MEMORY OF THE WORLD REGISTER – NOMINATION FORM
Turkey – Manuscripts collection of the Süleymaniye Library
PART A – ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
Housed within the library are over 67,000 manuscripts. As they often contain more than
one work and, thus, the number of actual works in the library could be estimated at over
100,000. These documents date from the 8 th century to the early 20th century and include
rare items relating to Islam, laws in the Ottoman time, Ottoman foreign policy, the
sciences and medicine, literature and culture, among others. The majority of the
manuscripts are in Arabic, respectively in Turkish and Persian. Many of these manuscripts
have unique and beautiful bindings, gold gilded and miniature illuminations. Numerous
manuscripts are on rare papers. The manuscripts display a number of calligraphy styles.
Some of the manuscripts were translated from other languages, recording the ideas of
other areas of the world at the time.
1.
Identity and Location
1.1 Name of documentary heritage
Manuscripts collection of the Süleymaniye Library
1.2 Country
Republic of Turkey
1.3 State, province or region
Istanbul, Eminönü, Süleymaniye District
1.4 Address
Süleymaniye Library
Süleymaniye mah.
Ayşe Kadın Hamamı Sok. No:35
Eminönü/İSTANBUL/TURKEY
1.5
Name of organization or institution (if appropriate)
Directorate of the Süleymaniye Library
2.
Legal Information
2.1 Owner (name and contact details)
Ministry of Culture - General Directorate of Libraries
2.2 Custodian (name and contact details)
Directorate of the Süleymaniye Library
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2.3
Legal status ( if different from 2.1)
(a)
category of ownership (e.g. public, corporate or private)
Ministry of Culture, Turkish Republic Government
(b)
details of legal and administrative provisions for the preservation of the documentary
heritage
Protected under the laws and regulations of the Turkish government
(c)
accessibility
Access to documents is available under special protection in accordance with
the Turkish Ministry of Culture regulations. Permission of the Ministry of Culture
is requested.
(d)
copyright status
Copyrights are under the responsibility of the Turkish Ministry of Culture
2.4
Responsible administration
The Directorate of Süleymaniye Library
3.
Identification
3.1
Description and inventory
There are over 67,000 manuscripts in the collections of the Süleymaniye Library. Besides
a lot of autograph copies and unique manuscripts, muraqqas of famous calligraphers like
Şeyh Hamdullah, İzzet Efendi, there are works in every kind of subjects such as
astronomy, mathematics, geography, literary and historical subjects, chronicles,
anthologies of songs and theory books for music, etc.
3.2
Bibliographic/Registration details
Each collection at the library has its own master file and also cart indices. Each collection
has its own numbering system for identification. For this reason, cart indices contain
collection names as well. Both donated or bought manuscripts are registered under the
name, Manuscript Donations (Yazma Bağışlar) or Printed Book Donations (Basma
Bağışlar). All items are registered in the Turkish national library computer system, which
provides a description of the manuscripts and printed books. In addition to title and
author, the search program of the computer allows the reader to search by century,
gilding, miniature, copyist or type of calligraphy. There are microfilms, negatives, positives,
facsimiles, photographs, photocopies, videotapes and digital representations.
3.3
Visual documentation, if appropriate (for example, photographs or a video of the
documentary heritage)
Approximately 5,000 of the manuscripts have been microfilmed by the Directorate of the
Süleymaniye Library. It also includes a collection of photographs on old Istanbul.
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3.4
History
The Süleymaniye Complex was built by the chief architect at the royal court, Mimar Sinan
(Koca Sinan) for Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, and was completed in 1557. Today,
the Süleymaniye Library occupies the First and Second Medreses (colleges or seminaries,
especially ones connected with a mosque) of the original complex. Each room in the
Medrese has a rectangular window that looks out on the Mosque. In the back yard there
are a number of rooms surrounding a garden, each having a door opening to the
underside of the portico and with a fireplace inside. On both sides there are six rooms
facing one another. On the west side, there is a classroom in the middle above the portico.
Both Medreses have the same architectural characteristics. Each of them has a
classroom, a corridor stretching beneath three domes, a large room with its entry from the
corridor, and twenty more rooms. The classroom of the Second Medrese is the reading
room of the present Library. The rooms are used today as stacks, with illumination and
humidity regulators, for storing the Library’s collections, and from where material is served
to the reader on request.
In 1918, the books in the library were moved to the Second Medrese of the Süleymaniye
complex. Several foundation libraries like Aşir Efendi, Beşir Ağa, Çelebi Abdullah Efendi,
Hafız Ahmet Paşa, Kılıç Ali Paşa, Laleli, Merih Paşa, Molla Çelebi were added to the main
library which was then named Süleymaniye Umumi Kütüphanesi (the Süleymaniye
General Library). It has continued to grow with the addition of many other foundation
libraries, including a very important one, the Ayasofya Library. This rich library, founded in
Ayasofya (St Sophia) by Sultan Mahmud I in 1739-1740, was joined to the Süleymaniye
Library in 1967.
