TAHQIQ OF KAZAKH STEPPE SCHOLARS’ ARABIC MANUSCRIPTS: CURRENT STATUS AND DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS

A.Sh. Zhamashev; A.D. Kurmanaliyeva; I. Suliaman; M.C. Altuntaş

doi:10.26577/JOS202611836

Authors

A.Sh. Zhamashev Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
A.D. Kurmanaliyeva Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
I. Suliaman University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
M.C. Altuntaş Istanbul University, Istanbul, Türkiye

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26577/JOS202611836

Abstract

This article evaluates the current state of the critical editing (tahqiq) of the works of scholars from the Kazakh steppe and examines the theoretical and practical foundations for processing and introducing Kazakhstan’s manuscript heritage preserved in libraries across Kazakhstan and in manuscript collections worldwide into scholarly circulation. The study aims to provide a general theoretical framework for tahqiq, assess the extent and quality of critical editions of the works of Kazakh steppe scholars based on published critical editions and doctoral dissertations devoted to manuscript editing, and propose strategies for further development through institutional, methodological, and technological measures. To achieve these objectives, manuscript catalogues, library collections, and dissertation repositories from different countries were examined. The findings are presented in the form of bibliographic tables of published critical editions and dissertations. A comprehensive bibliographic review was conducted, and the current state of research was analyzed according to geographical and chronological criteria. Since errors may occur in the process of preparing critical editions, this study also identifies and corrects several inaccuracies found in previous research on selected manuscripts. The preservation of manuscript heritage is an increasingly urgent concern, as many manuscripts have a limited physical lifespan. Some have already deteriorated to the point where they can no longer be digitized, while others continue to suffer gradual physical degradation, creating a substantial risk of irreversible loss within the coming decades. To preserve their intellectual content for future generations, it is essential to develop a tahqiq methodology specifically adapted to the manuscript heritage preserved in Kazakhstan. Such an approach should encompass not only Arabic-language manuscripts but also works written in Chagatai, Persian, and Old Kazakh, enabling researchers to study these texts in their original form through reliable critical editions.

Keywords: scholars of the Kazakh steppe, Arabic-language manuscripts, tahqiq, muhaqqiq, textology, critical edition.

Author Biographies

A.Sh. Zhamashev, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Azamat Zhamashev (corresponding author) – PhD, Associate Professor, Senior Researcher at the Department of Religious and Cultural Studies, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (Almaty, Kazakhstan, e-mail: azamat_zhamashev@mail.ru).
A.D. Kurmanaliyeva, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Ainura Kurmanaliyeva – Doctor of Philosophical Sciences, Professor, Chief Researcher at the Department of Religious and Cultural Studies, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (Almaty, Kazakhstan, e-mail: Ainura.Kurmanalieva@kaznu.edu.kz)
I. Suliaman, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Ishak Bin Hj Suliaman – PhD, Professor at the Department of Al-Quran and Al-Hadith, University of Malaya (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, e-mail: ishakhs@um.edu.my).
M.C. Altuntaş, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Türkiye

Mustafa Celil Altuntaş – PhD, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Theology, Istanbul University (Istanbul, Türkiye, e-mail: mcaltuntas@istanbul.edu.tr).