Mahmud al-Kashgari
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| Maḥmūd al-Kāšġarī محمود الكاشغري |
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| Born | 1005 Kashgar, Qara-Khanid Khaqanate |
|---|---|
| Died | 1102 Upal, southwest of Kashgar, Qara-Khanid Khaqanate |
| Residence | Kashgar |
| Fields | Linguistics, Lexicography, Turkology |
| Religious stance | Muslim |
Mahmud ibn Hussayn ibn Muhammad al-Kashgari (Arabic: محمود بن الحسين بن محمد الكاشغري - Maḥmūd ibnu 'l-Ḥussayn ibn Muḥammad al-Kāšġarī) was an 11th century Turkic scholar and lexicographer of Turkic languages from Kashgar.
His father, Hussayn, was the mayor of Barsgan and related to the Qara-Khanid ruling dynasty. His mother, Bibi Rābiy'a al-Basrī, was of Arab origin.
Al-Kashgari studied the Turkic dialects of his time and wrote the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages, the Dīwānu l-Luġat al-Turk (Arabic: "Compendium of the language of the Turks") in 1072. It was intended for use by the Caliphs of Baghdad, the new, Arabic allies of the Turks. Mahmud Kashgari's comprehensive dictionary contains specimens of old Turkic poetry in the typical form of quatrains (Persio-Arabic رباعیات rubāiyāt; Turkish: dörtlük), representing all the principal genres: epic, pastoral, didactic, lyric, and elegiac. His book also included the first known map of the areas inhabited by Turkic peoples.
Mahmud al-Kashgari died in 1102 at the age of 97 in Upal, a small city southwest of Kashgar, and was buried there. There is now a mausoleum erected on his gravesite. He is remembered as a prominent Uyghur scholar.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Svat Soucek, A History of Inner Asia, Cambridge University Press, 2002.
