EXAMPLES OF AZERBAIJAN VERBAL FOLK LITERATURE IN THE INSTITUTE OF MANUSCRIPTS OF NAS OF AZERBAIJAN REPUBLIC

Abstract

        This article is devoted to the identification and study of extant manuscripts of Azerbaijani verbal folk heritage. Currently, manuscripts of Azerbaijani folklore are stored in the archives and libraries, private collections and museums, both in our country and abroad, and most of these manuscripts of Azerbaijani folk heritage are  kept in the book depositories of Iran, Turkey, Russia and European countries. Some of the preserved manuscripts of the Azerbaijani folklore are also kept at the Institute of Manuscripts named after Muhammad Fizuli of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, which is one of the richest book depositories of Muslim-Oriental manuscripts in the World. Until recently, we did not have sufficient information about the topic descriptions. For the first time we compiled the Catalogue of Manuscripts on the Folklore genre of the collection of Institute of Manuscripts of NAS of Azerbaijan Republic, including a paleographic description of 375 manuscripts. This Catalogue of Manuscripts was published in 2007. It should be noted that the manuscripts of Azerbaijani folklore works are kept mainly in the personal archives of prominent Azerbaijani figures who highly appreciated the significance and uniqueness of these works and were engaged in collecting ancient manuscripts with Azerbaijani folklore works. We have studied small samples of written folklore, which were copied books called "emsal" (example), or into the margins of manuscripts on various topics, and in places of lacunae of the text of manuscripts. The Institute of Manuscripts of NAS of Azerbaijan Republic keeps manuscripts of folk epics, dastans, proverbs and other works of Azerbaijani folklore.