Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain

About

The Royal Asiatic Society is founded on March 15, 1823, at its first general meeting at the Thatched House on St James's Street in London, with Henry Thomas Colebrooke as its principal founder and Charles Williams-Wynn elected as its first president. The following year, on June 7, 1824, King George IV grants the society the title "Royal," and on August 11 it receives its royal charter. The society's library holds manuscripts, books, and artworks spanning the 12th century to the present, including illuminated Persian manuscripts of the Shahnameh. It is now based at 14 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HD. The society publishes the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society four times a year through Cambridge University Press and runs regular lectures, prizes, and fellowships. As of 2026, its president is Dr Norbert Peabody.