Pre-History of a Collection: Owners’ Marks in the Manuscripts of Muḥammad ʿAyyād al-Ṭanṭāwī

The history and sources of the manuscript collection of Muḥammad ʿAyyād al-Ṭanṭāwī (1810–1861), an Egypt-born professor at the St. Petersburg University, are studied in this article through ownership statements and other notes found on the pages of the books. They demonstrate numerous ties that link the manuscripts with the historical, educational and cultural landscape of the 16th–19th cc. Egypt and contribute to our understanding of the importance of this collection as a whole entity. It does not just reflect Tanṭāwī’s personal scholarly interests, but rather provides a wider scope of vision encompassing the intellectual background that formed the Sheikh’s personality.