On the 20 of December the lecture “Persian Influence on the Arabic-Language Written Tradition in Dagestan (XVI-XIX Centuries)” was held at the Oriental Cultural Centre of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences with the assistance of Ibn Sina Foundation.
The lecture was delivered by Shamil Shikhalievich Shikhaliev who is a Candidate of historical sciences, the senior research scholar of the Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography of the Dagestan Federal Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the senior research scholar of the Centre of Islamic Manuscripts of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The lecture was dedicated to rich handwritten heritage of Dagestan, particularly to Persian influence on the Arabic-language manuscripts created in this region.
Historically Dagestan used to be among the most important centres of codicology development in the Caucasus. Among the preserved documents are biographies of outstanding thinkers, works on theology and religious law, historiographical treatises as well as research works in the area of natural sciences. These manuscripts pose a precious source of information about intellectual development in the Caucasus and broader cultural processes in this region.
The lecturer paid a special attention to the item of “the Dagestan Naskh”, the handwriting that had been formed on the basis of local traditions and Persian influence. This handwriting style became one of the bright features of the Dagestan written heritage.
