Berlin State Library Research Articles

Сонаты и партиты для скрипки соло И. С. Баха: источниковедческий анализ автографа и его рукописных копий первой трети XVIII века

The article is devoted to a textual analysis of the autograph of J. S. Bach’s sonatas and partitas for violin solo and two of its copies-lists, followed by copyists from the composer’s inner circle A. M. Bach and I. P. Kellner. The research material is manuscripts of the first third of the 18th century, stored in the archives of the Berlin State Library — Prussian Cultural Heritage. As a result of the analysis, the reliability of the handwritten copy of A. M. Bach was established and significant macrostructural and microstructural changes in the copy of I. P. Kellner were identified. J. S. Bach’s autograph and his handwritten copies open up a unique opportunity for performing musicians and musicologists not only to significantly expand their understanding of the composer’s works for violin solo, but to come into contact with the history of the comprehension and understanding of his creations by his contemporaries.

Principles of Ritual Prayer: An 18th Century Catechism in Bahdini Kurdish

Abstract This article presents an edition and linguistic analysis of a verse catechism in the Bahdini dialect of Kurdish. The manuscript of the text is dated to late 18th century and is held among the Oriental manuscripts collections of the Berlin State Library. The text is a didactic verse on the principles and rules of the Islamic ritual prayer (ṣalāt), belonging thus to the catechism or in its Turkish-Arabic term ʿilm -i ḥāl genre. It is the oldest example of the catechism genre, different from creeds, in Kurdish literature that started in the late 16th century. The text is edited here within the context of religious treatises in Kurdish and analysed for its historical-linguistic and dialectological aspects that illustrate Early Modern Kurdish.

New Unedited Fragments from the Berlin Version of Altun Yaruq Sudur (The Fragments of Tägzinč II, III, VIII and IX)

Altun Yaruq Sudur is a sūtra which belongs to Old Turkic-Mahāyāna Buddhism. The text includes the essence and philosophy of Buddhism, as well as legends and rituals of Buddha. The sūtra was translated from Chinese to Uighur by Šingko Šäli Tutung. Old Turkic translation has a lot of manuscripts. Among these, the nearly complete manuscript is preserved in the archive of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IOM RAS) in St. Petersburg, but there are many more manuscripts and fragments in the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences Turfan collection. In this article, some unpublished Turfan fragments in the Oriental Department of the Berlin State Library are edited. Finally, I discuss Old Turkic verb yaqčırtdur- which probably occurs for the first time in U 2546 (T II 701) during the Old Turkic period.

Appendix 3. Strothmann’s Visits to the Berlin State Library, 1908–23, and the Manuscripts He Consulted

Appendix 3. Strothmann’s Visits to the Berlin State Library, 1908–23, and the Manuscripts He Consulted

Appendix 4. Berlin State Library Manuscripts Consulted by Rudolf Strothmann, 1908–26

Appendix 4. Berlin State Library Manuscripts Consulted by Rudolf Strothmann, 1908–26

Poems with the Penname Senâyî (Senâ’î) in a Poetry Collection Registered with the Number Ms. Or. Oct. 3390 in Berlin State Library (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin)

Şiir mecmuaları, divan tertip etmeyen ya da divanları henüz günümüze ulaşmamamış birçok şairin bilinmeyen şiirlerini barındırmaları nedeniyle Osmanlı edebiyat tarihi açısından birer hazine değerindedir. Berlin Devlet Kütüphanesi (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin) Ms. or. oct. 3390 numarada kayıtlı bir şiir mecmuası da bu hazinenin önemli parçalarından birini oluşturmaktadır. Sözü geçen mecmuada, şimdiye kadar ortaya çıkmamış, Senâyî mahlaslı 28 şiire rastlanmıştır. 15-16. yüzyıllarda Senâyî (Senâ’î) mahlasını kullanan beş şair tespit edilmiştir. Bu şairlerin divanları elimizde olmadığı için şiirleri hakkında fazla bilgimiz bulunmamaktadır. Bu makalenin amacı, mecmuadaki 28 şiirin hangi Senâyî’ye ait olduğunu tespit etmek ve şiirleri gün ışığına çıkarmaktır. Makale dört ana bölümden oluşmaktadır. İlk bölümde 15-16. yüzyıllarda yaşamış Senâyî mahlaslı şairler hakkında bilgi verilmiştir. İkinci bölüm Berlin Devlet Kütüphanesi’ndeki mecmua ve mecmuanın müstensihinin kısaca tanıtımına ayrılmıştır. Üçüncü bölümde mecmuadaki 28 şiirin sahibinin kim olduğu tartışmaya açılmıştır. Dördüncü bölümde Senâyî’nin şiirlerine dair tespitlere yer verilmiş ve bahsedilen 28 şiirin transkripsiyonlu metinleri makalenin sonuna eklenmiştir.