The Süleymaniye has now five affiliate libraries: Atif Efendi Library, Haci Selim Aga
Library, Köprülü Library, Nuruosmaniye Library, and Ragup Pacha Library.
Apart from the manuscripts, the library includes printed books, books in foreign languages,
and Turkish books in Latin script under the title of “contemporary works”.
The reading room, with a capacity of thirty readers, has reference books such as
encyclopaedias, histories, anthologies, dictionaries, local and foreign catalogues, and
copies of master files belonging to other libraries in Anatolia that have no catalogues.
Binding and pathology service, where worm-eaten or worn-out books are repaired, was
founded in 1962. The service occasionally offers courses in classical binding, headband
weaving, book restoration and marbling.
Microfilm service and archive was founded in 1950. Microfilms and photocopies, if
requested, of manuscripts in the archive are prepared for readers. The microfilm archive,
therefore, has been formed in two basic ways: 1. through exchange or 2. from
manuscripts in the Süleymaniye or from other libraries through the intermediation of the
Süleymaniye. It is also possible to have digital copies of manuscripts from Süleymaniye
Library.
Computer service provides bibliographical descriptions of manuscripts and printed books
held in public and manuscript libraries in Turkey. The search programme of the computer
is based on a vast range of criteria. In addition to title or author, the system also enables
the reader to search, for example, by century, gilding, miniature, copyist or type of
calligraphy.
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The centre of the project, Union Catalogue of Manuscripts in Turkey (TÜYATOK), set up
in 1978, is in Ankara. The Istanbul branch of this centre was formed in 1978 in
Süleymaniye Library, and started work in 1979. The aim of this project is to prepare and
publish catalogues of bibliographical descriptions of the manuscripts collections (in
Turkish, Arabic, Persian and in other languages) held in libraries at present. Twenty two
fascicles have been published so far.
3.5
Bibliography: Please indicate up to three published sources describing the proposed
documentary heritage.
The following work is the publication describing the Süleymaniye Library:
Halit Dener. „Süleymaniye Umumi Kütüphanesi“. İstanbul: Maarif Basımevi, 1957. (The
Süleymaniye Public Library).
The followings are some publications on the collections or using the manuscripts of the
Süleymaniye Library:
These volumes are printed under the title Union Catalogue of Manuscripts in Turkey
(TÜYATOK): Giresun Yazmalari, Ankara, 1980. (Giresun's Manuscripts. These
manuscripts are preserved at the Süleymaniye Library); Ali Nihat Tarlan Dermesi,
Ankara 1981. (The Collection of Ali Nihat Tarlan. These manuscripts are preserved at the
Süleymaniye Library); Antalya Tekelioğlu Dermesi, İstanbul 1983 and 1984. (The
Collection of Antalya Tekelioğlu. These manuscripts are preserved at the Süleymaniye
Library); Amcazade Hüseyin Paşa and Hekimpaşa Musa Nazif Efendi Dermesi,
Ankara, 1987. (The Collection of Amcazade Hüseyin Paşa and Hekimpaşa Musa Nazif
Efendi).
Fuat Sezgin has published the facsimile of 54 works (in 53 volumes) in Germany. The
original copies of some of these facsimiles are in the Süleymaniye Library.
3.6
Names, qualifications and contact details of up to three independent people or
organizations with expert knowledge about the values and provenance of the
documentary heritage
Prof. Dr. Günay KUT (Boğaziçi University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of
Turkish Language and Literature, Istanbul, Turkey)
Dr. Nevzat KAYA (Director of the Süleymaniye Library, Istanbul, Turkey)
4.
Management plan – see below Annex 1
To prevent loss, the manuscripts are protected in the library stacks by security guards.
The reading room of the library is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. everyday except
Sundays and there are three librarians in the reading room. 5,000 of the manuscripts have
been copied onto microfilm. Researches can use manuscripts in the reading room with the
exception of damaged or unique manuscripts (they can reach these through microfilm
services). The manuscripts and microfilms are stored in fireproof steel boxes. Humidity is
controlled at 50-60% and the temperature at 15-18° centigrade to protect the manuscripts.
Dehumidifiers reduce the humidity when it gets high. The Turkish Ministry of Culture has
also built an annexation to the Süleymaniye Library specifically for the preservation,
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restoration and conservation of the materials. Preservation costs are included in the
annual budget appropriated to the Library by the Ministry of Culture.
5.
Assessment against the Selection Criteria
5.1
Assessment of the documentary heritage against each criterion described in Annex 2.
