I. Parlatir , Gy. Hazai , B. Kellner-Heinkele (comp.): Catalogue of the Turkish Manuscripts in the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Introduction

Introduction Outside Turkey, interest in collecting Turkish manuscripts developed as early as contacts with the Ottoman Empire began. Ambassadors and envoys, travellers and literati who visited the country of the new political power in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans, motivated either by collecting zeal or scholarly curiosity, acquired manuscripts written in Ottoman Turkish (or Arabic and Persian) and brought them to Europe. Later, these private collections, as well as royal and princely collections, found their way into the large public libraries and were considered some of their most precious materials. It is worth noting that the cataloguing of these collections began very early, around the 17th century, later to become a regular and important task for the Orientalists who by their systematic description made possible the scholarly approach to these valuable sources for studies on the history of the Ottoman Empire and its relations with Europe. As a result of erudite efforts over centuries, a great number of catalogues is now at the disposal of the scholarly world. This number, according to two bibliographic registers made in 1969 and 1972, exceeded 300.' At the same time, it is necessary to note that there are many collections in and outside Turkey that still await discovery through systematic cataloguing. In comparison to the above mentioned collections in Europe, the origin of the collection of Turkish manuscripts in the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences presents a completely different picture. Its creation dates back to the 19th century and can mainly be attributed to Hungarian Turkologists. In the first place, the name of Dániel Szilágyi (1831-1885) has to be mentioned. After the defeat of the Hungarian army in the war of independence 1848-49, the very young officer and former student of theology had to flee the country. He joined the group of Hungarians in exile in the Ottoman Empire led by Lajos Kossuth, the President of the first Hungarian Republic. Kossuth spent only a few years in Turkey, unlike Szilágyi who stayed in Istanbul and became an antiquarian bookseller (sahhaf). He learned the Turkish language well and gained a deep knowledge of Ottoman culture and language, thus acquiring a very good reputation in his profession. As his collection proves, he was not only an astute collector of precious manuscripts, but also an expert in the world of printed books. His preferences in collecting literary and historical works alone demonstrate his scholarly perspicacity in different fields. After his death, a part of his