The Islamic Manuscripts Oskar Rescher Sold to the National Library of the Czech Republic between 1926-1946

Year 2023, Volume: 31 Issue: 31, 230 - 249, 25.12.2023

Güler Doğan Averbek

Abstract

Oskar Rescher was an active Orientalist of the 20th century and, apart from his scientific studies and the duties he had taken on in various institutions, was engaged in the book trade for many years, having sold manuscripts as well as printed books to institutions in the West since 1913. This trade activity lasted practically until his death. One of the institutions to which Rescher sold manuscripts was the National Library of the Czech Republic in Prague.
Home to approximately 15,000 manuscripts, the library contains a total of 684 manuscripts in Turkish, Arabic and Persian. Of these, 247 had been included in the collection through Rescher. However, the regulations the library placed, as well as the requests it voiced, must have been so unsuitable to the dynamics of the trade network Rescher had established and speedily managed with other libraries that he had attempted to cease affairs at the start of the trade relationship. The manuscript trade between Rescher and Prague took place between 1926-1946 with interruptions.
I have examined the manuscripts Rescher sold to the National Library of the Czech Republic through my studies that have been carried out in the library’s Department of Manuscripts and Early Printed Books and the National Library Archive, prepared a list of manuscripts, and included the obtained results in the article. This study also discusses the prominent features of the manuscripts and presents the manuscript list at the end.

Keywords

Osman Reşer, Islamic manuscripts, manuscript trade, National Library of the Czech Republic

References

• Akün, Ömer Faruk (1989), “Ahmed Vefik Paşa,” Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 2, İstanbul: Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı, 143–157.
• Azǝrbaycan nǝfǝsli ǝlyazmalar Praqa Milli Kitabchanasinda=Azerbaijani manuscripts in the National Library of Prague: kataloq (2021), transl. by Adolf Knoll and Pəri Cəfərova, Bakı: Azǝrbaycan Milli Kitabxanası.
• Çetin, Nuran (2017), “Şâh Sultân Tekkesi’nin Tasavvuf Tarihindeki Seyri,” Sûfî Araştırmaları 8/16: 92.
• Doğan Averbek, Güler (Coordinator) (2020-2021), “Reconstruction of Oskar Rescher’s Life and Works as an Orientalist: A Life between Germany and Istanbul,” supported by Preussischer Kulturbesitz-Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin.
• Doğan Averbek, Güler (2023a), “Bir Garip Âdem: Prof. Dr. Osman Reşer, 1883-1972,” Türk Yurdu 112/425: 63–73.
• Doğan Averbek, Güler (2023b), “Kitap Tüccarı Bir Âlimin Kısa Hayat Hikâyesi: Osman Yaşar Reşer (Oskar Emil Rescher, 1883-1972),” Müteferrika 63: 5–28.
• Doğan Averbek, Güler (October 21, 2021), “Mühtedi Alman Şarkiyatçı Osman Reşer (1883-1972) ve Cumhuriyetin İlk Yıllarında Yazma Ticareti,” İSAMER, İstanbul University, İstanbul.
• Doğan Averbek, Güler (2023c), “Osman Reşer’in Berlin ve Leipzig Kütüphanelerine Sattığı Yazmalara Dair Bazı Tespitler,” Prof. Dr. M. A. Yekta Saraç Armağanı, vol. 1, İstanbul: DBY Yayınları, 595–628.
• Doğan Averbek, Güler (2021a), “The Manuscripts Oskar Rescher Sold to the Berlin State Library Between 1913-1936,” Journal of Islamic Review / İslam Tetkikleri Dergisi 11/2: 477–568.
• Doğan Averbek, Güler (2021b), “The Manuscripts Oskar Rescher Sold to the Berlin State Library 1913–1936,” Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (https://blog.sbb.berlin/the-manuscripts-oskar-rescher-sold-to-the-berlin-state-library-1913-1936/).
• Doğan Averbek, Güler, Beate Wiesmüller (2022), “The Manuscripts Oskar Rescher Sold to the Leipzig University Library Between 1925-1934,” Journal of Islamic Review / İslam Tetkikleri Dergisi 12/1: 157–185.
• Doğan Averbek, Güler, Thoralf Hanstein (2022), “Oskar Rescher - Biographical Finds around Manuscripts, Books and Libraries,” Sammler – Bibliothekare – Forscher: Beiträge zur Geschichte der Orientalischen Sammlungen an der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Eds. Sabine Mangold-Will, Christoph Rauch, Siegfried Schmitt, Frankfurt/Main: Vittorio Klostermann Verlag, 387–449.
• Doğan Averbek, Güler, Thoralf Hanstein (October 7-9, 2021), “Fuat Sezgin’in Akim Kalan Brockelmann Projesi: Oskar Rescher’in Geschichte der arabischen Litteratur (GAL) Nüshası,” II. Uluslararası Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin İslam Bilim Tarihi Sempozyumu, İstanbul.
• Doğan Averbek, Güler, Thoralf Hanstein (June 29-July 1, 2022), “Oskar Rescher’s Manuscript Collections in Berlin and Leipzig: Did Rescher Take Advantage of Turkey’s Manuscript Market?” Orientalische Handschriften in Deutschland – Sammlungsgeschichte im Spannungsfeld von akademischem Wissensdrang, globalem Antiquitätenhandel und imperialem Machtstreben, Berlin (Germany).
• Koç, Mustafa (2021), Revnakoğlu’nun İstanbul’u: İstanbul’un İç Tarihi: Fatih, İstanbul: Fatih Belediyesi. Křikavová, Adéla (1984), “Der Bericht über persische Handschriften aus der Hinterlassenschaft von Ahmad Vefik Pasa und aus zwei weiteren türkischen Bibliotheken,” in Rapports, co-rapports, communications tchécoslovaques pour le Ve congrès de l’Association internationale d’études du Sud-est Européen, Prague, 221–232.
• Özcan, Abdülkadir (1992), “Hacı Beşir Ağa,” Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 5, İstanbul: Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı, 555.
• Türkmenoğlu, Turan (2023), Sahaflar Çarşısı’nda Görüp İşittiklerim, İstanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, 2023.
• Archives and Online Sources The Archives of the National Library of the Czech Republic https://portal.yek.gov.tr/ https://www.en.nkp.cz/about-us/about-nl/national-library-s-history (Access date: July 2, 2023). https://www.manuscriptorium.com/en https://www.qalamos.net/