“Unheimlich Fantastisch – E.T.A. Hoffmann 2022”: The Hoffmann's Year at Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin

This article introduces the E.T.A. Hoffmann Archive at the Berlin State Library as well as the E.T.A. Hoffmann Online Portal, which could be established as the main platform to start all E.T.A. Hoffmann research. It describes the functions of the Online Portal and gives an overview of the exhibition project ‚Fantastically Uncanny‘ which links young people to Hoffmann’s thoughts and motifs.

Ginâyî Sofyevî’nin Acâibü’l-Mahlûkâti: Mirât-ı Kâinât

Arap ve Fars edebiyatlarında XII. asırdan itibaren örnekleri verilmeye başlanan acâ’ibü’l-mahlûkâtlar, acayip ve görülmemiş canlılar, coğrafi yerler, bitkiler ve tabiatüstü çeşitli varlıklar hakkında bilgiler veren ve “acâ’ibü’l-büldân”, “acâ’ibü’l-Hind”, “acâ’ibü’l-mahlûkât” gibi isimlerle kaleme alınan bir türdür. Ebû Ca’fer Muhammed b. el-Hasen b. Alî et-Tûsî (ö. 460/1067), Ebû Hâmid Muhammed el-Gırnâtî’nin (ö. 565/1169) ve Kazvînî’nin (ö. 682/1283) kaleme almış oldukları acâ’ibü’l-mahlûkât türündeki eserler kendilerinden sonrakileri büyük oranda etkilemiştir. Gınâyî Sofyevî’nin kaleme almış olduğu “Mirât-ı Kâ’inât,” Ebü’l-Hasen İzzüddîn Alî b. Muhammed b. Muhammed eş-Şeybânî el-Cezerî (ö. 630/1233)’nin “Tuhfetü’1-Acâ’ib ve Turfetü’l-Garâ’ib” adlı Arapça eserinin 969/1562 yılında “Mir’ât-ı Kâ’inât” adıyla Türkçeye yapılan tercümesidir. Eserin nüshaları Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi Kütüphanesi’nde MT 492 numarada “Mir’âtü’l-Kâinat” olarak Berlin Devlet Kütüphanesi Ms. or. oct. 3663 numarada ise Cezerî’nin eserine uygun olarak “Mir’âtü’l-Kâ’inât Terceme-i Tuhfetü’l-Acâib ü Garâyib Bildürür” şeklinde kayıtlıdır. Çalışmada, Gınâyî’nin daha önce herhangi bir çalışmaya söz konusu edilmemiş “Mir’âtü’l-Kâinat” adlı mensur acâ’ibü’l-mahlûkâtı muhtasaran incelenip bilim dünyasına tanıtılacaktır.

