<italic>Daluang</italic> Manuscripts from Cirebon, Indonesia: History, Manufacture and Deterioration Phenomena.

<italic>Daluang</italic> or <italic>dluwang</italic> is an Indonesian traditional ‘near paper’ that is made of Saeh, a type of mulberry plant. <italic>Daluang</italic> or <italic>dluwang</italic> were used as a writing material in Java during the Islamic era. Cirebon, West Java Province, Indonesia, is one of <italic>daluang</italic> manuscript collection sources in Indonesia. The manuscripts belong to the local society and the royal family. The objective of this research is to provide a brief history of <italic>daluang</italic> production and use and to identify deterioration phenomena of <italic>daluang</italic> manuscripts which belong to the Cirebon society. The data was collected by literature study, interviews and a survey examining <italic>daluang</italic> manuscripts. The findings from this study are an important documentation of the present condition of <italic>daluang</italic> manuscripts in Cirebon. Furthermore, this paper offers guidance for a condition survey of <italic>daluang</italic> manuscript collections and identifies weaknesses in the current practice of preservation, offering suggestions for optimized storage conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]