American Journal Of Philological Sciences
338
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue06 2025
PAGE NO.
338-339
10.37547/ajps/Volume05Issue06-87
Research On “Sanglox” And “Maboni Ul
-
Lug‘At” In
Great Britain
Sevinch Avazova
PhD student at Tashkent State University of uzbek language and literature named after Alisher Navoi, Uzbekistan
Received:
13 April 2025;
Accepted:
17 May 2025;
Published:
29 June 2025
Abstract:
This article examines the study of Alisher Navoi’s works in England, focusing on the research conducted
in Britain on “Sanglox” and “Maboni ul
-
lug‘at,” which are based on Navoi’s writings. The contribution of British
researchers to Navoi studies is acknowledged.
Keywords:
Manuscript, catalog, Navoi scholar, lexicon.
Introduction:
Alisher Navoi is one of the most
prominent figures whose works have widely spread
across the world,
“without conquering by the sword”.
Significant research on the poet and statesman’s life
and creativity has been conducted both in Uzbekistan
and abroad. Uzbek scholars such as N. Mallayev, M.
Kholbekov, A. Abduazizov, A. Erkinov, R. Abdullayeva,
G. Khallieva, Z. Mirzayeva, and O. Tojiboyeva have
written studies and articles on the research of Navoi’s
works abroad.
Although Europeans became familiar with Navoi’s
works in the 16th century, the in-depth study of his life
and creativity mainly began in the 19th century. The
first biography of Navoi in Europe was introduced by
French scholar Barthélemy d’Herbelot de Molainville in
his 1697 publication Bibliothèque orientale, a
comprehensive dictionary of essential knowledge
about the East.
In England, Orientali
sts who studied Navoi’s work
during the late 19th and 20th centuries include Charles
Rieu (1827
–
1902), Hermann Ethé (1844
–
1917), Eduard
Sachau (1845
–
1930), Edward Granville Browne (1860
–
1901), Sir Edward Denison Ross (1871
–
1940), Gerard
Clauson (1891
–
1974), and Alfred Biston (1911
–
1995).
Several factors contributed to Navoi's works finding
their way to Great Britain. Specifically, the political
situation associated with the increasing influence of
England in Central Asia during a certain period, the
gifting of rare and valuable copies of Navoi's works by
some Uzbek khans to this country, the acquisition of
Navoi's works by English entrepreneurs alongside
numerous manuscripts collected by the Timurids
during England's colonization of India, and the transfer
of Navoi's manuscripts from Iran, Russia, and Turkey
(due to Baddiuz Zaman Mirza) to the British Museum,
Bodleian Library, Windsor Library, and other locations
in Great Britain. Furthermore, wars and treaties
between nations have led to the transfer of many
valuable books to the treasuries of countries with
different languages and cultures.
As noted above, from the 17th century onwards, and
particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries, the
British Empire's political and economic interests in
India, the Middle East, and Central Asia spurred the
development of Oriental studies. In 1823, the Royal
Asiatic Society was founded. At the beginning of the
20th century, the School of Oriental and African Studies
(SOAS) was established at the University of London,
marking a new era in British Orientalism.
Charles Rieu, originally from Geneva, is recognized as
the first Navoi scholar in England. During his many
years at the British Museum, he compiled the
"Catalogue of Turkish Manuscripts" (1888) and the
"Catalogue of Persian Manuscripts" (1871-95).
Furthermore, he completed the second part of the
"Catalogue of Oriental Manuscripts," begun by the
English Orientalist William Cureton (1808
–
1864).
Information about Rieu's catalogue (description) was
initially provided in t
he bibliographic book “Materials
for a Bibliographic Index of Printed Works by Alisher
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
339
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
Navoi and Literature about Him” (Материалы к
библиографическому
указателю
печатных
произведений Алишера Навои и литературы о нем),
compiled in 1940 by the Russian Orientalist A.A.
Semenov. Specifically, it is mentioned that Charles
Rieu's catalogue of Turkish manuscripts contains
information about 13 works by Alisher Navoi.
