In the volume 11 articles are published that are based on lectures held at the 43rd annual meeting of the PIAC. The conference was held in memory of the two pioneers of Altaic studies, Willy Bang-Kaup and Charles de Harlez de Deulin, to whom two of the enclosed articles are dedicated. Contents: A. van Tongerloo, Willi Bang und Charles de Harlez de Deulin R. Finch, Distribution of the ‘Shaman’s drum’ Sh. F. Muchamedjarov/E. A. Antonova, Bang-Kaup und die russische Orientalistik I. Parlatir, La vie et la mort dans la poésie turque G. Stary, The development of Manchu shamanic studies M. M. Tatár, Pure souls and evil demons S. Tatár, An apocalyptic angel on a 13th century fountain in Kara Korum E. Tryjarski, Two Prayers of an Armenian Alchemist from Lvov A. Vovin, A modest proposal on the decipherment of the Khitan-Jurchen bilingual text H. Walravens, A controversy about Manchu grammar in 1894 P. Zieme, Buddhistische Unterweltsberichte