| Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk ديوان لغات الترك | |
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| Presidential Library[1] | |
.jpg) Early world map fromDīwān Lughāt al-Turk[2] | |
| Also known as | Compendium of the languages of the Turks |
| Type | Dictionary |
| Date | 1072-74[3] |
| Place of origin | Baghdad |
| Language(s) | Arabic Khaqani Turkic |
| Author(s) | Mahmud al-Kashgari |
| Patron | Kara-Khanid Khanate |
| Dedicated to | Abbasid caliphs |
| Script | Arabic script |
| Contents | Comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages |
| Exemplar(s) | One |
| Previously kept | National Library of Turkey[4] |
| Discovered | Ali Amiri[5] |
TheDīwān Lughāt al-Turk (Arabic:ديوان لغات الترك; translated to English as theCompendium of the languages of the Turks) is the first comprehensive dictionary ofTurkic languages, compiled between 1072–74 by theKara-Khanid scholarMahmud al-Kashgari, who extensively documented the Turkic languages of his time.[3][6]
Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk was intended for use by theCaliphs ofBaghdad, who were controlled by theSeljuk Turks. It has a map that shows countries and regions fromJapan (Cabarka /Jabarka) toEgypt. The book also included the first known map of the areas inhabited byTurkic peoples.[7] The book was dedicated toAbu'l-Qasim Abdullah in Baghdad in 1077. The manuscript has 638 pages, and about 7500 Turkish words explained in the Arab language.[8]
The compendium documented evidence ofTurkic migration and the expansion of theTurkic tribes and Turkic languages intoCentral Asia,Eastern Europe andWest Asia, mainly between the 6th and 11th centuries. The region of origin of theTurkic people is suggested to be somewhere inSiberia andMongolia. By the 10th century most of Central Asia was settled by Turkic tribes such asTatar,Kipchaks,Türkmen, etc. The Seljuq dynasty settled inAnatolia starting in the 11th century, ultimately resulting in permanent Turkic settlement and presence there. Meanwhile, other Turkic tribes either ultimately formed independent nations, such asKyrgyzstan,Turkmenistan,Uzbekistan andKazakhstan, and others new enclaves within other nations, such asChuvashia,Bashkortostan,Tatarstan, theCrimean Tatars, the Uyghurs inChina, and theSakha Republic inSiberia.[9][10]
Mahmud al-Kashgari's comprehensive dictionary, later edited by the Turkish historian,Ali Amiri,[5] contains specimens of old Turkic poetry in the typical form ofquatrains ofPersian literature (Azerbaijani:dördəm,Persianرباعیاتruba'i;Turkish:dörtlük), representing all the principal genres:epic,pastoral,didactic,lyric, andelegiac.
The words fromDīwān Lughāt al-Turk were used during theTurkification attempts shortly after the foundation of theRepublic of Turkey, includingatasagun.[11][12]
Two main Turkic dialects were emphasized in the work. One of these is Khaqani Turkic, which is described as the "most subtle and elegant of the Turkic dialects", and the other isOghuz (Western) Turkic, which is defined as "the easiest of the Turkic dialects". Although the book focuses on Khaqani Turkic, an important place is also given to Oghuz Turkic. The number of words taken as headings in the book is around 8,000. Accordingly, there are 185 words from the Oghuz dialect, 45 from theKipchak dialect, 39 from theChigil dialect, 36 from theArgu dialect, 23 from theYagma dialect, 13 from the Kençek dialect, 7 from theTuhsi, 4 from theSuvar, each two 2 from the Khotan,Yabaku, andKay dialects were recorded.[13]
It has been previously housed at the National Public Library in Istanbul,[4] and later in the Millet Manuscript Library (Millet Yazma Kütüphanesi), with inventory number Arabi Kit. 4189.[14] As of February 2020 it is on display at thePresidential Library in Ankara.[1]
In 2017 the manuscript was added to the UNESCOMemory of the World international register, which lists documentary heritage of global importance.[14]
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