ORIENTAL-ISLAMIC MANUSCRIPTS

Within the library, a particularly important place is occupied by the invaluable collection of Oriental-Islamic manuscripts in Arabic, Turkish, Persian, and Bosnian. The collection contains 1,086 codices with 1,662 works in the fields of theology, law, morals, mysticism, philosophy, logic, lexicography, grammar, rhetoric, belles-lettres, medicine, calendar studies, astronomy, astrology, and history.

This manuscript collection has been formed through the purchase of private holdings and donations to the Bosniak Institute, the most significant being the acquisition of the Sikirić family manuscript collection from Oglavak near Fojnica, the collection of Hadži Hafiz Sulejman Hafiz from Prizren, manuscripts from the Sarajevo Mufti and poet from the first half of the 19th century, Muhamed Šakir Muidović, from the former Reis-ul-Ulema of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hafiz Sulejman Šarc, the collection of Hazim Efendi Kuskunović from Travnik, Sabit Hadžić from Mostar, and the donated collection of Alija Širbegović, which includes manuscripts by Professor Enver Mulahaliović from Tuzla, manuscripts from the libraries of Ahmed Efendi Hodžić, Edin Prolaz, Fejzulah Hadžišabanović, the Jelčin family from Turbe near Travnik, Hafiz Mahmut Efendi Traljić, Muhamed Efendi Zahirović from Bihać, Mustafa Džuva, Muzafer Faginović, Seid Striko, and several smaller collections and numerous individual manuscript codices.

The manuscript holdings were gradually enriched along with the other collections of the Bosniak Institute and, in a short period, became one of the most significant collections of Oriental manuscripts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly considering the destruction of the manuscript collection of the Oriental Institute in 1992 and numerous private collections during the aggression on Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995.

The manuscripts in the possession of the Bosniak Institute have been systematically cataloged and scientifically processed in three volumes of the *Catalog of Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Bosnian Manuscripts from the Bosniak Institute's Collection* (Zurich, 1997; Sarajevo-Zurich, 2003; Sarajevo, 2018). The first two volumes were edited by Prof. Dr. Fehim Nametak and Prof. Salih Trako, while the third volume was edited by Dr. Mustafa Jahić.

This collection contains a significant number of exceptionally valuable manuscripts and unique works. Here are just a few examples:

One of the most beautiful and valuable manuscripts is a copy of the Qur'an written by Muhamed Hilmi in 30 parts in 1215/1800. It is one of only three existing copies by this court calligrapher. In terms of calligraphic beauty, another standout manuscript is the copy of *Masnavi* by Jalal ad-Din Rumi, which has additional cultural value, as it bears the note that it was transcribed in 1646 in Bentbaša, Sarajevo, "for the Mevlevi dervishes’ tekke in Sarajevo, which, after being destroyed in a fire, was restored for use by Sarajevo’s dervishes."

Among the most valuable manuscripts is *an-Nasabu 'sh-Sharif*, which contains the biography and genealogy of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This manuscript once belonged to the Čengić family and was later donated by Nurija Čengić from Odžak near Foča to Sheikh Behauddin Šehović-Sikirić. After the purchase from one of the heirs of the Sikirić family, the manuscript was returned to the Čengić descendants. The author or transcriber of this 1621 work was Dervish Mahfuz b. Muhammed Gulšeni. At the beginning of the manuscript, there is a dedication: "I have donated this honorable book to our murshid (guide in Sufism), the learned Šehović (Sikirić) Behauddin Efendi, our brother and friend. (signed) The poor dervish Nuri Čengić from Odžak." These books are a reliable testament to the richness of our cultural and historical heritage and to how the written word was preserved and respected throughout history. Given its exceptional value and uniqueness, the Institute published this work in a phototypical edition, with a translation into Bosnian by Prof. Dr. Enes Karić.

It is clear that manuscripts created in Bosnia are especially precious in the Institute's collection, as they either represent works by our authors or were transcribed by our people. Among Bosniak authors, one of the most significant discoveries is the work *Šejh Juja* by Mustafa Ejubović, which was previously completely unknown to science. It is a commentary on the classic Arabic grammatical work *al-Awamilu 'l-mi'ah*, which has not been recorded in any catalog of Arabic manuscripts to date.

Another noteworthy manuscript is the autographed *Dalilu 's-sa'irin ila ziyarati habibi rabbi 'l-alamin*, authored by the famous Imam-zade (only one other copy exists in the Vatican Library) from 1661. Among the most important manuscripts for Bosniak literary heritage is the manuscript *Mi'rağğiyah* by Sabit Užičanin, our most significant poet of the Ottoman period, and *Mi'rağğiyah* is considered his masterpiece.

Other renowned authors of manuscript works from the Institute's collection include Hasan Kafija Pruščak, Hasan Kaimija, Abdulvehab Ilhamija, Ahmed Sudija Bošnjak, Muhammed Nerkesija, poets Hasan Kaimija, Ilhamija, Sirri, Arif Hikmet-beg Rizvanbegović, and many others. Transcribers of Oriental manuscripts include names such as Ibrahim Opijač, Behauddin Sikirić, and others.

The collection also contains works written in Bosnian using the Arabic script (alhamijado literature), such as an 18th-century Turkish-Bosnian dictionary, a late 19th-century textbook, poems by Ilhamija and Sirri, and more.

The oldest codex in the Bosniak Institute's collection is the *Tafsiru 'l-Qur'an*, completed in January 742/1342. Among rare works, it is worth mentioning *Qunyatu 'l-Fatawa* from Islamic law, with only one other known copy in the collection of Yeni Mosque in Istanbul, as well as the autograph of *Hilyatu 'l-ihwan wa hullatu 'l-hullan* from the 18th century, which is likely a unique manuscript. Particularly notable is the historical work *Bahgatu 't-tawarih* by Shukrullah Shihabuddin Ahmed al-Zaki, written in Persian in the mid-15th century. It deals with the universal history of the world, from its creation up to the time of writing. In 2018, the Bosniak Institute published the translation of this work, titled *Radost hronika*, and as Prof. Dr. Ahmed Zildžić, the translator from Persian, pointed out, the manuscript held by the Institute is the only known copy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while only about twenty manuscript copies exist worldwide.

The Bosniak Institute continues to systematically collect manuscript materials through donations and purchases and, after processing and digitization, makes them available to researchers.