Speaker
Description
This study aims to analyze an anonymous Garshuni-Arabic medical manuscript, which refers to Arabic text written in Syriac script, cataloged by the Hill Manuscript Museum and Library under project number CFMM00557. Studies on Ottoman medicine have primarily focused on Muslim sources, while non-Muslim sources, such as Hebrew, Armenian, Greek, Syriac and Garshuni manuscripts, have yet to be recognized as significant contributions to Ottoman medical historiography. The Garshuni-Arabic manuscript examined in this study, dated 1754, is housed in the Church of the Forty Martyrs in Mardin. It encompasses a diverse range of materials, including folkloric, religious, and historical content, within the domains of medicine, anatomy, and pharmacology. The anonymous author of the work references not only Greek, Persian and Turkish sources, but also incorporates the knowledge of European and Ottoman scholars. The unique script, along with the Christian elements within the manuscript, highlights the distinct characteristics of the Anatolian Assyrians within the broader context of Ottoman and Mediterranean medicine. For this reason, our study aims to analyze this medical manuscript by an anonymous non-Muslim author, which offers valuable insights into the development of medicine in Anatolia and sheds light on the non-Muslim sources of Ottoman medicine, thereby contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the field.
Short Biography
Kadir Çelik is a researcher and research assistant at the Department of History, Faculty of Literature, Ege University. He completed his undergraduate studies in History at Istanbul 29 Mayıs University (2017-2022), where he developed a deep interest in the history of science and medicine. Currently, he is pursuing a master’s degree in the History and Philosophy of Science at İstanbul Medeniyet University, where his research focuses on the circulation of medical knowledge in the Ottoman era, particularly in the context of non-Muslim communities. Supervised by Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Yavuz, Kadir's master's thesis, titled Domenico Auda’nın Breve Compendio di Maravigliosi Secreti Adlı Eserinin Garşûnî Tercümesi ve Osmanlı Lübnan’ında Tıbbi Bilginin Dolaşımı (The Garshuni Translation of Domenico Auda's Breve Compendio di Maravigliosi Secreti and the Circulation of Medical Knowledge in Ottoman Lebanon), was supported by TÜBİTAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey). The research examines the translation of the medical work by the Italian pharmacist (speziale) and "professor of secrets," Domenico Auda, into Garshuni Arabic by an anonymous Catholic Maronite translator. His thesis illuminates the interplay between various medical traditions in Ottoman Lebanon and provides new insights into the role of non-Muslim communities in the transmission of medical knowledge.
His academic interests include the history of medicine, science and technology and with a particular focus on the Ottoman and Mediterranean worlds. Specifically, Çelik focuses on Garshuni medical manuscripts and non-Muslim contributions to Ottoman medical literature. His studies aim to integrate both Muslim and non-Muslim sources of Ottoman medicine contributing to a more nuanced understanding of the intellectual exchanges between different cultural and religious groups within the Ottoman Empire.
In addition to his research, Çelik is actively engaged in academic activities at Ege University, where he collaborates with historians, particularly those specializing in Ottoman and Islamic history. He also continues his research and collaboration with historians of science and medicine both in Turkey and internationally.
| Keywords | Ottoman Medicine, Anatolian Assyrians, Garshuni medical manuscripts, iatrochemistry |
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| kcelik820@gmail.com | |
| Affiliation | Istanbul Medeniyet University and Izmır Ege University |
| Position | Research assistant |
