There are many manuscripts waiting to be studied

The next online seminar in the series “Material Culture of the Zerafshan Valley” was held at the Imam Bukhari International Scientific Research Center in the cooperation with the Asien-Afrika-Institut of the Universität Hamburg (Germany). It was attended by employees of the Center, researchers and scientists from scientific institutions in our country and abroad.
At the seminar, the director of the Turkish, Ottoman, Balkan and Central Asian Studies Center at the Collège de France, Alexander Papas, gave a lecture on the topic “ Dala’il al-Khayrat and its Central Asian Manuscripts”.

The speaker first gave information about the work “Dalailul Khairat”. The work was written in the first half of the 15th century by the Moroccan Sufi sheikh Muhammad ibn Sulaiman Jazuli, dedicated to our Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, and began with the description of the 99 names of Allah. The manuscript of the work, which has copies in many mosques of the world, is distinguished by high-quality bright pictures and decorations, in addition to the rich text. The photos mainly depict places and objects related to the life of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, including images of Mecca and Medina. The work has become one of the most widely used sources in Sunni Islam after the Holy Qur’an.
The scientist shared valuable information about the trajectory and chronology of the book’s spread across Central Asia. He also paid special attention to the copies of manuscripts related to the region in the Islamic Art Museum of Malaysia and the Berlin Museum of Islamic Art.

As mentioned, a collection of 27 manuscript copies of the work has been collected in Malaysia. Four of them were relocated in Central Asia. These manuscripts, which are among the first copies discovered so far in the region, also contain pictures of the pulpit of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and the room where he was buried.

The copy in Berlin was copied by Niyaz Muhammad Khoqandi in 1891 and uses different calligraphic styles. The manuscript also depicts the mountains of the Minoan Valley.
The French researcher commented in detail the inscriptions, images, used colors and decorations in the manuscripts, and noted that the copies of the work in Central Asia should be researched in Uzbekistan, and that, in addition to Chigatay and Persian writings, Arabic texts also deserve the attention of scientists.

The seminar continued with intense questions and answers.