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Persian Works on Animals in Manuscript Libraries of Türkiye: Farasnamas and Baznamas

Çetin KASKA1, Saeid Chekani Azar2
1Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Letters, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Türkiye
2Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Atatürk, Erzurum 25100, Türkiye
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70517/revcc2624115
Published: 20/09/2026
: Çetin KASKA, Saeid Chekani Azar. Persian Works on Animals in Manuscript Libraries of Türkiye: Farasnamas and Baznamas. Revista Cultura Científica, 2026 Issue 24. pg. 1392-1413.

Abstract

Türkiye libraries house numerous authoritative Persian works. These manuscripts primarily cover fields such as history, sufism, politics, religion, literature, social sciences, natural sciences, botany, and zoology. Although works focusing on animals are fewer in number, they remain highly significant due to the specialized knowledge they contain. These works examine horses, birds of prey, and the benefits or harms associated with various animals. Specifically, treatises written about horses are titled farasnama; these manuscripts discuss the positive and negative traits of horses, their desirable qualities, physical markings, coat colors, as well as their diseases and corresponding treatments. Farasnamas generally consist of two main sections: the first provides general information about horses, while the second focuses on their diseases and treatments. The first farasnama is attributed to Aristotle, and subsequent works were written under his influence. Works written about birds of prey are called baznamas. These treatises encompass a wide range of topics, including the species of raptors, their diseases, medications, and treatments, as well as anatomical terminology, the history and religious rulings of hunting, and general falconry terms. The first baznama was written by Jamshid, and subsequent authors took his work as a model. Similarly, works in the baznama genre generally consist of two main sections: the characteristics of birds of prey and the medications used to treat their diseases. The farasnamas and baznamas written in Persian were composed in both verse and prose. This study examines the Persian baznamas and farasnamas housed within the manuscript libraries of Türkiye.

Keywords: Animals, Baznamas, Farasnamas, Manuscripts, Persian

Abstract

Türkiye libraries house numerous authoritative Persian works. These manuscripts primarily cover fields such as history, sufism, politics, religion, literature, social sciences, natural sciences, botany, and zoology. Although works focusing on animals are fewer in number, they remain highly significant due to the specialized knowledge they contain. These works examine horses, birds of prey, and the benefits or harms associated with various animals. Specifically, treatises written about horses are titled farasnama; these manuscripts discuss the positive and negative traits of horses, their desirable qualities, physical markings, coat colors, as well as their diseases and corresponding treatments. Farasnamas generally consist of two main sections: the first provides general information about horses, while the second focuses on their diseases and treatments. The first farasnama is attributed to Aristotle, and subsequent works were written under his influence. Works written about birds of prey are called baznamas. These treatises encompass a wide range of topics, including the species of raptors, their diseases, medications, and treatments, as well as anatomical terminology, the history and religious rulings of hunting, and general falconry terms. The first baznama was written by Jamshid, and subsequent authors took his work as a model. Similarly, works in the baznama genre generally consist of two main sections: the characteristics of birds of prey and the medications used to treat their diseases. The farasnamas and baznamas written in Persian were composed in both verse and prose. This study examines the Persian baznamas and farasnamas housed within the manuscript libraries of Türkiye.

Keywords: Animals, Baznamas, Farasnamas, Manuscripts, Persian

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Çetin KASKA
Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Letters, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Türkiye
cetin.kaska@istanbul.edu.tr
Saeid Chekani Azar
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Atatürk, Erzurum 25100, Türkiye

How to cite:

Çetin KASKA, Saeid Chekani Azar. Persian Works on Animals in Manuscript Libraries of Türkiye: Farasnamas and Baznamas. Revista Cultura Científica, 2026 Issue 24. pg. 1392-1413.

Publication History

  • Received: 14/06/2026
  • Accepted: 10/09/2026
  • Published: 20/09/2026
Copyright © 2026, Çetin KASKA, Saeid Chekani Azar. Published by Revista Cultura Científica. This article is published as open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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