Samarqand, a centre of medieval scholarship in the mirror of Arabic manuscripts
Samarqand, a centre of medieval scholarship in the mirror of Arabic manuscripts

Summary/Abstract: The article traces the oeuvre of seven scholars between the 10th and early 16th centuries associated with the town of Samarqand, one of the main towns of the central Islamic lands in the late medieval period. Hundreds of scholars linked to this town rose to great fame in often faraway parts of the Islamic world. Their teachings resounded in the commentaries composed to elucidate their intentions. The present article deals with a tiny portion of this rich heritage, the selection being defined by the Arabic manuscripts kept in the Oriental Collection of the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. A special emphasis is placed on tracking the spread of knowledge in a wide variety of subjects ranging from theology to mathematics throughout several centuries in the madrasa system. At the same time, the manuscripts bear witness to the development of the Collection.

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