A copy of the
manuscript discovered in France was printed in Kazakhstan. It was written by
Aisha, the wife of Kassym Khan, the ruler of the Kazakh Khanate. Dating back to the 16th century, the ancient
manuscript is written in the Turkic language, specifically in the Kipchak
dialect. It consists of seven chapters, each enriched with stories about
Islamic figures. According to specialists from the National Center of
Manuscripts and Rare Books, the binding process took them two weeks to
complete. Certain pages of the manuscript had to be combined and sewn together
into a single unit. Cotton thread was used for this purpose, and the cover was
made from cambric fabric and natural leather.
“Oriental
historians hold two differing viewpoints regarding this book. Some scholars,
particularly Edgar Blache, a French orientalist researcher, believe that the
book belonged to Aisha Khanym, the wife of Kassym Khan, the ruler of the Kazakh
Khanate. Meanwhile, American researcher David Davis argues that the manuscript
belonged to the wives of Muhammad Khan Shaibani or Gubaidullah Khan.
Alternatively, Aisha Khanym might have been married to Muhammad Shaybani.
Anyway, we have presented our own arguments, according to which the manuscript
most likely belongs to Aisha Khanym, the wife of Kassym Khan, the ruler of the
Kazakh Khanate,” said Almat Absalykov, chief expert of the National Center of
Manuscripts and Rare Books.
