Principles of Source Study in Modern Turkish Historiography Regarding the Heritage of Central Asian Scholars From the 9th–12th Centuries

This article examines the principal approaches to source study in contemporary Turkish historiography concerning the intellectual heritage of Central Asian scholars of the ninth–twelfth centuries. It focuses on the methodological principles used to investigate the works of such prominent thinkers as Abu Nasr al-Farabi, Abu Rayhan al-Biruni, Abu Ali ibn Sina, Muhammad al-Khwarizmi, and Mahmud al-Kashgari. Particular attention is paid to the critical examination of manuscripts, the verification of authorship and textual authenticity, historical contextualization, comparative analysis, and the interpretation of translations and commentaries. The study employs historiographical analysis, source criticism, comparative methods, and contextual analysis to examine how these principles contribute to reconstructing the intellectual history of medieval Central Asia. It argues that a comprehensive understanding of the scholars’ legacy requires researchers to distinguish original texts from later interpretations, assess the historical circumstances in which works were produced and transmitted, and compare evidence from different linguistic and scholarly traditions.