Historiography of the Catherine’s Qur’ans: in Orientalist Literature of the 18^th – 20^th Centuries

The article is devoted to the study of the Catherine’s Qur’ans in Russian and foreign historiography of the 18^th–20^th centuries. The sources for the study were Oriental, reference and academic literature, represented by the works of I. D. Michaelis (1717–1791), J. von Hammer-Purgstall (1774–1856), I. G. Georgi (1729–1802), Ch. Ph. von Schnurrer (1742–1822), J.-Ch. Brunet (1780–1867), F. A. Ebert (1791–1834), L.-M. Langlés (1763–1824), L. Wachler (1767–1838), F. Rehm (1792–1847), G. Weil (1808–1889), J.Th. Zenker (1811–1884), S. de Sacy (1758–1838), L.-P.-E.-A. Sedillot (1808–1875), J. A. Muehleisen (1817–1881), T. Nöldeke (1836–1930), and-G.-T. Gresse (1814–1885), B. A. Dorn (1805–1881), A. E. Krymsky (1871–1942), I. Y. Krachkovsky (1883–1951) and others. This study is based on a chronological principle. Based on a comparative analysis, the author identifies reviews, research, and expert assessments of the St. Petersburg editions of the Qur’ans. This approach allows for a retrospective examination of the development of the Catherine’s Qur’ans as a research object, demonstrating the depth and aspects of their study in Western and Russian Oriental Studies. In his conclusions, the author notes that the St. Petersburg editions of the Qur’an serve as a central component in the interests of Western and Russian Orientalists as a scientific source. Additionally, the editions themselves have a multidisciplinary scope of study and a wide readership. Also, being a bibliographic rarity and a work of high publishing art, the involvement in which is determined by the role of the Russian mullah and calligrapher ‘Usman Ismail, the St. Petersburg editions of the Qur’an contain a double value. The fi rst value gives them the quality of a religious (Muslim) book monument, and the second value is special cultural artefact.

1. Amerkhanova E. I. (2008). Pervye kazanskie izdaniia Korana Aziatskoi tipografi i [First Kazan Editions of the Koran of the Asiatic Printing House]. Istoki i evoliutsia khudozhestvennoi kul’tury tiurkskikh narodov: sbornik materialov Mezhdunarodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii, posviashchennyi 150-letiu so dnia rozhdeniia pedagoga-prosvetitelia, khudozhnika Sh. A. Tagirova (17–18 aprelia 2008) [Origins and Evolution of Art Culture of Turkic Peoples: Collection of Materials of the International Scientifi c and Practical Conference dedicated to the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of the Teacher- Educator, Artist Sh. A. Tagirov (April 17–18, 2008)]. Kazan: Izdatel’stvo Alma-Lit Publ., pp. 127–131. (In Russian)

2. A Catalogue of Books in Every Department of Oriental Literature: Including the Philology, Religion, History, &c. of Eastern Nations, the Holy Scriptures… with Critical Introductions, Analyses, and Commentaries … Together with a Collection of Oriental Manuscripts on Sale by Howell and Stewart, Successors to Ogle, Duncan, and Co. (1826). London: The Firm. 255 p.

3. Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste in Alphabetischer Folge von Henannten Shrifts Bearbeitet und Herausgegeben von J. S. Ersch und J. G. Gruber. (1885). Leipzig: Brockhaus, 2. Sektion, Teil 39. (In German)

4. Bibliothéque de M. Le Baron Silvestre de Sacy. Tome Premier. Imprimés. Philosophie, Théologie, Sciences Naturelles. (1842). Paris: L’Imprimerie Royale. 446 p. (In French)

5. Brunet J.-Ch. (1820). Manuel du libraire et de l’amateur de livres. Paris: L’imprimerie de Crapelet. T. II. 604 p. (In French)

6. Catalogue de livres anciens et rares en vente… chez T. O. Weigel. (1860). Paris: A. Frank, Alb L. Herold. 181 S. [p.] (In German)

7. Catalogus Librorum Impressorum Bibliothecae Bodleianae in Academia Oxoniensi. (1843). Oxonii: e Typographeo Academico. Vol. I. 860 p. (In Latin)

8. Catalogus Librorum Impressorum Bibliothecae Bodleianae in Academia Oxoniensi. (1851). Oxonii: e Typographeo Academico. Vol. 4. 1054 p. (In Latin)

9. Dezobry Ch., Bachelet Th., Delagrave C. (1895). Dictionnaire général de biographie et d’histoire: de mythologie, de géographie ancienne et moderne comparée, des antiquités et des institutions grecques, romaines, françaises, et étrangères. Paris: Librairie Ch. Delagrave. 1608 p. (In French)

