Biographical Value of Foundation Records and Manuscripts

The vast majority of libraries in today's world, which are the legacy of an ancient civilization and contain works reflecting the science, wisdom and culture of the geography in which they are located, have come into being through foundations. The foundation culture also made itself felt in librarianship activities and as a result, libraries began to be established through foundations. Foundation seals prepared to be printed on works donated to foundation libraries are generally seen on page 1a or zahriye of manuscripts. The foundation records, which were prepared to protect the books, draw attention to the fact that they are a foundation and make that work available to everyone, are on the same page as the foundation seal. In our study, which was produced from the thesis titled “Foundation Seals and Their Analyses in Konya Regional Manuscripts Library”, which consists of the evaluation of 55 foundation seals detected in 12 thousand manuscripts in Konya Regional Directorate of Manuscripts Library, the biographical value of foundation records and seals was emphasized. The names, nicknames, imprints, places or occupational information contained in the seals and records are historical documents that will facilitate researchers. Foundation records provide information about the artistic and cultural situation of the period. The fact that seals express affiliation with a person and are used as signatures contains many descriptive expressions that can be examined under different categories. It is of great importance, especially in terms of providing introductory information about the seal owner, based on the foundation and appropriation records that are included on the same page with the foundation seals.