan Institute (MFCAI)—a 1923-founded priest-training center—supported by Ervad Dr. Parvez Bajan, Dr. Sam Doctor, trustee Mr. Camaji Cama, and staff, to organize, document, and photograph over 12,000 manuscript images.

standardised data description and sharing using trusted scientific formats.
maximise reuse and preservation of crucial biodiversity data.
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Transcribe multiple languages and multiple scripts

annostor transforms cultural heritage and humanities materials for sharing, annotation and long-term preservation. It creates IIIF services and enables WADM annotation for newly digitised resources, including manuscripts, artworks; enabling researchers, archivists, and educators to collaborate quickly and efficiently.

Data sovereignty and geographic replication secure heritage data from institutional security and geopolitical risks. annostor makes shared knowledge persistent, discoverable, and reusable—bridging traditional scholarship with the digital future to safeguard cultural memory and foster deeper engagement with human history.

protect digital collections from loss, technology lock-in, and obsolescence.
generate standards-based data services, enable collaborative annotation and preservation of cultural assets.

Multilingual Data Enrichment

annostor empowers individuals to take full control of their digital lives. Effortlessly upload, annotate, organise and share personal photos, and documents—securely and while retaining complete ownership of your data. Standards-based metadata ensures your collections stay interoperable, searchable, and future-proof across devices and systems.

With no hidden data sharing or lock-in, annostor makes digital preservation simple, private, and sustainable; letting you manage and retrieve your files anytime with confidence, resilience, and true data sovereignty.

keep and control all your data—never dependent on third parties.
preserve memories and creativity securely for the long term.
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