🔹 Today, specialists from the Yasawitanu Scientific Center, operating under the National Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve “Azret Sultan”, presented a major scientific discovery to the public during a press conference held at the Regional Communications Service of Turkistan Region. During the event, an exceptionally valuable artifact found in Turkistan — an ancient manuscript of the Hikmats — was officially introduced for the first time. This discovery is considered one of the most significant scientific achievements of recent years in the study of Turkic spirituality and Sufi literature.
🔹 The press conference was attended by the head of the Yasawitanu Scientific Center, Saipulla Mollaqanagatuly, the Center’s executive secretary Gauhar Primkulova, the chairman of the “Meirim” Charity Foundation Erkin Saparov, and scholar-orientalist Ulykbek Junisbayev. They shared important information about the discovered manuscript.
🔹 “The manuscript we have obtained is not just an ancient heritage but a highly important scientific document that allows us to reinterpret the authentic layer of Yasawi’s teachings. Several previously unknown hikmats and textual versions will be restored based on this manuscript,” noted the Center’s head, Saipulla Mollaqanagatuly. He also provided detailed explanations regarding the age of the manuscript, its writing style, textual variations, and the upcoming directions of scientific research.
🔹 The quality of the paper, the nasta‘liq script, the structure of the text, and its calligraphic features confirm the historical value of the manuscript. Initial paleographic and textual analyses indicate that it may have been written between the 18th and 19th centuries. The artifact was found among 17 manuscripts and rare books donated to the Center. The sequence of the hikmats and previously unknown textual differences provide new opportunities for deeper study of the formation of Sufi literature. Among the manuscripts are an ancient version of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi’s Hikmats, the Risala of Ghaus al-A‘zam Abdulqadir Jilani, the Hikmats of Suleiman Bakirgani, poems of Nizami, and variants of Mashrab’s poetry. Undoubtedly, this discovery will open new avenues for studying Yasawi’s heritage in international scholarly circles.
🔹 The Center’s executive secretary, Gauhar Primkulova, spoke about the key projects being implemented by the Yasawitanu Scientific Center, including:
• organizing international scientific expeditions;
• digitizing the Yasawi heritage and creating a textual corpus;
• preparing academic publications and monographs;
• holding schools and master classes for young researchers;
• publishing a new issue of the journal Yasawi Research;
• preparing a complete scientific description and publication of the discovered manuscript.
🔹 It should be noted that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, at the second session of the National Kurultai titled “A Just Kazakhstan – A Decent Citizen”, emphasized: “It is impossible to imagine Turkistan without Yasawi. The great scholar made a tremendous contribution to the spread of Islam throughout the Turkic world. The spiritual continuity that originated from Yasawi on Kazakh soil continues uninterrupted to this day. Therefore, it is important to study and promote the scholar’s works in a comprehensive manner.” The discovery of the hikmat manuscript is clear evidence that the strategic tasks outlined by the Head of State are being effectively implemented.
🔹 At the end of the press conference, specialists answered questions from media representatives and spoke in detail about the scientific importance of the manuscript and its future research prospects. The noble initiative of Erkin Saparov, Chairman of the “Meirim” Charity Foundation, who facilitated the transfer of this valuable artifact to the museum-reserve, was also highlighted as an exemplary act.
A.Älibek, Press Secretary.