Zati’s A Ghazal That Are Not In His Divan And It’s Analysis

Divan sahibi klasik Türk edebiyatı şairlerinin divanlarında olmayan bazı şiirlerine zamanzaman klasik edebiyatımızın birincil kaynaklarından olan mecmularda tesadüfedilmektedir. Divan şairinin bir şiirinin veya birkaç şiirinin kendi divanında olmamasınınpek çok sebebi olabilir. Bu sebepler arasında bahsedilen şiirin veya şiirlerin bilerek divanadâhil edilmemiş olması, divan tertip edildikten sonra yazılmış olması, şair tarafından birarkadaşına teslim edildikten sonra şiirin herhangi bir sebeple iade edilememiş olmasısayılabilir. Divan şairleri arasında aynı mahlasta pek çok şair bulunduğu için divanda yeralmayan fakat şiir mecmualarında yer alan şiirler dikkatle incelenmeli ve bu şiirlerin aynımahlası kullanan hangi şaire ait olduğu titizlikle tespit edilmelidir.Mecmualar, hem onları tertip eden kişilerin edebî zevklerini ve estetik anlayışlarını yansıtırhem de yazıldıkları dönemin şiir anlayışı hakkında fikir verir. Mecmualar, aslında medfûnve meçhûl birer hazine oldukları için eski şairlerin özel yaşamları ve yaşadıkları yerle olanilişkileri ile ilgili birçok karanlık noktayı aydınlatabilir.Divan şairi Zâtî’nin de yayımlanmış Divan’ında yer almamakla birlikte çeşitli şiirmecmularında bazı şiirlerinin olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Bu makalede Zâtî Divanı’ndabulunmayan ve bu divanın neşrinden sonraki yayımlarda da tespit edemediğimiz bir gazelkonu edilerek Berlin Devlet Kütüphanesi’nde yer alan Ms. or. oct. 3058 numaralı şiirmecmuasında tesadüf ettiğimiz bir gazelin metnine yer verilecek ve bu gazel incelenmeyeçalışılacaktır.

Getting real close: What a diary study can do for your library

The Berlin State Library will undergo substantial renovation in the coming years. To integrate the readers’ perspective into the planning process, the library’s user experience team engages in manifold research activities, among them the diary study we present in this article. The study covered fifteen readers, and we designed it to generate information about their activities in the library, their favorite spaces, and their ideas for the future library. The article presents the study’s design and findings, reflects on crucial decisions and practical insights, and concludes with ten questions that might help you avoid some hazards when you think about employing a diary method.

The Islamic Manuscripts Oskar Rescher Sold to the Leipzig University Library between 1925-1934

Born in Stuttgart in 1883, Oskar Rescher was a prolific Orientalist of the 20th century. He lived in both Germany and Istanbul from 1909 to 1925 and settled down in Turkey in 1925. He studied many manuscripts found in private collections, libraries, and second-hand bookstores and sold thousands of manuscripts to various libraries, book antiquarians, and persons in Europe and America. Although the details have yet to be uncovered, Rescher’s manuscript sales are still talked about in certain circles; however, his manuscript trade has not been the subject of any study until ours. This article, which constitutes the fourth phase of a series of studies, draws attention to the 262 manuscripts Rescher sold to the Leipzig University Library between 1925-1934 and provides a list of these manuscripts after discussing the sales process. Thus, this study intends to direct attention to the 262 manuscripts one Orientalist scholar personally selected, evaluated, and sold. As in the example of the Berlin State Library, instead of sending the ordinary manuscripts that could be found almost anywhere, Rescher examined each manuscript and offered the ones that he found valuable in terms of content or physical characteristics. The prices he assigned were very reasonable, and there were librarians in Leipzig who think the future of these manuscripts is in danger and who attempt to collect as many manuscripts as possible. The list that has been organized with respect to the acquisition dates and numbers of each manuscript specifies the titles and author names. The list also provides the shelf numbers.

The Berlin plans of Kamianets-Podilskyi

The article discusses five manuscript plans of Kamianets-Podilskyi which are present in Berlin. Four of them are available in the collections of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (The Berlin State Library) and one – at the Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesits (Secret State Archive of Prussian Cultural Heritage). Despite the fact that the list of maps and plans of areas present in the former socialist countries in Europe was published in 1976, these plans remained unknown to both, Polish and Ukrainian researchers analysing the history of fortification. Three of the discussed four plans are especially important. The first one is the plan by Christian Dahlke, an engineer who fortified Kamianets-Podilskyi, the later commanding officer of this fortress. The second one is an anonymous plan from 1740, most probably created during the inspection of the fortress reinforcements which was carried out by Saxon engineers. The third one is the plan by G. de Hundt. Identical versions of this plan are located in Cracow, in Vienna and in Moscow. Due to the fact that both, Austria as well as Russia, conducted military activities in Podolia in the 18th century, nearly identical plans of the Kamianets-Podilskyi Fortress, present in the capitals of those countries, indicate that G. de Hundt worked not only for the Polish king, but also for foreign intelligences.

