The Contribution of Azerbaijani Enlighteners to Oriental Studies in the 19th century (Turkology, Sufism, and Safavid Studies)

The present article discusses the principal academic studies, which were made in Oriental Studies in early 1800s as a result of the European intervention in Eastern countries. The major objectives of this research are to highlight the fact of withdrawal of ancient manuscripts from the Eastern countries that formed the richest collections in the main book depositories in Europe and to demonstrate integration of the Azerbaijani enlighteners into the European educational system. At the same time the European science also benefited from native speakers of Oriental languages, Sufi culture and Islamic traditions. For instance, Abbasgulu Bakikhanov was the author of many significant books on history, literature and geography of the East and the West and some of them were translated into European languages. MirzaJafar Topchubashev and Mirza Kazem-beg were amongst honorary members of the British Royal Asiatic Society in London and in Paris. The article makes conclusions on the role of the selected works of Azerbaijani enlighteners in Turkology – especially The Grammar of the Turkish-Tatar language (1839); the publication of the book Muridism and Shamil by Mirza Kazem-beg during Russian the conquest of the North Caucasus and its significance in the development of cientific Sufism; as well as the significance of the scientific book Gulistan-i Iram by A. A. Bakikhanov as one of the earliest achievements in academic historiography and its role in development of another field of Oriental Studies – Safavid Studies.