Turkic-language Literature in the Manuscript Collections of Southern Dagestan

The article provides a brief overview of Turkic traditional literature based on Arabic-script manuscript and early printed book collections from Southern Dagestan. The research draws upon data gathered during recent archaeographical expeditions conducted by the IOS RAS and the IHAE of the DFRC RAS across the Akhty, Rutul, Suleyman-Stalsky, Khiv, Kayakent districts of Dagestan. A defining characteristic of Southern Dagestani collections is the substantial presence of Turkic-language literature across diverse genres. These collections and archives include poetry, prayer books, and popular folk narratives such as the tales of Ashik Garib, Ashik Kerem, Shah Ismail, etc. Additionally, the collections contain works on medicine, occult sciences, dictionaries and grammars in both Turki and Ottoman Turkish. Turkic poetry in the region is often anonymous and predominantly religious or Sufi in content, frequently discovered within composite manuscripts. Such poetic works remain a priority for future attribution. Medical texts and practical manuals in Turkic are particularly prevalent in private family manuscript collections, where they were preserved over years for utilitarian purposes. The article indicates that a significant portion of literature in Turki and Turkish language entered the region via Azerbaijan or was imported from the Ottoman Empire as lithographs and early printed books. The article argues that Southern Dagestan should be recognized as a distinct, yet previously understudied, historico-geographical area of the Turkic manuscript tradition. While locally copied manuscripts remain relatively unexplored, they – alongside imported printed materials – serve as vital evidence of the widespread use of Turkic language in local daily lives and intellectual culture.