Furthermore, the lexicography section of the Turkish
catalogue describes the "Abushqa," "Sanglox," and its
accompanying "Maboni ul-
Lug‘at." In his description of
«Sanglox” (No. 2892), Rieu provides detailed
information about Mirza Mehdi Astrobodi's court
activities, the reasons for compiling the dictionary, and
the history of lexicography. Although the book is
bibliographic in nature, the scholar examined
numerous sources to provide each piece of
information, scientifically substantiating precise
historical data.
German Orientalists Eduard Sachau and Hermann Ethé,
along with Alfred Biston, also made notable
contributions. Sachau began the Catalogue of Persian,
Turkish, Hindustani, and Pushtu Manuscripts (1889);
Ethé completed the second part, and Biston finished
the third part in 1955 at Oxford University Press. These
catalogs also describe Sanglox, compi
led for Navoi’s
works.
Among philological works, Mirza Mehdi Khan's
«Sanglox”
dictionary
and
its
accompanying
grammatical essay, "Maboni ul-
lug‘at" ("Fundamentals
of Language"), stand out. Mirza Mehdi Khan completed
his «Sanglox” in 1758
-1760 (AH 1172-1173). Four
manuscript copies of this work exist worldwide. One
copy is in the Gibb Collection, another in the British
Museum, a third in the Bodleian Library (Oxford), and a
fourth in the Süleymaniye Library (Turkey). Clearly,
three of the four extant copies of the globally rare
"Sanglox," compiled based on Navoi's works, are
preserved in Great Britain, a fact that hints at the
significant collection of rare Navoi-related manuscripts
housed there. Eduard Sachau and Hermann Ethé's
"Catalogue of the Persian, Turkish, Hindustani, and
Pushtu Manuscripts" notes that while only one source
is described, almost all of Navoi's contemporaries are
mentioned, highlighting the significant attention paid
to the individuals connected to the source in the book
and the illumination of the period's history.
When discussing Mirza Mehdi Khan Astrobodi's
«Sanglox” dictionary, compiled for Navoi's works, the
English Orientalist Gerard Clauson (1891-1974)
deserves special mention. In 1960, he published a
facsimile edition of «Sanglox”
in London, making it
widely accessible (Sanglâx: a Persian guide to the
Turkish language, by Muḥammad Mahdī Xān. Facs. ed.
71+113 p. 732 facs. L. 1960). For this publication, he
utilized copies from the British Museum (No. 2892) and
the Bodleian Library. B. Hasanov, who conducted a
comparative study of dictionaries compiled for Navoi's
works, notes the superiority of «Sanglox” over other
dictionaries in all respects, the unparalleled
contribution of Clauson in popularizing the book, and
the expediency of using Clauson's edition to correct
errors in existing dictionary publications.
The grammatical essay appended to "Sanglox,"
"Maboni ul-
lug‘at," was published in 1910 in Calcutta
using lithographic methods by Sir Denison Ross (1871-
1940), a prominent English scholar of Chagatai
language and literature. This contributed to the further
popularization of Navoi's work in the West.
Furthermore, as the first director of SOAS (School of
Oriental and African Studies), Ross dedicated
significant attention to Central Asian studies
throughout his career. Ross also deeply analyzed
Navoi's language, style, and philosophical ideas in his
works. He included examples from Navoi's works in
Chagatai poetry anthologies, published articles on
Navoi's life and work in "The Turkestan Review," and
conducted research on the unique characteristics of
the Chagatai language, its relationship to Persian, and
Navoi's contribution to the development of this
language. He translated excerpts or summaries of
Navoi's works into English, making them accessible to
Western readers.
REFERENCES
Charles Rieu. Catalogue of the Türkish Manusripts in
the British Museum.
–
London, 1888.
–
345 p.
Eduard Sachau. Catalogue of the persian, turkish,
hindustani, and pushtu manuscripts.
–
Bodlean, 1889.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Denison_Ross
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_Clauson
