Seminar on preserving Ottoman manuscripts marks Egypt-Turkey diplomatic relations centenary - City Lights - Life & Style

Al-Ahram Weekly

12-02-2025

Turkish Ambassador to Egypt Salih Mutlu Şen held a seminar on the importance of working closely with Egyptian authorities to preserve Ottoman Turkish manuscripts in Egypt, marking this year's centenary celebrations of establishing diplomatic relations between both countries.
Ambassador Mutlu Şen hosted the seminar, which Turkish and Egyptian participants attended at his residence in Giza.
During the seminar, Director General of the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art, and Culture (IRCICA) Professor Mahmud Erol Kılıç lectured on the Arabic version of the book The Lessons of Mankind in the Thirteenth Century.
The book was written by Mohamed Arif Pasha, the clerk of Mohamed Ali Pasha and the governor of Tekirdağ in the Ottoman Empire, and its original copy is preserved at Istanbul University, Professor Kılıç said.
He added that this year, the Arabic translation of the book participated in the 56th edition of the Cairo International Book Fair.
Kılıç also elaborated on the Ottoman Turkish manuscripts, describing them as an important sign of the nation's memory.
He revealed that this work provides direct information about Kavalali Mohamed Ali Pasha and Mohamed Arif Pasha's efforts to spread the Turkish language and culture in Egypt.
Furthermore, Professor Kılıç explained that the embassy is working closely with the Egyptian authorities to digitize and preserve the Ottoman Turkish manuscripts.
He also pointed out that the Süleymaniye Library in Istanbul, which contains the largest manuscripts in the Islamic world, is considered a counterpart to the Egyptian National Library.
"Turkey and Egypt are among the most famous countries for adopting and preserving manuscripts. They have the richest collections of Arabic manuscripts in the Islamic world," he emphasized.
"This is due to the central location of the two countries in Islamic history and civilization, as they hosted many dynasties, families, and civilizations throughout history, in addition to being the capitals of many countries in their time," Kılıç continued.
Kılıç said the world today has more than 1,500,000 Islamic manuscripts distributed among 2,500 collections in over 100 countries and 1,300 cities.
"One of the publications of the IRCICA Centre is called the Arab countries in the Ottoman documents and because of this, for example, every street and alley in Palestine was recorded," Kılıç noted when asked about the possibility of translating the manuscripts in the Ottoman archives into Arabic.
Turkish ambassador Salih Mutlu Şen grants a copy of the book to Prince Abbass Helmy who was attending the seminar
"While the Zionist entity claimed that there is no document proving the Arabs' ownership of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the Palestinians have asked us for this document and we have sent it to them," he affirmed.
Ambassador Mutlu Şen expressed his happiness at organizing such a rich seminar and introducing Professor Kılıç.
He added that The Lessons of Mankind in the Thirteenth Century is the original source for a truthful understanding of the joint Egyptian-Turkish history.
"The original copy of this work was brought to Cairo during the reign of King Fouad and was preserved, copied and translated into Arabic, but then forgotten and lost," he said, thanking Professor Mohamed Sarhan, who translated the book into Arabic.
"I am certain that this work will receive great attention from the young generations," Mutlu Şen said.
The Turkish ambassador also stressed that this Giza symposium began the celebrations of the centenary of establishing diplomatic relations between Turkey and Egypt.
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