10. Dorn B. (1867). Chronologisches Verzeichniss der seit dem Jahre 1801 bis 1866 in Kasan gedruckten arabischen, türkischen, tatarischen und persischen Werke, als Katalog der in dem asiatischen Museum. Mélanges Asiatique. T. V. Livraison 5. St.-Pétersbourg, pp. 533–649. (In German)

11. Ebert F. A. (1837). A General Bibliographical Dictionary. Oxford: at the University Press. Vol II. 458 p.

12. Ebert F. A. (1821). Allgemeines bibliographisches lexikon, A-L. Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus. 568 S. [p.]. (In German)

13. Garaeva N. G. (2025). Kazanskii ekzempliar rossiiskogo Peterburskogo izdaniia Korana [Kazan Copy of the St. Petersburg Edition of the Qur’an]. Islam v sovremennom mire [Islam in the modern world]. Vol. 21. Iss. 1, pp. 49–72. (In Russian)

14. Grässe J. G. Th. (1850). Handbuch der allgemeinen Literaturgeschichte aller bekannten Völker der Welt: von der ältesten bis auf die neueste Zeit, zum Selbstudium und für Vorlesungen. Dresden, Leipzig: Arnoldische Buchhandlung. 1136 S. [p.]. (In German)

15. Grässe J. G. Th. (1839). Lehrbuch der Allgemeinen Literärgeschichte aller bekannten Bilder der Welt: von der ältesten bis auf die neueste Zeit, zum Selbstudium und für Vorlesungen. Dresden, Leipzig: Arnoldische Buchhandlung. Bd. II. (In German)

16. Graesse J. G. Th. (1862). Trésor de livres rares et précieux, ou: Nouveau dictionnaire bibliographique. Dresde: Rudolf Kuntze; Genéve: H. Georg; Londres: Dulau & Comp; Paris: C. Reinwald. T. IV. (In French)

17. Hammer-Purgstall J. (1809). Fundgruben des Orients. Wien: Gedruckt bey A. Schmid. 526 S. [p.]. (In German)

18. Karimullin A. G. (1969). Vozniknovenie rossiiskogo knigopechataniia arabskim shriftom [Emergence of the Russian Book Printing in Arabic Type]. Narody Azii i Afriki [Peoples of Asia and Africa]. No. 3, pp. 95–103. (In Russian)

19. Karimullin A. G. (1969). Iz istorii tatarskoi knigi XVIII — pervoi poloviny XIX v. [From the history of the Tatar book of the XVIII — fi rst half of the XIX century]. Kniga: issledovaniia i materialy [Book. Researches and Materials]. Moscow: Nauka Publ. Vol. 18, pp. 126–155. (In Russian)

20. Karimullin A. G. (1992). U istokov tatarskoi knigi. Ot nachala vozniknoveniia do 60-kh godov XIX veka [At the origins of the Tatar book. From the beginning of its emergence to the 60s of the XIX century]. Kazan’: Tatarskoe knizhnoe izdatel’stvo Publ. [Kazan: Tatar Book Publishing House]. 206, [2] p. (In Russian)

21. Krachkovsky I. Yu. (1955). Russkii perevod Korana v rukopisi XVIII v. [The Russian Translation of the Qur’an in the manuscript of the XVIII century]. Izbrannye sochineniia [Selected Writings]. Vol 1. Moscow: Nauka Publ., pp. 175–181. (In Russian)

22. Krymsky A. E. (1904). Istoriia musul’manstva [History of Muslimity]. Moscow: Tipografi ia Varvary Gattsuk Publ. Part. 1–2. 390 p. (In Russian)

23. Likhomanov A. V. (2023). Ekaterininskie Korany v Rossiiskoi natsional’noi biblioteke [“Catherine’s Korans” in the National Library of Russia]. Bibliografi ia i knigovedenie [Bibliography and Bibliology]. Iss. 5, pp. 67–79. (In Russian)

24. Mukhetdinov D. V. (2025). Ekaterinskie Korany — povorotnyi punkt v istorii bytovaniia koranicheskogo teksta [Catherine’s Qur’ans: A Turning Point in the History of the Qur’anic Text]. Islam v sovremennom mire. [Islam in the modern world]. Vol. 21. Iss. 1, pp. 23–48. (In Russian)

25. Mukhetdinov D. V. (2024). Pervye muskhafy do izdaniia “Ekaterinskikh Koranov” [The First Mushafs before the Publication of “Catherine’s Qurʼans”]. Islam v sovremennom mire. [Islam in the modern world]. Vol. 20. Iss. 4, pp. 27–52. (In Russian)

26. Kaemmel O. (1896). Illustrierte Geschichte des Mittelalters. Leipzig: Verlag und Druck von Otto Spamer. Band III. (In German)

