The library of Abdullah-efendi Kantamiri

Abstract

One af the three Oriental libraries in Sarajevo in the period of Turkish rule was the mentioned Kantamiri Library. It was founded in 1774 and destroyed in 1897. It contained about 136 volumes, 118 of which are now in possession of the Gazi Husrev-beys Library. They are listed in this aricle.

The Library was formerly attached to the Shehdi-effendi Library and later (1914) both libraries were transferred to the Gazi Husrev-beys Library. The founder of the Library Abdullah Kantamirii was a muderris, preacher (vaiz), a secretary of the Shariyat court in Sarajevo, poet and transcriber. He died in the same year when he founded his Library. He copied numerous books for his Library as well as for other libraries and learned men. The author of this article listed all the manuscripts of the Kantamiri Library according to the fallowing data: the title of the work, a short description of the manuscript's content followed by the author's name and the year of his death, then the transcriber's name and the date of transcription.