Abdurrahman Hibri

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Abdurrahman Hibri (* May 1604 in Edirne ; † 1658 or 1659 there) was an Ottoman poet and historiographer. His main work Enısü'l-Müsamirın ( Eng . "The friend of evening conversations") is a historical, topographical and biographical description of Edirne and the surrounding area.

Life

Abdurrahman's father was the muderris (professor) at the Medrese of Taşlıq, Habbazzade Hasan Efendi († 1630), called Salbaş. For this reason Hibri is also called Salbaşzâde. Hibri's paternal uncle was the Qādī (judge) Abdulqadir Efendi († 1676), whose life dates were often confused with his by earlier historians. Abdurrahman grew up in Edirne and studied there and in Istanbul . He chose the nickname hibri ( Eng . “The Knowing One ”) as a pseudonym or nom-de-plume , under which he wrote poems as a young man. After completing his training, he worked as a muderris in some of Edirne's schools until the end of his life. His stay was interrupted only by the Hajj to Mecca in 1632 and teaching from 1636 to 1637 at the medrese of Oruç Paşa in nearby Didymoticho (Dimetoka).

From the rather insignificant medrese of Emir Qadı, through that of Ibrahım Paşa (1639), Sarracciyye (1643), Eminiyye (1643), Alı Beğ (1644), Eski Cami (1646), he rose to the more famous of Üç Şerefeli (1655) and Dar-ul-hadış (1658). At that time Edirne was a hub of intellectual life and economic progress. Sultans such as Ahmed I or Murad IV also lived here wholly or temporarily. Abdurrahman Hibri Efendi was highly regarded as a teacher and poet in Edirne. The year of his death is recorded on his tombstone in Yıldırım Cemetery, but only with the year 1069 of the Islamic calendar (1658 to 1659 C.E.).

plant

Enısü'l-Müsamirın was created in 1636, other authors later added small additions. The work is divided into 14 chapters and describes not only Edirne himself, but also a large number of smaller places in the catchment area of ​​the city. Especially the Didymoticho (Dimetoka), Uzunköprü (Ergene Köprüsü), Havsa , Swilengrad (Cisr-i Mustafa Paşa) and Ormenion (Ç Firmen), which are not more than a day's journey away, are described in more detail.

In the foreword he cites the reason for his work that many descriptions of places have already been written in Persia and Arabia, but so far none in the Ottoman Empire. His account begins with the year 1358, which he erroneously states as the year of the Ottoman conquest of Edirne. With the exception of the Byzantine fortifications, he does not mention the non-Muslim population or their buildings. He draws his knowledge from a large number of chronicles, which he also mentions, as well as from grave and building inscriptions, local stories, increasingly through personal observations. The work has been used by some chroniclers as a basis for their work, e.g. B. also from his famous contemporary Katib Çelebi .

The 14 chapters deal with the following topics:

  1. Brief account of the Ottoman conquest of Edirne
  2. Mosques (starting with the Selimiye and others built by sultans), detailed description
  3. City walls, marketplaces, palaces ( Yeni Saray, Mamaq Saray ), gardens
  4. 24 madrasas , 20–30 Derviş monasteries, public baths in the area ( ılıca ), holy fountains ( ayazama )
  5. 18 inns ( han )
  6. 22 open bathhouses ( hammam ), especially the 11 destroyed ones are mentioned
  7. Waterways (three rivers), bridges, springs, gardens
  8. Localities and boroughs ( qasabah )
  9. Tombs of şeyhs , ulema and Qādīs
  10. Biographies of the sultans residing in Edirne up to Mehmed IV (1648)
  11. List and dates of all eight Qādīs born in Edirne
  12. Poets born in Edirne and their works
  13. Notable and strange events up to 1624 ( ahval-i 'acıbe ve veqa'i-i garıbe )
  14. Edirne praising poems

Further works are Defter-i Ahbar ( Eng . “Register of Traditions”), an Ottoman story from the beginning to the reigns of Murad IV and Ahmed I (1617). This publication is divided into six chapters and a summary.

Menasik-i Mesalik (dt. “Religious rites and ceremonies”) describes his hajj to Mecca in 1632. All stations of the pilgrimage from Edirne via Istanbul, Konya , Aleppo and Damascus to the holy places in Hejaz with distances, routes and hostels are named . Most of the text deals with the ceremonies and prayers to be performed in and around Mecca. The problems of the Ottomans with the predatory nomadic tribes of Arabia and the long-established Meccans are also described.

See also

literature

  • C.Kafadar / H.Karateke / C.Fleischer: Historians of the Ottoman Empire. Harvard University. Center for Middle Eastern Studies, ISBN 978-0-9762727-0-0 , pp. 97-99.
  • Franz Babinger : The historians of the Ottomans and their works. Leipzig 1927.