Documents about Musa Bigiev in Turkish Archives and Libraries
https://doi.org/10.22311/2074-1529-2025-21-3-107-122
Abstract
The article presents several documents and printed publications related to the works and social activities of Musa Bigiev. These materials were found in the Directorate of State Archives of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey and the Library of the Turkish Historical Society in 2019. In addition, one of the recently declassifi ed documents is included in the paper. The chronological framework of the described documents ranges from 1905 to 1926, covering the period of M. Bigiev’s life both in his homeland and in exile. This body of documentary information is introduced into scientific discourse for the fi rst time and provides insight not only into the little-known pages of M. Bigiev’s biography, but also into a relative of his, who has remained unknown until now, his fate and his active participation in the distribution of M. Bigiev’s books in Turkey. Of particular interest are examples of interdepartmental correspondence between the government authorities of the Ottoman Empire and Republican Turkey concerning various aspects of M. Bigiev’s public activities. The documents presented in the article provide a vivid picture of the reaction of the highest-level authorities to the appearance in Turkey of works by M. Bigiev, such as Tarikh al- Qur’an wa al-Masahif (1905) and Islam Milletlerine (1923). They reflect their increased attention to his publications in his homeland, providing an overview of the attitudes of high-ranking government officials towards M. Bigiev. The article reflects the peculiarities and nuances of the paperwork in Turkish government bodies and inter-agency document flow.
About the Author
A. G. Khayrutdinov
A Separate Structural Unit of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan “Sihabutdin Marjani Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of Republic of Tatarstan”; Moscow Islamic Institute
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Aidar G. KHAYRUTDINOV, Cand. Sci. (Philos.), Associate Professor; Acting Head, Department of the History of Religions and Public Thought named after Yahya G. Abdullin; Head, Bigievʼs Heritage Research Centre
7, Baturina Str., Kazan, 420014, the Republic of Tatarstan
12, Kirova Lane, Moscow, 109382
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Review
For citations:
Khayrutdinov A.G. Documents about Musa Bigiev in Turkish Archives and Libraries. Islam in the modern world. 2025;21(3):107-122. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22311/2074-1529-2025-21-3-107-122
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