This report, one of the key outputs of the ADAB project, draws on a diligent survey of the literature on Munāẓara in different languages and types of documents, encapsulating both manuscript and printed works, over the centuries. While some titles and authors are already known, there is to this day no systematic inventory of the different types of Munāẓara documents.
Due to the Ottoman Empire becoming the hub of Munāẓara studies from the 17th century onwards, manuscript libraries in Turkey are the most fitting place to kick-start a comprehensive survey on classical Munāẓara literature. In fact, famous libraries in Turkey are but a small selection of the different Turkish institutions that have preserved unique copies Munāẓara literature.
The Status Report (below) includes two surveys: the Munazara Manuscripts Survey and the Printed Munazara Books Survey. The first explores manuscripts from 10 Turkish library databases and a meta-database encompassing 67 libraries, unearthing 354 unique contributions to the Munazara tradition. Including multiple copies of the same works, the total count of texts reaches approximately 7000. The latter survey, -prepared in Arabic,- identifies 250 printed works from mainly Arab university library databases, among which 83 are reprints.