Criterion 1-7:
The 67,000 manuscripts of the Süleymaniye Library consist of 118 different collections,
gathered from the libraries of wakfs of the Ottoman Empire. There are manuscripts of
the Ottoman period and collection of poems (divan) produced by and various works for
the Ottoman Sultans, statesmen and others. These wakf collections include
manuscripts related to Islam, including rare and unusual copies of the Koran, Koranic
interpretation and the traditions of the Prophet Mohammed (hadis), religious
ordinances (fetva), manuscripts on Islamic laws (fikih), catechism (akaid), theological
works (kelam), philosophical works (hikmet), logic (mantik), astronomy, astrology,
mathematics, ethics, politics, history, rules of Islamic conduct, medicine, dictionaries,
grammar and literature. There are also various miscellanies. These manuscripts are
rare in terms of their age, subject matter and visuality (binding, calligraphy, gilding and
miniature illuminations). For works with miniatures see Nezihe Seyhan. “Süleymaniye
Kütüphanesi’ndeki Minyatürlü Yazma Eserler Kataloğu, A Catalogue of Miniatured
Manuscripts at the Süleymaniye Library”. Unpublished MA Thesis. Boğaziçi
Üniversitesi, 1991.
Some important items are: a copy of the Koran attributed to Ali, the nephew and sonin-law of the prophet Mohammed; rare manuscripts from the 9 th century, such as the
book Al-asl fi'l furuq (Ayasofya 1026) by Imam Mohammed al-Shibani (b. 189/804 or
805) and an important and rare book of the Turkish language entitled Atabetu'lHakayık (Ayasofya 4012, 4757). Most manuscripts were presented to the Ottoman
Sultans or written in their names.
In terms of content and number, the Süleymaniye Library perhaps houses the largest
and most important manuscript collections of the world. The collections are essential to
studies on religion, history, culture, languages and hard sciences. The Süleymaniye
Mosque Complex, with its library, was a major educational and cultural institution of the
period.
Experts can find materials on each subject of scientific or cultural importance.
Following are some works that rely extensively on the sources at the Süleymaniye
Library:
Ahmet Ateş. Istanbul Kütüphanelerinde Farsça Manzum Eserler I. Istanbul, 1968.
(Persian works in verse at the İstanbul Libraries.)
Fuat Sezgin. Geschichte des arabischen Schrifttums, I-IX. Leiden, 1967-1984.
Carl Brockelmann. Geschichte des arabischen Literatur, I-II. Leiden, 1943-1949.
H. Ritter. „Ayasofya Kütüphanesinde Tefsir İlmine Ait Arapça Yazmalar“. Türkiyat
Mecmuası 7-8. Part II. pp. 1-93. İstanbul, 1945.
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Secondary Criterion 1-Integrity:
Each wakf collection in the Library has a unity in itself. Beginning with heavenly works,
they were taken numbers in a peculiar order including anthologies. But the collections of
Manuscript donations and Printed book donations were taken numbers according to their
dates of donation or purchase. The unity of subjects was not taken into consideration.
The Süleymaniye Library serves Turkish and foreign scholars, by providing microfilm,
photocopies and slides of the materials. Access is permitted under certain rules and
regulations and, for foreign scholars, with the permission of the Ministry of Culture. A
digital imaging programme of the manuscripts was begun at the start of 2000. The library
has a microfilm archive of works from other libraries in Turkey and around the world.
Secondary Criterion 2-Rarity:
See 3/1 and 4/4.
5.2
Contextual assessment including an assessment of the importance of a series of documents,
the importance of a series of documents in a particular setting, and the assessment against
other documentary heritage
The Süleymaniye Library houses manuscripts by famous Ottoman calligraphers,
manuscripts dating to the early centuries of the first millennium AD, miniatures and
autographes, all of which occupies a significant value for historians, art historians, literary
historians and the historians of hard science as well as those who are interested in the
study of orient.
Some examples of important works:
MS no Ayasofya 3748
Müfradat Tıbbıya Musavvara. Arabic. Nesih. 425x270 mm., internal dimensions vary.
488 folios. 29 lines. Belongs to the wakf of Sultan Mahmud I.
MS no Carullah 1619
Kâtip Çelebi, Hacı Halîfe Mustafa b. Abdullâh (1017-1067). Keşfü’z-zünûn an Esâmî alkütüb va’l-fünûn. Arabic. Talik. Autograph copy. Written in 1051. 390x125 mm., 325x75
mm. 222 folios. Lines vary.
MS no Ayasofya 2612
Pîrî Reis (died in 1554). Kitâbü’l-bahriye. Turkish. Copied in 932/1525-26. Nesih.
320x210 mm., 180x115 mm. 429 folios. 15 lines.