The Manuscripts Oskar Rescher Sold to the Berlin State Library Between 1913-1936

Born in Stuttgart in 1883, Oskar Rescher was a prolific Orientalist of the 20th century. He spent his life between Germany and Istanbul from 1909 to 1925 and settled down in Turkey in 1925. He studied many manuscripts found in private collections, libraries, and second-hand bookstores and sold thousands of manuscripts to various libraries and second-hand bookstores in Europe and America. Although the details have not been uncovered, Rescher’s manuscript sales are still being voiced in certain circles; however, his manuscript trade has not been the subject of any study until ours. This article constitutes the second phase of a series of studies. The first article, titled “Oskar Rescher – Biographical Finds around Manuscripts, Books, and Libraries” and the product of a collaborative effort, focused on Rescher’s life and his trade activities with the Berlin State Library. The current study draws attention to two issues. The first involves the 1,722 volumes sold to the Berlin State Library after Rescher’s death. According to our determinations, these manuscripts did not belong to Rescher. The second issue involves the manuscripts Rescher sold to the Berlin State Library between 1913-1936. This article provides a detailed list of these manuscripts after mentioning the sales process. Thus, this study intends to direct attention to the 1,192 manuscripts one Orientalist scholar had personally selected, studied, and sold. The title, author name, and language are specified for each work on the list that has been organized with respect to the date and identification order by which the manuscripts were recorded in the acquisition journal at the library; this includes majmuas, and the manuscripts’ shelf numbers are also given. The list additionally includes the catalogue reference where detailed information about the related manuscript can be found; manuscripts not yet catalogued have been also noted.

Agilität und Weltkulturerbe: Erfahrungen mit sieben Jahren agilen Methoden an der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Eine Fallstudie I/II

Abstract This series of two articles describes the introduction and establishment of agile methods at the Berlin State Library (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin) during its ongoing digital transformation. This article showcases structural factors and typical challenges that can be addressed well with agile methods and also be transferred to other organizations. The article focusses on a chronological presentation of carried-out actions and the resulting agile approaches chosen to leverage the collaborative and user-centered development of digital library services.

From the History of Ossetian Studies: The Correspondence Between Georgij (Gappo) V. Baev and Giorgi Akhvlediani

After his emigration to the West, Georgij (Gappo) Baev (1865–1939), an outstanding cultural figure in Prerevolutionary Ossetia, spent many years in Germany, where he was involved in the translation of biblical texts into Ossetic and also taught his mother tongue as a lecturer at the Berlin Oriental Seminary (1922–1939). In the manuscript department of the Berlin State Library his personal archive is kept, containing a lot of interesting material, a real treasure of information not only about his personal life, but also and above all on Ossetic culture and history. The present paper features his correspondence with the Georgian linguist Giorgi Akhvlediani (1887–1973), whose personal archive is housed at the Tbilisi State University. The so far unpublished letters and postcards cover a relatively short time frame, namely from the 8 th of September 1927 to the 16 th of October 1928. Besides showing the deep respect and sincere appreciation of the two former colleagues for each other, the texts, all written in Russian, provide interesting facts which shed more light upon their biography and scientific activity. All in all, the professional and at the same time friendly correspondence, being a significant contribution to Ossetic studies, provides an insight into the nostalgic mood of the emigrant, on the one hand, and the interested tone of his counterpart, on the other.

