An Unknown Interlinear Quran Translation Written in Mamluk Turkish: Diyanet Library Manuscript No. 2596

Abstract

Translations of the Holy Quran were produced by various translators and copyists throughout the historical periods of Turkic. Quran translations written in Mamluk Turkic are also known to exist. While Mustafa Toker has examined the Bursa, Isparta, and Manisa manuscripts in detail, Cihan Doğan has studied manuscript No. 3966 in the Süleymaniye Library. This article focuses on Diyanet Library manuscript No. 2596 (DL), whose affiliation with the Mamluk Turkic tradition had not previously been identified. The manuscript is defective at the beginning and appears to have undergone restoration; its first two folios were added later, in a script style and translation technique different from the rest of the work. The main translation that reflects the actual character of the manuscript begins with verse 15 of Sūrat alBaqarah. This portion, corresponding to folio 3a, also contains lacunae and repaired sections, a condition that continues up to folio 6b. From that point onward, despite partial fading, especially in the final lines, the manuscript is largely legible. A comparison of DL with extant Quran translations in terms of content and linguistic features shows striking similarities with the Manisa manuscript and indicates that it was composed in Mamluk Turkic. Accordingly, this study examines DK in detail and compares it with Manisa Provincial Public Library manuscript No. 931 (ML) according to several criteria. In doing so, it highlights the linguistic features of Mamluk Turkic Quran translations, an understudied area in Turkology, and introduces this previously unexamined manuscript to the scholarly community.