Ali Amiri Efendi

Abstract

Ali Amiri Efendi discovered the only known copy in the world of Mahmud al-Kashgari’s work entitled “Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk” belonging to the XI century and purchased it for 33 gold liras at the Sahaflar Bazaar in 1914. Ali Amiri, who’s fully aware of the profound value of this work,  regarded it not as personal property, but as a national heritage and firmly rejected all money offers.

The publication of “Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk” proved that the Turkic language is an ancient, rich, and scientific language, and it sparked a major cultural awakening in the Turkic world. Ali Amiri founded the Millet Library by endowing his collected thousands of books and manuscripts to his nation. His selflessness left an indelible sign on the history of Turkic culture.