Abstract
Research objectives: To explore the traditions of Turkic medicine as reflected in the medieval medical works Asrār al-atibbā’ and Dastūr al-‘ilāj, which were originally written in Turkic and later translated into Persian, surviving to the present day. Research materials: The primary materials for this study are the medical works Asrār al-atibbā’ and Dastūr al-‘ilāj, as well as research dedicated to the history of Turkic medicine. These two works were created in the region of Desht-i Qipchaq, yet their study remains insufficient. While some scholars have mentioned these texts, no specialized textual studies have been conducted. Within the framework of this article, textual, descriptive, historical-comparative, and general scientific methods are applied to the study of historical medical texts. Results and novelty of the research: The anonymous work Asrār al-atibbā’ and the medical treatise Dastūr al-‘ilāj, authored by Sulṭān ‘Alī al-Khorasānī, who served as a court physician for 20 years under the Shaybanid Kuchkūndjī Khān (1512–1530), contain extensive information about the medical methods widely practiced among Turkic peoples. The analysis of these works provides an overview of the history of medical traditions that developed in Desht-i Qipchaq during the medieval period. Although Iranian researchers traditionally view these works as part of Persian medical heritage, the question of their original language remains insufficiently explored. Evidence suggests that these works were originally written in Turkic and only later translated into Persian. This article presents evidence supporting the Turkic origins of these works and examines aspects of medical practices characteristic of the Turkic peoples, as reflected in the texts through the framework of Islamic medical concepts. These aspects, until now, have remained outside the scope of scholarly attention. Additionally, the article attempts to classify the healing traditions specific to Turkic culture.