A textual analysis of the manuscript 'Kitab al-Muqaddima' in the Mamluk-Kipchak language (15th Century): based on the Ayasofya MS 1451 and Fiqh Hanafi MS 721 versions

Abstract

Valuable information about the history, religion, culture and language of a nation is preserved in its ancient written heritage. Among the written monuments shared by the Turkic world are Kipchak language texts written in Arabic script during the Mamluk era. Although linguistic and literary manuscripts in the Mamluk-Kipchak language have been extensively studied, religious works still require further research. One such work is the manuscript "Kitab Muqaddimah", of which some versions have remained unknown to researchers until recently. This article examines versions of this written monument translated into the Mamluk-Kipchakh language by Abu Layth as-Samarkandi, an Islamic scholar from Samarkand. Particular attention is given to the Egyptian manuscript version (Fiqh Hanafi MS 721), which has not previously been introduced into academic circulation.  While the Istanbul manuscript (Ayasofya MS 1451) is well-known and has been the subject of extensive scholary research, the Konya (Uzluk) version and the other Kipchak copies have yet to be comprehensively studied. Moreover, no information on the Fiqh Hanafi MS 721 version has previously been available in Turkological sholarship. As a result of research conducted in foreign manuscript collections, an additional Kipchak version of Kitab Muqaddimah Abu Layth al-Samarqandi (كتاب مقدمة أبو الليث السمرقندي) was identified. This manuscript is preserved in the Dar al-Kutub Library in Cairo, Egypt, in the Hanafi Jurisprudence Collection under catalogue number 721. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive description of this newly identified Egyptian manuscript, compare it with the Istanbul version, and introduce it to the international scholarly community. To achieve this objective, historical-comparative, documentary, paleographic, codicological, textual, and graphic-structural analysis methods were employed. The manuscript's paleographic characteristics were examined through its script, calligraphic style, graphic system, and writing techniques, while its codicological features were analysed through its material composition, page layout, paper quality, ink, and auxiliary markings. The textual analysis demonstrated that the manuscript belongs to the Mamluk-Kipchak written tradition. Based on its script and graphic characteristics, it was determined that the manuscript was produced according to a model typical of the Mamluk period (13th–15th centuries). The Fiqh Hanafi MS 721 version served as an important educational text within the Islamic madrasa tradition, facilitating the explanation of Arabic religious works to a Kipchak-speaking audience. Consequently, this manuscript represents a valuable source for the study of both Egyptian society during the Mamluk era and the peoples of the Dasht-i Kipchak region, with whom Egypt maintained significant historical and cultural connections.