THE ILLUSTRATIONS OF MIRAJ (ASCENSION) IN NISABURI’S (SA’LEBI) KISAS-I ENBIYA MANUSCRIPTS

In this paper, five different illustrations with the theme of ‘Prophet Muhammed’s Miraj (Ascension)’ found in two illustrated copies of Nîsâbûrî's literary work titled Kısas-ı Enbiyâ dated 16th century, are examined in terms of composition and figures. Two of these illustrations are included in the Kısas-ı Enbiyâ, produced in Shiraz in the second half of the 16th century, registered in the 'Diez A fol.3' collection of Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (Berlin State Library). The other three illustrations are included in the Kısas-ı Enbiyâ, produced in Kazvin between 1570-1580, registered in the ‘Keir3’ collection of the Dallas Museum of Art (Dallas Art Museum). In the Islamic tradition, the ‘Miraj’ (Ascension) narrates the journey of Muhammad from Mecca to Jerusalem and from there to the skies. In Islamic book arts, manuscripts with Miraj depictions produced between the 15th and 19th centuries show that Miraj is a popular and accepted subject. In the illustrations examined within the scope of this study, the same composition setup was followed. Due to the subject of Miraj, the common figures seen in illustrations are Muhammed, Burak, Gabriel and other angels. These figures, which are defined as ‘Heavenly Servant Angels’ in the text of Kısas-ı Enbiyâ, can be classified as the ones carrying incense burners; carrying the bowl of light filled with fire; carrying the beverage bowls offered to Muhammad and the ones that prostrate and carry the Quran page. Accordingly, each figure is evaluated in terms of its place in the composition, features of form and style; comparisons are made about the common and different aspects of the figures. In addition, the figures are drawn individually, independent of the composition, in order to present a detailed analysis of their form. The aim of this paper is to investigate the formal features of figures and other visual elements in the depiction of the ‘Mi'raj’ and to evaluate the contribution of visual expression to cultural and symbolic repertoire through illustrations. Keywords: Nîsâbûrî (Sa’lebi), Qisas al-Anbiyâ, Miraj, sngel figure, srt of miniature painting

Botanical geography correspondence between Alexander von Humboldt and Filippo Parlatore (1851-1852)

This paper focuses on the relationship between Alexander von Humboldt, the famous German explorer-naturalist and Filippo Parlatore, botanist from Palermo (Sicily, Italy) in the field of botanical geography. Our considerations are based on three letters written by Humboldt to Parlatore in May 1851 and two letters with attachments written by Parlatore in answer to Humboldt in May 1851 and June 1852. The former are preserved in the Biblioteca comunale di Palermo (Palermo City Library) and the latter in the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (Berlin State Library). On reading the correspondence it can be inferred how, on the one hand, Humboldt asked Parlatore for verification on some important questions of botanical geography that he intended to cover in the second part (never published) of volume five of his Kosmos, and how, on the other hand, Parlatore diverged in his answers from Humboldt’s intent to search for universal laws to explain the distribution of plants on the planet. In fact, Parlatore was engaging in new lines of research, which, though stemming from Humboldt, were moving towards a modern twodimensional interpretation of natural plant communities according to which vegetation and flora, though interacting, are distinct realities and require different methods of study. The paper includes a portrait of Parlatore and one of Humboldt, a taxonomic table of the plants mentioned by the two scientists in their correspondence and illustrations of a selection of the same plants.

„Prussica“ ir „Lithuanica“ Berlyno valstybinėje bibliotekoje – Prūsijos kultūros paveldas

„Prussica“ ir „Lithuanica“ Berlyno valstybinėje bibliotekoje – Prūsijos kultūros paveldas

An Analysis on The Metaphor of Dragon Figure in Some Miniatures in The Berlin State Library

