ISTANBUL, February 25. /Dunyo IA/. For the first time, a unique manuscript of Alisher Navoi’s divan “Badoe’ al-Bidoya”, preserved in the Süleymaniye Library, has been published in facsimile form, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

This achievement is the result of a joint scholarly project between the Agency for Cultural Heritage of Uzbekistan and the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA).

Previously, researchers had only studied select versions of the work preserved in Paris, London, Tehran, Baku and Tashkent. The publication of the Istanbul manuscript opens new avenues for deeper study of “Badoe’ al-Bidoya”.

This particular copy is especially valuable because it was transcribed in 1484-1485 in Herat by the renowned calligrapher Sultan Ali Mashhadi, a contemporary of Navoi himself.

Research indicates close scholarly collaboration between Alisher Navoi and Sultan Ali Mashhadi. As Navoi scholar Aftondila Erkinov noted: “It can be stated with confidence that this manuscript was copied under the direct supervision of Alisher Navoi. In the same years, 1483-1485 - Navoi was working on his “Khamsa” in Herat while Sultan Ali Mashhadi was transcribing the divan “Badoe’ al-Bidoya”. Therefore, Navoi could very well have seen this copy.

The publication of the Istanbul manuscript provides researchers with unprecedented access to Navoi’s work and will serve as an important source for future scholarly studies.