Browsing through the Sultan’s Bookshelves. Towards a Reconstruction of the Library of the Mamluk Sultan Qanisawh al-Ghawrıi (906–922,1501–1516) (2021

Over the last twoyears, since Ifirst developed the idea of turning abunch of desk notes into areadable format that might find an audience beyond myself, Ihave accumulated debts great and small with anumber of people. Ican only hope that they will consider my not forgetting amodest first instalment of my outstanding debts. Each for facilitating access to ap articular manuscript (120, the Sohag manuscript of 18, 51, 42), Ithank Fien De Block and Mohamed Maslouh (Ghent University), as well as Christian Mauder (Universität Leipzig)a nd Christopher Markiewicz (University of Birmingham). As always, FrédéricBauden (Université de Liège) proved close by whenever my palaeographic skills fell short, in particular when reading the frontispieceofitem (17) and the colophon of item (90/ 2). Özgen Felek (Yale University) kindly volunteered to check amanuscript for me, kept at the BeineckeRare Books & ManuscriptLibrary,and Michelle Quay (Columbia University) checked someo fm yP ersian translations. Konrad Hirscher (Freie Universität Berlin) shared both his forthcoming monograph on the library of the h ̇adı ̄th-crazed Ibn ʿAbd al-Ha ̄d ı ̄(published in the meantime), and some preliminary commentso na ne arly draft. CarineJ uvin( Musée Du Louvre) offered me an unexpected treat in the form of three manuscripts that -in twoc ases somewhat embarrassingly -had escaped my attention (62, 65, 121). Boris Liebrenz (Universität Leipzig)p roved the insightful and sometimes deservedly critical reader that another, very early draftoft his book deserved, and waskindenough to bring twelveAyasofyamanuscripts to my attention. At avery late stage of my research, Gülru Necipog ˇlu (Harvard University) provided me with her transcription of document To pkapı Sarayı Müzesi Ars ̧ivi, Evrâk 6090. Frustratingly brief as this may be, it gavem ea tl east something to hold on in terms of aquantitativeassessment of the list of manuscripts. Simon Rettig (Freer | Sackler) proved instrumental in shaping my ideas regarding item (111), while Gregor Schoeler (Universität Basel, emeritus) forwarded me another pre-print publication,n ow an ew volume to the Verzeichnis der Orientalischen Hand-schriften in Deutschland. Former colleague at Ghent University,ʿaynayn Gowaart VanDen Bossche (Aga Khan University) should neither go unmentioned. Also variouscolleagues in Turkey showered me with their proverbial hospitality. First, there is Serpil Bag ˇcı (Hacettepe Üniversitesi), who, ever since we met in I ̇stanbul, turned out to be only one email away. Also I ̇smail Erünsal (Marmara Üniversitesi) and Zeren Tanındı,f ormer curator of the To pkapı Sarayı Müzesi Kütüphanesi (Sabancı Müzesi),b othk indlye ndured my Turkishc orrespondence,o ne that often fells hort idiomatically, yet -Ii nsist! -wasa lways grammatically sound. Their willingness to share their unsurpassed expertise on issues relevant to this study yet too numerous to enumerate lefti ts mark throughout this book. Aword of thanks also to Stephan Conermann (Universität Bonn),both for his unwavering support throughout the years and for his kind invitation to havethis book published in the series of MamlukStudies. In case the reader would like to thank someone for having access not onlytolenghthy quotations in their original language but also to their full translations, admittedly, he/she should thank not me, but MamlukS tudies' publication manager, Abdelkader Al Ghouz, who rightfully insisted on including these. Whereas Ih ad initially concluded this list of acknowledgements with the grande dame of Mamluk-Kipchak studies, Barbara Flemming, fate has decided otherwise, as she passed away on March 22, 2020... As atoken of my gratitude for her warm support throughout the years, Id edicate this book to her memory. Blame, unlike fame, is not something to be shared. As such, for whatever unfortunate typo or deplorable error, gross misinterpretation or unwarranted leap of faith that may remain in this book, Ialone take full credit. As for the pics of the Ghawrı ̄ya, these were kindly shared by Iman Abdulfattah (New York School of Professional Studies) and Bernard O'Kane (American University in Cairo). Iamalso grateful to the various libraries Iworked with, and for their generous permission to include illustrations wherever relevant. In particular, the hospitality of To pkapı Library and the cooperation of the Süleymaniye staff should not go unmentioned. Concluding, this research would not havebeen possible without the financial support of the Research Foundation -Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen). When working on acorpus that is, in all practicality, an open-ended one, it is tempting to continue looking into ever morec atalogues or handlists, or to go after ever more manuscripts,the description of which is often vague enough to pique curiosity, yet too indistinct to allow for any immediate assessment. However, sometime last year, my children pointed out to me that "to havea library of 135 books is more than good enough".Asthey assured me that "that king probably never came around to reading all of them",Ihavedecided to close this corpus(or, at least, its first instalment). Starting from 135 manuscripts that were once part of the library of the late Mamluk sultan Qanisawh al-Ghawri (r. 1501-1516), this book challenges the dominant narrative of a 'post-court era', in which courts were increasingly marginalized in the field of adab. Rather than being the literary barren field that much of the Arabic and Arabic-centred sources, produced extra muros, would have us believe, it re-cognizes Qanisawh's court as a rich and vibrant literary site and a cosmopolitan hub in a burgeoning Turkic literary ecumene. It also re-centres the ruler himself within this court. No longer the passive object of panegyric or the source of patronage alone, Qanisawh has an authorial voice in his own right, one that is idiosyncratic yet in conversation with other voices. As such, while this book is first and foremost a book about books, it is one that consciously aspires to be more than that: a book about a library, and, ultimately, a book about the man behind the library, Qanisawh al-Ghawri. -- Provided by publisher Starting from 135 manuscripts that were once part of the library of the late Mamluk sultan Qāniṣawh al-Ghawrī (r. 1501–1516), this book challenges the dominant narrative of a'post-court era', in which courts were increasingly marginalized in the field of adab. Rather than being the literary barren field that much of the Arabic and Arabic-centred sources, produced extra muros, would have us believe, it re-cognizes Qāniṣawh's court as a rich and vibrant literary site and a cosmopolitan hub in a burgeoning Turkic literary ecumene. It also re-centres the ruler himself within this court. No longer the passive object of panegyric or the source of patronage alone, Qāniṣawh has an authorial voice in his own right, one that is idiosyncratic yet in conversation with other voices. As such, while this book is first and foremost a book about books, it is one that consciously aspires to be more than that: a book about a library, and, ultimately, a book about the man behind the library, Qāniṣawh al-Ghawrī.