5.3
An evaluation of the authenticity
See 4.2
5.4
An assessment of rarity (if appropriate)
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Some examples of rare manuscripts at the Süleymaniye Library include:
MS no Fatih 3608
Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Ali. Kitab al-baytar. Arabic. Copied in 838/1434. 183 folios.
11 lines. It was dedicated to Sultan Malik Nasr.
MS no Ayasofya 3606
Cazarî, Ebu’l-İzz bin İsmail (died after 602/1205). Al-Câmi’ bayn al-‘ilmi va'l-‘amal annâfi’ fî sınâ’ati al-hiyal. Arabic. Nesih. Copied by Muhammad b. Ahmad in 755/1373.
396x276 mm.,200x190 mm. 246 folios. 15 lines.
MS no Şehid Ali Paşa 2077/1
Ebû Ali Hüseyin b. Abdullâh İbn Sinâ (370-428). Al-Kânûn fi’t-tıbb. Arabic. Printed in
Rome in 1593. 877 pages.
6.
Consultation
6.1
Details of consultation about the nomination with the:
(a) Owner
The Ministry of Culture, Directorate of the Süleymaniye Library
(b) Custodian
The Directorate of the Süleymaniye Library
(c)
Relevant Regional or National Memory of the World Committee (if appropriate)
National Memory of the World Committee: General Director of Libraries, Gökçin
Yalçın
7.
Nominator
7.1 Name
Ministry of Culture, General Directorate of Libraries, the Süleymaniye Library
7.2 Relationship to documentary heritage
Owner
7.3 Contact person (if appropriate)
Gökçin Yalçın, Dr. Nevzat Kaya
7.4
Contact details
Ministry of Culture
General Directorate of Libraries
Necati Bey Cad. No. 55 Sıhhiye
Ankara
Tel: +90 312 231 79 62, +90 312 231 35 60
Fax: +90 312 231 35 64, +90 312 231 35 65
E-mail: kultur@kutuphanelergm.gov.tr
URL: http://www.kutuphanelergm.gov.tr
Süleymaniye Instution
9
Süleymaniye Institution
Süleymaniye Institution
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Inventory number : Halat Afandi 171
Title
: Masnavi
Author
: Calal ad-din Rumi
Language
: Persian
Kind of script
: Naskh
Date
: 774 AH (1372 AD)
Number of lines
: 23
Number of folios
: 334
Kind of paper
: very original
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Inventory number : Ayasofia 3606
Title
: Cami bay al-ilm va’l-amal
Author
: Abu al-‘ızz b. Ismail b. Cazari
Name of copyist
: Muhammad b. Ahmad
Language
: Arabic
Date
: 775 AH (1373 AD)
Subject
: Automatic machines
This book was printed as English and Arabic.
12
Inventory number : Hamidiya 1015
Title
: Translation of “Kanun”
Author
: Mustafa b. Ahmad Tokati
Language
: Turkish (Ottoman Language)
Kind of script
: Naskh
Number of lines
: 54
Number of folios : 16 + 594
Remarkable binding and illuminations.
13
Inventory number : Hamidiya 33
Title
: Muragaa’at
Language
: Arabic
Kind of script
: Ta’liq
Number of folios : 19
Fine calligraphy. Features Emperor Fatih Sultan
Mehmad and Qanuni’s original tugras.
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Inventory number : Ayasofia 3596
Title
: Atansuk-nama-i Ilkhan
Translator
: Rashid ad-den Fazl-Allah
Name of copiest
: Mahmed b. Ahmad b. Mahmud
Language
: Persian
Date
: 713 AH (1313 AD)
Number of lines
: 15
Number of folios : 264
Subject
: Medicine
This book was translated from Chinese.
15
Inventory number : Fatih 4171
Title
: Acaib al-mahlugat
Author
: Zakariya b. Muhammad Qazvini
Language
: Persian
Date
: 285 AH (1421 AD)
Number of lines
: 17
Number of folios : 280
16
Inventory number : Hamidiya 1082 M.
Title
: Divan
Author
: Ahmadi, Tac ad-din Ibrahim b.Khızır.
Name of copiest
: Ahmad b. Mahmud Aqsarayi
Language
: Turkish (Ottoman Language)
Date
: 840 AH (1436 AD)
Kind of script
: Naskh
Number of lines
: 17-19
Number of folios : 271
This illuminated book was dedicated to Sultan Murat II.
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Inventory number : Fatih 3608
Title
: Kitab al-baytar
Author
: Muhammad b.Muhammad b.Ali
Language
: Arabic
Date
: 838 AH (1434 AD)
Number of lines
: 11
Number of folios
: 183
Subject
: Veterinarian
This book, dedicated to Sultan Malik Nasr, contains horse pictures.