ARAMAIC WATCH: A rubbing of the Chinese Nestorian (Syriac) tablet has been donated to the California State University, Stanislaus:

Assyrian artifact finds a new home at CSU Stanislaus

BY SABRA STAFFORD
Staff Reporter

For over 40 years a rubbing reproduction of an eighth century Assyrian monument hung in Samuel Ayoubkhani's home as a treasure that only friends and family saw.

Now, the artifact of two cultures is on display for all to see through Ayoubkhani's donation to California State University, Stanislaus.

The rubbing reproduction of the Nestorian Monument was unveiled Friday night to an overflow crowd at the university's library and there it will hang for all to enjoy.

[...]

The discovery of the rubbing reproduction of the ancient Assyrian artifact was itself a monumental moment for Ayoubkhani.

It was 1965 and he was a post-graduate student at Manchester University in the United Kingdom. His landlords would often invite him over for visits and conversation. One day, the chat turned to Ayoubkhani's ancestry and language. As Ayoubkhani described the Aramaic language and how it is written right to left, a twinge of remembrance came up in the man's eye. He shuffled off and a few moments came back with the rubbing.

"I was amazed the first time I saw it," Ayoubkhani said. "I knew it was about my ancestors."

Ayoubkhani bought the rubbing for 500 pounds, paid for in three installments.

[...]

Cool. For more on the Chinese Nestorian tablet see here.