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Explore the Tibetan project findings in depth; focusing on the stories of the Tibetan collectors, their expeditions and cultural experiences in Tibet during the mid nineteenth to early twentieth century.

A history of collecting Tibet at National Museums Scotland

Discover more about the history of collecting Tibetan objects at National Museums Scotland, peaking during 1890-1930 with the Younghusband Expedition.
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Missionaries and Tibetan material culture

Explore how missionaries made a significant impact on gathering the materials featured within the Tibetan collections at the National Museum of Scotland, with their materials peaking between 1890-1904.
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Military collections from the Younghusband Expedition

Discover how the advent of the Younghusband Expedition resulted in the collection of Tibetan objects directly from Tibet by British military collectors.
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Colonial collections

Find out more about how colonial collectors gathered a broad range of objects from areas that were, and still are, considered ethnically and culturally Tibetan to some degree, including areas of Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Ladakh and West Bengal.
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Tibetan objects

Most of the objects in the Museum’s Tibetan collection were acquired in the short timespan of 1890-1930, less than a lifetime, making this collection a snapshot of the British Empire’s relationship with Tibet.
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Further reading

For further reading on Tibetan culture and the collection of Tibetan material objects, please refer to the existing literature which has been collated
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In this section

A history of collecting Tibet at National Museums Scotland
Missionaries and Tibetan material culture
Military collections from the Younghusband Expedition
Colonial collections
Further reading
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