Arabic manuscripts of scholars from the kazakh steppe in leiden university library: an inventory and a case study of al-Itqānī’s works

Abstract

This article examines manuscript copies of Arabic-language works by scholars associated with the Kazakh Steppe preserved in the manuscript collections of Leiden University Libraries. The designation “scholars of the Kazakh Steppe” is not intended as a retrospective national attribution; rather, it refers to an important component of the regional intellectual history of Central Asia and the Steppe and reflects the historical, cultural, and geographical continuities inherited by present-day Kazakhstan. The study aims to assess the role and distinctive significance of Leiden University Libraries in preserving and transmitting the scholarly and cultural legacy of these scholars. Manuscripts were identified through a combined examination of catalogues and de visu verification. The electronic catalogue was searched using approximately 30–40 nisbas in multiple orthographic variants in Arabic and Latin scripts. This procedure made it possible to supplement the codicological description of each manuscript and to propose corrections to discrepancies in the catalogue records. In addition, extensive textual verification was undertaken for autograph manuscripts by Qawām al-Dīn al-Itqānī. The findings indicate that the scholarly legacy of figures associated with the Kazakh Steppe contributed to the early development of Islamic and Oriental studies in Europe and provide evidence for a distinctive scholarly milieu within Islamic civilization that produced works in linguistics, music theory, political thought, philosophy, fiqh, and ʿaqīda.
Keywords: Kazakh steppe scholars, Arabic-language manuscripts, Leiden University Library, culture, scientific heritage.