Firdevsî

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Firdevsî ( Ottoman فردوسى İA Firdevsī , * 1453 probably in Edincik / Bandırma ; † unknown ) was a Turkish author and polymath in the Ottoman Empire and author of the extensive Süleymânnâme ("The Book of Solomon "). It is also the main source for the biography of Hajji Bektash . To distinguish him from the more famous Persian poet Firdausi of the same name , he was called Firdevsî-i Rûmî 'Firdevsî the Byzantines ' and Firdevsî-i Tavîl 'Firdevsî the Tall', among others . 16 of his works are known by name.

Childhood and youth

Firdevsî spent his childhood in Edincik. He completed his school education in Bursa , where he learned from the poet Melihi . Little sources provide information about his early life. In his youth he joined a Nakshibendi sheikh and turned to the Tassawuf . Firdevsî toured Edincik, Bursa, Manisa and the surrounding area and lived in Istanbul for a while.

After a now lost copy of Süleymânnâme that of Mehmet Fuat Koprulu had been sighted, were Firdevsîs ancestors glorious men who the Ottoman Empire since the first Sultan Osman I have served. His father Hacı Genek Bey served in the conquest of Constantinople and received Edincik as a fief for his services .

The Süleymânnâme and other works

Firdevsî was the author and translator of several books on various subjects, only some of which are still available today. His most famous work is thatسليمان نامه Süleymānnāme . The Süleymânnâme is an encyclopedic work that contains contemporary knowledge about history, genealogy , philosophy, geometry, medicine, etc. as well as stories and anecdotes from religious literature about Solomon .

In the 81st volume of Süleymânnâme , Firdevsî tells how this work came about. In 1472 he translated part of the shāhnāme of the Persian poet Abū l-Qāsem-e Ferdausī into Turkish and presented his translation to Sultan Mehmed Fatih . The Sultan noted that the shahnameh was well known and that repetition was unnecessary, and suggested that the poet write a work on Solomon .

Firdevsî developed the Süleymânnâme through research in the Ottoman Imperial Library and through trips to Anatolia . The first three volumes are based on the biblical legend of David , the next three on a Persian book about Solomon that Firdevsî bought from an Arab in Niksar .

Firdevsî presented the completed first six volumes to the sultan, who promised a reward as soon as the work was completed. However, Sultan Mehmed died while Firdevsî was writing his seventh volume. Sultan Bayezid II now also requested a copy of the Süleymânnâme and instructed him to continue writing the work.

The first 82 volumes of the Süleymânnâme were handed over to the Ottoman Imperial Library, with the exception of volume 81, which probably did not arrive there due to a copyist's mistake . Volume 81 was Sultan Selim I passed.

Firdevsî had planned a total of 366 volumes, which he wanted to divide into 1830 chapters (mejlis), as can be seen from his early Süleymânnâme volumes. After completion, each volume was handed over to the Reich Library as requested.

Firdevsî writes that he devoted 40 to 50 years of his life to the creation of the Süleymânnâme and wrote most of the time in Balıkesir . According to some sources, Sultan Bayezid II selected 80 volumes of the work and destroyed the rest. In the 79th, 80th and 81st volumes, Firdevsî revised his intention to create 366 volumes. He now states that he wants to create a total of 99 volumes. There is no indication that he was able to produce the remaining 17 volumes.

No library owns all the volumes of the Süleymânnâme . Most of the volumes are in the Topkapı Palace Library .

One of his other works (around 1503) is a chess book in which he describes his rules in detail in a short story. Sometimes there are chess anecdotes and chess theoretical sections and he especially goes into "chess problems" while playing.

supporting documents

  1. A. Gölpinarli, ed., 1958, ff. Xix-xxv
  2. H. Algar, “Khorāsanian Sufī Hāji Bektāŝ” , Encyclopædia Iranica , pp. 117f., Online Edition
  3. Fahir İz in Encyclopaedia of Islam , 2nd edition, Firdewsī article

literature

  • Latifi Tezkire ( Biographical ), 1546 (presented to Kanuni Sultan Suleyman I )
  • Bursalı Tahir Osmanlı Müellifleri (The Ottoman Scribes), Istanbul 1915–1924
  • F. Babinger The historians of the Ottomans and their works , Leipzig 1927
  • İstanbul Kütüphaneleri Tarih-Coğrafya yazmaları Kataloğu (Catalog of the Historical-Geographical Works of the Istanbul Libraries), Istanbul 1944
  • Mehmet Fuat Köprülü in İslâm Ansiklopedisi (The Encyclopedia of Islam)
  • Fehmi Edhem Karatay Topkapı Sarayı Müzesi Kütüphanesi Türkçe yazmalar kataloğu (Catalog of Turkish Writings from the Library of the Topkapi Palace Museum), Istanbul 1961
  • Beyaz Arif Akbaş "A Special Album of Davetname", Sanat Yazıları; Edirne 2002 url = http://www.archive.org/details/ASpecialAlbumOfDavetname_152