Câbî Ömer Efendi

Câbî Ömer Efendi (* around 1750 ; † after February 4, 1814 in Istanbul  ?), Full name (after an entry in his work) Câbî-yi Ayasofya Ömer Efendi , was an Ottoman chronicler and tax official.

Life

Apart from a brief note in Bursalı Mehmed Tâhir (in Oşmânlı Mü'ellifleri , German “The Ottoman scribes”) there is no information about the biography of Câbî Ömer. His exact date and place of birth and the name of his father are unknown. Since he began to write his work Ta'rih in 1789 , it can be assumed that he was born in the second half of the 18th century. In this work he claims to live in Üsküdar . He called this city during his exile to Chios ( Sakız), because he was treated as a compatriot in a particularly friendly manner by the local governor Seyyid Feyzullah Efendi. Ömer was sent into exile on March 14, 1810, because he is said to have maintained secret correspondence about a house in Istanbul. However, on June 8th of the same year he was allowed to return to Istanbul for mercy.

Since Ömer stated that he had many friends in public positions, he was able to inspect a number of official documents ( fermân , hatt-ı hümâyûn ) for his work . One of them was the Defterdar (Reich Minister of Finance later also provincial finance officer) Mehmed Râgib Efendi, which also brought him financial advantages. He names a tax liability of 3,000 kuruş , which has been reduced to 1,500 kuruş . At that time, Ömer's office was that of a tax collector from Ayasofya ( Ayasofya câbiliği ). However, only one written document dated August 14, 1809 has been found for his term of office; the date of his appointment is unknown.

Small errors in sentence structure or word errors in the chronicle suggest that Câbî Ömer apparently had no special training and was self-taught . Even so, his use of French vocabulary, his etymological analysis, and knowledge of classical Arabic poetry suggest that he was intelligent and well-read.

The exact date of his death cannot be determined either. His last entry in the chronicle is dated February 4, 1814, but this should not have been completed. Whether it remained incomplete because of illness or because of his sudden death is speculation.

plant

Câbî Ta'rihi (with Esad Efendi: Ta'rih-i Sultân Selim Han , with Bursalı Mehmed Tâhir: Ta'rih-i Sultân Selim-i salis ve Mahmud-i şanı ) is his only known work. It describes the period from 1789 to 1814 in three sections. In the first part, Ömer notes that he is the reign of Selim III. (1789–1807), by Mustafa IV. (1807–1808) and the first years of Mahmud II. (1808–1814). The author demonstrates a great knowledge of the events of this quarter century. He reports on the death of Abdülhamid I , the accession to the throne by Selim II, the French invasion of Egypt and the re-conquest, revolts in the provinces, the turmoil surrounding Mustafa IV and Mahmud II and even European wars. The reports also include street fights of the Janissaries in Istanbul, prices in the bazaars, economic aspects (devaluation), anecdotes about dignitaries, fires, earthquakes and storm disasters.

One of the most important Ottoman chronicles of the later period, Şânizâde Tarihi'nin Kaynaklarından Câbî Tarihi by Mehmet Ali Beyhan, is based on Câbî Ömer's work.

Manuscripts:

• Istanbul Süleymaniye Kütüphanesi , Esad Efendi 2152, 622 folios (oldest manuscript, autograph )
• Berlin State Library (a copy of the Esad Efendi manuscript), 730 folios
• İstanbul Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakanschesi Tarih Semineri Kitaplığı No. 282 (also a - albeit incomplete - copy of the Esad Efendi manuscript), 520 folios

In the autograph of the Süleymaniye Kütüphanesi there are empty spots instead of a few names, which were then added in the later manuscripts. The author has also deleted and changed words, or added information between the lines.

literature

• Mehmet Ali Beyhan: Cābī 'Ömer , August 2005. In: C.Kafadar / H.Karateke / C.Fleischer: Historians of the Ottoman Empire. Harvard University. Center for Middle Eastern Studies, ISBN 9780-9762-7270-0 , pp. 97-99. [1]

Individual evidence

1. ^ Ludwig Forrer: Manuscripts of Ottoman historians in Istanbul. In: “Der Islam”, 26/3, 1942, pp. 173–220.
2. ↑ Mehmet Ali Beyhan: Şânizâde Tarihi'nin Kaynaklarından CABI Tarihi. In: Osmanlı Araştırmaları. , Vol. XV, 1995, pp. 239-283.