Alexandre Papas

The literature of what has been labeled “Central Asia” was produced in a variety of languages in a huge area which includes not only the five republics of the former Soviet Union (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan), but also Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and parts of Russia and China (Uyghur Autonomous Region). Needless to say the literary works produced in this vast space represent a considerable amount of materials, both oral and written, which would maybe require more attention than they are actually given thus far, at least in the Western academic world. Given the scarcity of publications in the field, the fact that the Cahiers d’Asie centrale is devoting a single issue to this matter is something that deserves due attention.
But this issue is certainly more than a contribution to the study of Central Asian literature. Actually, by aiming to focus on the societal challenges reflected by Central Asian literary production, this volume would like to bring answers, as well as new kinds of questioning regarding the way the various societies and peoples of this geographic area have depicted their time throughout their histories. Within the perspective of examining the way literature can be used as a source of historiography, and more generally speaking with the aim of assessing the interconnectedness of society and literature, the various contributors have devoted a specific attention to the issue of the relationships between culture and power. In this regard the historical timeline which is covered extends from the 15th century up to the present day. It begins with the end of the medieval times, when the Timurid Renaissance achieved the production of its finest hours, and ends with the situation of contemporary Kyrgyz literature, including in the period between the early modern times looked at from the point of view of the mystical writings of an Eastern Turkestanese poet, as well as the Russian colonization and the Soviet era.
In this kind of endeavor it is important to hear the voices of readers who have a privileged access to Central Asian works. This is the reason why we are happy to say that nearly half of the contributors are scholars coming from Central Asia (Gulnara Aitpaeva, Aftandil Erkinov, Boris Koichuev, Zulkhumor Mirzaeva, Eleonora Proyaeva). The other contributors are researchers coming from different parts of “the outside world,” such as United State (Katharine Holt, Samuel Hodgkin), Germany (Ingeborg Baldauf), Italy (Michele Bernardini), and France (Alexandre Papas, Marc Toutant). This variety of academic backgrounds helps to provide a wide range of perspectives, all the more so that these authors employ, cite, and often synthesize a wealth of source materials, including manuscripts that have not been studied so far, local archives and other documents which remain unpublished, as well as more easily accessible written sources ranging from works composed by writers (playwrights, novels, short stories, poems, articles) to reports and contemporary texts published by the administrative authorities.

L’histoire du soufisme à Multan (Pakistan): nouvelles données
L’histoire médiévale du soufisme à Multan est relativement bien connue. Une figure aussi célèbre que le cheikh Suhrawardî Bahâ’ al-Dîn Zakariyyâ au XIIIe siècle incarne cette période prestigieuse. Notre article montre que les confréries soufies ont continué de prospérer jusqu’à aujourd’hui, bien au-delà de ce que l’historiographie traditionnelle décrit. À l’aide de sources inexplorées – pour l’essentiel, des hagiographies modernes en ourdou consacrées à l’histoire sainte de Multan –, nous reconstituons la biographie comme la bibliographie de nombreux cheikhs soufis ainsi que les lignages, en particulier Qâdirîs et Chishtîs, dont ils sont issus ; nous identifions plusieurs mausolées et loges à travers la ville ; enfin nous révélons l’existence de mystiques marginaux qui ont marqué la mémoire religieuse de cette cité patrimoniale du Pendjab pakistanais.
Mots clés : Multan, Pakistan, hagiographie, Suhrawardiyya, Qâdiriyya, Chishtiyya, soufis marginaux
The history of Sufism in Multan (Pakistan): new data
The medieval history of Sufism in Multan is relatively well known. A figure as famous as the Suhrawardî Shaykh Bahâ’ al-Dîn Zakariyyâ in the 13th century embodies this prestigious period. Our article shows that the Sufi brotherhoods have continued to flourish until today, far beyond what the traditional historiography describes. Using unexplored sources – mostly modern Urdu hagiographies devoted to the sacred history of Multan – we reconstruct the biography and the bibliography of many Sufi Shaykhs as well as the lineages, especially Qâdirî and Chishtî, from which they come; we identify several mausoleums and lodges across the city; eventually, we reveal the existence of marginal mystics who marked the religious memory of this heritage city of Pakistani Punjab.
Keywords: Multan, Pakistan, hagiography, Suhrawardiyya, Qâdiriyya, Chishtiyya,
marginal Sufis

Depuis l’Antiquité, l’Asie centrale est une terre de métissages et d’échanges au cœur de laquelle la route de la Soie a laissé une empreinte inaltérable. Tamerlan se lança à la conquête du monde et jeta les bases d’un empire dont la Transoxiane devint le centre. Mais comment ce nouveau Gengis Khan et ses héritiers, les Timourides, ont-ils pu imprimer dans les mémoires le souvenir de progrès scientifiques majeurs, et même celui d’une véritable « renaissance » culturelle ?