The Importance of Monumenta Turcica Historiam Slavorum Meridionalium Illustrantia Series for Study of the History of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Ottoman Period

Abstract

The first series of the Institute for Oriental Studies in Sarajevo, that was initiated after the establishment of the Institute, carries the name Monumenta Turcica Historiam Slavorum Meridionalium Illustrantia. Depending on the types of documents, and according to the circumstances, it was planned for the historical sources which are important for the study of the  Ottoman history of the Balkan states in general, and Bosnia and Herzegovina in particular, to be published in original and in translation, solely in translation or in the form of regesta. The series was divided into five series: legal documents, defters, muhimme defters, vakufnamas and sijils. In this series a greater number of books were published so far, and the important historical sources from the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Ottoman period were presented.

The fact that all the published editions (regardless of the year of publication) are still been sought after by Bosnian and other researchers in the field of history and culture of the Ottoman period, speaks of the importance and value of the wealth of information offered by these sources.

What should be pointed out is that in the process of deciphering, translation and editing of the mentioned historical sources (published in this series), the researchers from the Institute for Oriental Studies in Sarajevo were engaged for the largest part. Thus they gave the opportunity to those researchers without knowledge of Ottoman Turkish to gain insight into this rich and diverse historical material.