Research Information System
Darulfunun Ilahiyat, vol.35, no.1, pp.129-152, 2024 (Scopus)
Analyzing the books preserved in libraries according to the classification of sciences is an alternative way of writing the history of Islamic sciences. This method can reveal the extent to which books belonging to each field of science have been represented in libraries throughout history. Examining libraries from the perspective of the classification of sciences may demonstrate the scholarly production and diversity in the Ottoman Empire, which is famous for its manuscript libraries. Therefore, this article proposes a new method for library and collection studies and aims to contribute to the literature on classifying Ottoman sciences. To achieve this goal, I compare three libraries of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries, each established by one of the most influential figures of their time. A comparative analysis of the libraries of Mahmud Pasha, Habeshi Mehmed Agha, and Fazil Ahmad Pasha in terms of the classification of sciences reveals the transformation in the sciences represented in the Ottoman libraries from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries. Although the sciences belonging to fields such as Qur'anic exegesis, hadith, and jurisprudence had a high ratio of representation in these libraries, which were designed primarily as madrasa libraries, the number of works related to history and literature increased over time.