Page 6 - PIAC
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embering Denis Sinor (1916-2011)
Barbara Kellner-Heinkele
Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
On 17 April 2016, colleagues, friends and disciples of Professor Dr. Denis
Sinor remembered the 100th return of his birth. The 59th Annual Meeting of
the Permanent International Altaistic Conference in Ardahan, Turkey, offers the
ideal occasion to celebrate the memory of this master of Altaic and Central
Eurasian Studies, who was also one of the founding fathers of the PIAC and its
Secretary General from 1960 to 2007. This communication will try to highlight
the main stages of Denis Sinor’s life and his main scholarly achievements
as well as his outstanding contribution to the establishment and fostering of
Altaic Studies in academic institutions worldwide. His personality was no less
extraordinary than his scholarly accomplishments: Unforgettable for friends
and colleagues are his personal charm, engaging energy, and brilliant wit.
Textile References in the Bāburnāma
Christine Bell
Independent Scholar, Germany
The Bāburnāma is the name of the lively memoirs of Ẓahīr-ud-Dīn Muḥammad
Bābur (1483–1530), founder of the Mughal Empire. Bābur, a great-great-great-
grandson of Timur, is venerated for observations and comments reflecting his
interest in nature, society, politics and economics. His vivid account of events
covers not just his life, but the history and geography of the areas he passed
through or lived in, their flora and fauna, as well as the people with whom he
came into contact.
My interests are in material culture and I was fascinated to discover numerous
references to fabric, fibers, clothing and textile techniques in Bābur’s well-
written autobiography. The Bāburnāma is widely translated, for this endeavor I
used the version by the British orientalist Annette Susannah Beveridge (1842–
1929).
I will summarize the textile references and interpret a small selection of
references in the context of current textile research.
Barbara Kellner-Heinkele
Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
On 17 April 2016, colleagues, friends and disciples of Professor Dr. Denis
Sinor remembered the 100th return of his birth. The 59th Annual Meeting of
the Permanent International Altaistic Conference in Ardahan, Turkey, offers the
ideal occasion to celebrate the memory of this master of Altaic and Central
Eurasian Studies, who was also one of the founding fathers of the PIAC and its
Secretary General from 1960 to 2007. This communication will try to highlight
the main stages of Denis Sinor’s life and his main scholarly achievements
as well as his outstanding contribution to the establishment and fostering of
Altaic Studies in academic institutions worldwide. His personality was no less
extraordinary than his scholarly accomplishments: Unforgettable for friends
and colleagues are his personal charm, engaging energy, and brilliant wit.
Textile References in the Bāburnāma
Christine Bell
Independent Scholar, Germany
The Bāburnāma is the name of the lively memoirs of Ẓahīr-ud-Dīn Muḥammad
Bābur (1483–1530), founder of the Mughal Empire. Bābur, a great-great-great-
grandson of Timur, is venerated for observations and comments reflecting his
interest in nature, society, politics and economics. His vivid account of events
covers not just his life, but the history and geography of the areas he passed
through or lived in, their flora and fauna, as well as the people with whom he
came into contact.
My interests are in material culture and I was fascinated to discover numerous
references to fabric, fibers, clothing and textile techniques in Bābur’s well-
written autobiography. The Bāburnāma is widely translated, for this endeavor I
used the version by the British orientalist Annette Susannah Beveridge (1842–
1929).
I will summarize the textile references and interpret a small selection of
references in the context of current textile research.
