Why Were the Scientists Who Translated Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk Killed?

Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk in concise

Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk is the first known dictionary of the Turkish language written by the great linguist Kaşgarlı Mahmut in the 11th century. The full name of the work is Kitâbu Dîvânu Lugât'it Türk. Its meaning is the book that collects Turkish dialects.

Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk is an extremely important and original work in terms of Turkish language and history that has survived from the Karakhanid period. Besides being a dictionary, it is a treasure that contains many vocabulary (poems, proverbs, idioms, etc.) reflecting that period. Dictionaries are actually the mirror of the nation they came from. The vocabulary of that nation, its cultural products, what it eats, drinks, wears, trades and even swears are a gem in this vocabulary.

What Did Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk Aim?

In this context, it is clear that Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk is not a work on general knowledge written only to teach the Turkish language to Arabs. If the aim was only to teach language, words and corresponding Turkish words would be written. However, Kaşgarlı both gave the meaning of the word and made many explanations about daily life and culture, from the recipe to the customs and traditions, from simple drug preparation methods to the rule of a children's game. This is an indication that he aims to introduce and introduce Turkish culture to the Arabs, not just the language.

In addition, the fact that Kaşgarlı presented his work to the Abbasid Caliph al-Muktedî Billah (1075-1094) instead of the Karakhanid Khan explains what led to this goal and shows the high value in the personality of the Kaşgarlı.

Ali Emiri Efendi and Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk

Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk is a book lover in Istanbul since his childhood, spending most of his time in second-hand bookshops, establishing a large library at home with the books he bought and taking care of his books; It was taken from the Sahaf Burhan in the Sahaflar Çarşısı in Beyazıt by Ali Emîrî Efendi (1857-1924), retired from the bookkeeper's office, who lived an intelligent, hardworking, gentle, modest life and was loved and respected by his environment.

Divan is very valuable for Emiri Efendi and equally important in terms of Turkish history. Kilisli Muallim Rıfat Bilge conveys Ali Emiri's views on Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk as follows in his series of articles called 'My Knowledge':

“This is not a book, it is a country of Turkestan. It is not Turkistan, it is the whole world. Turkishness, Turkish language will gain another revnak thanks to this book. What Sibevyhi's "al-Kitab" is in Arabic, this is his brother in Turkish. No book like this has ever been written in the Turkish language. If this book should be given real value, the treasures of the world would not be enough.”

Ali Emiri Efendi is a person devoted to his nation and national values. He wanted the library to which he donated his books to be named "The National Library" for him. At any cost, he did not give up any of the works here.

To the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, who wanted to buy Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk for ten thousand gold,

“I collected my books for my nation. If they put all the gold of the world in front of me, I would not sell such a book, not even a leaf of any of my books!” gives the answer.

A similar offer comes from the French. They also want to buy the library, and Emiri's answer is clear to them:

“Sirs, I built this library with the salaries given to me by my state. In order for it to remain with my nation when I die… If you come with such an offer again, I will fire you from here.”

The period in which Ali Emiri Efendi lived was the last times of the Ottoman Empire, the war years and it was an extremely difficult period for people in socio-economic terms. Emiri's effort to bring this valuable work, Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk, which we consider as one of the founding texts of Turkish philosophy and which opened the doors of Turkistan-Turkey contact to Turkistan, to the Turkish World deserves appreciation.

Original Copy of Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk

There is only one copy of Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk that has survived to the present day. He also took his place with the number 4189 in the Arabic works section of the Millet Manuscript Library in Istanbul Fatih. This copy belongs to Muhammed Bin Ahmet Hatip Dareyya, as it can be understood from the note in the upper right corner of the first page of the book. Again, on the first page of the book, there is an article of 15 lines that is thought to belong to the person who prepared this copy, but not all of the lines could be read.

Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk was reprinted with translations by Besim Atalay in 1940-41, by Dehri Dilçin in 1957, and by TDK special translations for the 900th anniversary in 1972. Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk has resonated all over the world as well as the Turkish World, and its full text has been translated into Turkey Turkish, Uzbek Turkish, Kazakh Turkish, New Uyghur Turkish, English, Chinese, Persian and Azerbaijani Turkish and has been published nine times.

Scientists Killed for Translating Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk

Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk has been translated into many languages. It is said that there are scientists who died for this cause. It is necessary to examine this information about scientists killed for translating Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk with careful and cross-reading. However, first of all, the information in the foreword of Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk's 2018 TDK translation, including the information on the official website of TDK, did not mention the scientists killed for translation.

It is among the information that the translators were killed, but they were killed not because of translating Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk, but because of their political views, or they died while they were receiving political punishment. In fact, the Azerbaijani Turkish translation of Halid Said Hocayev, of Uzbek origin, was published after his death.

The Importance of Dîvânu Lugâti't-Türk for the Turkish World

This title is an example of a rebellion, which Kasgarli did in this environment, stating how strong the Turkish domination was in the 11th century, the fact that Turkish thinkers were used in palaces, official communications, and art books even though Turkish was spoken from Africa to Japan. We would like to conclude with the interpretation of Remzi Oğuz Arık, who sees

“… Mahmut of Kashgar, who gives a magnificent example of rebellion, counts the Turkish speaking masses in Central and Central Asia at every turn. This great Turkish people, above all political and dynastic changes, is the miracle that protects Turkish.

References:

Mustafa Toker, “Halid Said Hocayev ve “Yeni Elifba Yollarında Eski Hatıra ve Duygularım” adlı eseri. Türk Dünyası Dil ve Edebiyat Dergisi (1996): https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/tdded/issue/12720/154936)

Ebû Bişr (Ebû Osmân, Ebü’l-Hasen, Ebü’l-Hüseyn) Sîbeveyhi Amr b. Osmân b. Kanber el-Hârisî (ö. 180/796) için bkz. Mehmet Reşit Özbalıkcı, “Sîbeveyhi” TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, (İstanbul: Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı Yayınları, 2009), 37/130-134.

Muhtar Tevfikoğlu, “Kilisli Muallim Rıfat Anlatıyor ‘ Bildiklerim’” Ali Emîrî Efendi, (Ankara: Kültür Bakanlığı Yayınları, 1989), 177.

Remzi Oğuz Arık, Coğrafyadan vatana Fikrî Yazılar (İstanbul: Dergâh Yayınları, 2017), 207.