Arabic Beyond the Arabs
Mahmud al-Kashgari: a book on Turkish in Arabic
محمود الكاشغريّ: كتابٌ في التركيّة بلسان العرب
Mahmud al-Kashgari came from Kashgar, on the borders of China. In Baghdad he compiled a dictionary of Turkish words explained in Arabic, the Diwan Lughat al-Turk, and dedicated it to the Abbasid caliph al-Muqtadi. Arabic was, for him, the language in which to present his own people's tongue to the readers of his age.
- In brief
- A Turk from Kashgar who explained his people's language in Arabic and dedicated the book to the caliph
- Outside Arabic
- Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk
«ومؤلفه هو محمود بن الحسين بن محمد الكاشغري من أهل كاشغر على حدود الصين … والكتاب معجم يشرح الألفاظ التركية بعبارات عربية.»
He wrote it around 464–466 AH (1072–1074), and only one manuscript survives, in Istanbul. The quotation is from a modern study, as the Diwan itself was not available to us.
Click a card to see it full size; each has a download button for sharing.
Sources
Spotted a mistake, or have something to add?
Your note comes to us only; it is not published here. We read it, and if it holds we correct the card.