Minyatür sanatında konu alınan hayvan tasvirleri, taşıdıkları simgeleri yazma eserin ihtiva ettiği bilgiyi bütünlemek için tercih edilmektedir. Minyatürlerde bulunan Ejderha figürlerinin betimleme sahneleri ejderhanın sembolik olarak farklı anlamları ile tasvir edilebilmektedir. Bu metaforlar gerçek ve sembol anlamları dahilinde geliştirilmektedir. Ejderhalar mimari, seramik, dokuma ve yazma eser tasvirlerinde sıkça rastladığımız bir hayvan figürüdür. Farklı yüzyıllarda çeşitli konular üzerine yazılmış eserlerin betimlemelerinde gördüğümüz bu figürün metaforu minyatürde ifade edilmek istenen unsurun sembolü olarak kullanılabileceği gibi metnin içeriğine bağımlı olarak betimlendiği de bilinmektedir. Çalışmada Berlin Devlet Kütüphanesinde bulunan XV ve XX. yüzyıllar arası ejderha figürünün betimlendiği bazı minyatür sahneleri seçilmiştir. Eserlerde bulunan ejderha tasvirlerinin sembolize ettiği unsurlar ele alınmıştır. Minyatürlerde Behram Gur’un bir Ejderha ile dövüş sahnesi, Rüstem ve Atı’nın bir Ejderhayı öldürmesi, Güştasp’ın bir ejderhayı öldürmesi minyatürleri kahramanların ejderha ile savaşını betimlerken, aşk mesnevilerinden olan Vâmık u Azra eserinden garip mahlûkatların mağarada uyuyan Vâmık’ı kuşatması sahnesi bulunmaktadır. Resim 3, 5 ve 7‘de ise Hz. Musa’nın asasının ejderhaya/yılana dönüşümü konularına yer verilmiştir.Araştırmanın sonucunda farklı üslup ve tekniklerle karşımıza çıkan minyatürlerin ejderha sahnelerinde konu benzerlikleri görülürken üslup farklılıkları göze çarpmaktadır. Minyatür betimlemelerinde ejderha figürleri metaforik anlamları itibari ile incelenmiş ele alınan tasvirlerde kahramanlık, bereket, peygamberlere verilen ilahi güç ve kötülük/sinsilik sembolleri olarak ele alındığı görülmüştür. Minyatürlerdeki ejder motifi sembolize ettiği güç ve metaforik anlamları itibari ile kullanılmış olsa da Eser 5’teki minyatürde resmedilen yılan figürü sinsilik ve kötülük mahiyetinde farklı bir anlam içermektedir. Birkaç farklı konuda resmedilen ejderha figürlerinin ağzından alev çıkaran sahnelerde ise şimşek ve bereket ile özdeşleştiği, savaş sahnelerinde ise güç ve erdem unsurlarının metaforlarına başvurulduğu görülmüştür.

A nativist defence of Javanism in late 19th-century Java

ABSTRACTThe Suluk Gaṭoloco is a notoriously anti-Islamic satirical narrative poem, composed anonymously sometime in 19th-century Java. This article challenges Pigeaud’s hypothesis that it once belonged to the curriculum of Islamic religious schools in Panaraga. The contents of the so-called Sĕrat Suluk Panaraga, i.e. a two-volume compilation of texts on Islamic mysticism and theology, kept in the Berlin State Library (Ms. or. oct. 3999 and 4000), is discussed in some detail, showing that it contains variegated teachings. The version of the Suluk Gaṭoloco in the Berlin manuscript is close to Philippus van Akkeren’s 1951 edition, but exclusively concentrates on the theological disputes of Gaṭoloco with his scripturalist Islamic adversaries. The argument in Gaṭoloco’s narrative is built upon a discourse of ‘turning to the origins’. At a time when the traditional Javanese way of life was threatened by Dutch colonialism and ‘Arabised’ Islam, the Suluk Gaṭoloco constituted a nativist defence of indigenous customs which must have struck a chord among educated Javanese readers, but it is hardly conceivable that students of Islamic boarding schools were its primary readers. The Sĕrat Suluk Panaraga was originally compiled in 1894 and it was copied in 1901 in Blora on behalf of a Dutch colonial administrator called Paardekooper (1857–1905). This compilation is one among many more Javanese texts in Paardekooper’s overall copying programme which focused on the reading material of the Javanese bureaucratic elite.