Introduction and Evaluation of a Kyrgyz Translation of the Qur’an: Iyık Kuran: Maanilerinin Kırgızça Kotormosu Menen

Studies in the field of Islamic sciences in Kyrgyzstan have started recently. After Kyrgyzstan gained independence in 1991, much more works on Islamic studies have been published in the country than ever before. During this new period, much effort has been made towards making a Kyrgyz translation of the Qur’an. Although there were attempts to that end before, those translations were made not directly from the Arabic original but from the Russian translations of the Qur’an. In this sense, a new Kyrgyz translation, which was prepared by a committee based on the Arabic text and recently published by Erkam Yayınları in İstanbul, deserves special attention. This translation, which is distributed in the name of religious services, is an activity undertaken out of good will; however, it contains many errors in terms of translation. This study thus offers a brief introduction of this translation and a linguistic analysis and points out to translation mistakes with a view to contributing to the Qur’anic studies in the country.