27. Katalog des antiquarischen Lagers von T. O. Weigel (1865). Leipzig: [s. n.]. 854 S. [p.]. (In German)

28. Lagerkatalog von Oswald Weigel’s Antiquarium in Leipzig: Verzeichnis älterer und neuerer Bücher (1883). Leipzig: Neue Folge. Band 5. (In German)

29. Langlés L.-M. (1825). Catalogue des livres imprimés et manuscrits, composant la bibliotheque. Paris: Libraire chez J.-S. Merlin. 589 p. (In French)

30. Leipziger Bücher-Auction (1872). Leipzig: Melzer. Band [Vol.] 90. 148 S. [p.] (In German)

31. Michaelis J. D. (1789). Orientalische und Exegetische Bibliothek. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. Band [Vol.] 6. S. [pp.] 25–32. (In German)

32. Muehleisen J. A. (1859). Ishmael: Or, a Natural History of Islamism, and Its Relation to Christianity. London: Rivingtons. 524 p.

33. Muehleisen J. A. (1866). The Koran and the Bible; Or, Islam and Christianity. London: Longmans, Green, Reader and Dyer. 496 p.

34. New and Important Oriental Works in the Press for Howell and Stewart, successors to Messrs. Ogle, Duncan and Co. (1825). P. 3. № 3249.

35. Nöldeke Th. (1860). Geschichte des Qurâns. Göttingen: Verlag der Dieterichschen Buchhandlung. 406 S. [p.] (In German)

36. Petermann J. H. (1840). Porta linguarum orientalium: sive elementa linguarum hebraicae, chaldaicae, samaritanae, arabicae, syriacae, armeniacae, aethiopicae et persicae. Brevis linguae Arabicae: grammatica, litteratura, chrestomatia; cum glossario. Pars IV. Berolini: G. Eichler. 92 p. (In Latin)

37. Pytnizky V. (1928). K istorii knigopechataniia arabskim shriftom v Evropeiskoi Rossii i na Kavkaze [On the History of Arabic Printing in European Russia and the Caucasus]. Sbornik I. Publichnaia Biblioteka SSSR imeni V. I. Lenina [Collection I. V. I. Lenin State Library of the USSR]. Moscow: Izdanie Biblioteki Publ., pp. 131–154. (In Russian)

38. Rehm F. (1826). Lehrbuch der Geschichte des Mittelalters. Marburg: bei Johann Christian Krieger und Comp. Bd. I. 738 S. [p.] (In German)

39. Samarin A. Yu. (2015). Deyatelnostʼ “Aziatskoi tipografi i” I. K. Shnora (1785–1797) v svete novio arkhivnoi nakhodki [The Activities of “the Asian Printing House” by I. K. Shnor (1785–1797) in the Light of a New Archival Discovery]. Tipografschiki I knigochety [Typographers and Book Readers]. Moscow: Pashkov dom Publ., pp. 244–252. (In Russian)

40. Schnurrer Ch. Ph. (1811). Bibliotheca arabica, auctam nunc atque integram edidit Christianus Fridericus de Schnurrer, ordinis regii Württemberg. merit civ. eques, litterarum universitatis Tubingensis, cancellarius, instituti tertiae classi adscriptus, soc. reg. scient. Goetting. et acad. reg. boicae sodalis. Halae ad Salam: Typis et Sumtu I. C. Hendelii. 529 p. (In Latin)

41. Sedillot L.-P.-E.-A. (1854). Histoire des arabes. Histoire universelle. Paris: Hachette. 510 p. (In French)

42. Vaperau G. (1884). Dictionnaire universel des littératures: contenant I. Des notices sur les écrivains de tous les temps et de tous les pays. II. La théorie et l’historique des diff érents genres de poésie et de prose, les règles essentielles de rhétorique et de prosodie. III. La bibliographie générale et particulière. Paris: Hachette. Т. I. 2156 p. (In French)

43. Verzeichniss einer werthvollen Sammlung von Werken aus der orientalischen, namentlich hebräischen Litteratur … aus dem Nachlasse des Herrn Ober-Rabbiner Dr. L. Bodenheimer. (1869). Leipzig: Druck von Julius Klinkhardt. 60 S. [p.] (In German)

44. Wachler F. (1822). Handbuch der Geschichte der Litteratur. Dritte Umarbeitung. Erster Teil. Einleitung und Geschichte der alten Litteratur. Leipzig: Verlag von Joh. Ambr. Barth. 309 S. [p.] (In German)

45. Weil G. (1844). Einleitung in den Koran. Bielefeld: Verlag von Belhagen und Klasing. 722 S. [p.] (In German)

46. Zenker J. Th. (1840). Bibliotheca Orientalis. Pars I. Libros contiens Arabicos, Persicos, Turcicos inde ab arte typographica iuventa ad nostra usque tempora impressos. Lipsiae: Guilielmes Engelmann. 196 p. (In Latin)