Today’s Lecture Poets, Sufis. and Urban Life Sufism and Life at the Lodge Poets and their Life Stories Example: Figani

CLASS TRIP TO SULEYMANIYE SATURDAY DECEMBER 17TH Suleymaniye Mosque@10

P from Nusretname, (the Book of Victory), dating from 1584. Sufi Sheikhs guide the spiritual development of Sufi adepts lead mystical ceremonies, offer advice, in charge of economic and political life of their communities. spiritual powers revealed through miracles (keramet) life stories written down by their followers (menakıbname) Close followers (mürid), sympathizers (muhib), visitors P from Nusretname, (the Book of Victory), dating from 1584.

From the album of Taeschner , Mevlevis 17. cent

Dervishes and Kalenderis as a part of the procession of a ceremony

A kalender derwish from Chalcocondyle, Histoire des Turcs, (Paris: 1950)

Dervishes from Menakıb-ı Sevakıb, (p.15)

Varieties of Sufi Experience Holy fool (meczub) Antinomian traveling dervishes (such as kalenderis) Members of orders (tarikat)

Poets Figani, Yusuf-ı Sineçak, and Ahmet Paşa (from left to right) artist unknown, Mesairü’s-Suara, a biographical dictionary of poets, dating from the sixteenth century.

Circumcision Festivities of Süleyman’s Sons in 1530 with Three Statues from Buda in Lokman, Hünername, 1587-88.

Procession of Süleyman the Magnificent through the Hippodrome with three statutes from Buda from a series of of woodcuts published in 1553 at Antwerp after drawings made by Coecke in 1533.

Karabalizade Garden in Kabataş, ca Karabalizade Garden in Kabataş, ca. 1577-81 from Salomon Schweigger, Eine neue Reyssbeschreibung, (Nuremberg: 1608), p. 127

Dream of the Poet Figani and its Misinterpretation by Karabalizade from Aşık Çelebi’s Meşairü’ş Şu‘ara’ (c.1568) Bu gice gördüm ki iskelede bir minare yapılmış. Himmet-i ashab-ı devlet gibi bülend ve dud-ı ah-ı ‘aşık-manend teklif itdiler çıkdum, ol minarede ezan okudum amma derunuma bir hevl geldi ki canumdan el yudum. “Last night, I saw that a minaret was built near the Port, high as the favor from the statesmen and resembling the smoke from the sights of the lovers… Some people proposed me and I climbed up. I recited the call for the prayer on that minaret, but fear (hevl) stuck my heart that I lost my life. ‘Ᾱşıḳ Çelebi, Meşâ’irü’ş-Şu’arâ: İnceleme-Metin, ed. Filiz Kılıç (İstanbul: İstanbul Araştırmaları Enstitüsü, 2010), vol 3, 1208.

  Kara Balizade didi ki bu vakıa hayrdur ne ihtimal gayrdur inşşallah bugün senüñçün İskender Çelebi Efendiye varayum saña ya gümrük ya pencīk kitabetin alıvireyüm. Ahşama ċomayayum beratuñ yanumdan çıkarayum. İskelede deryaya na˙ır çar-gahlarda ‘ıyş u ‘işretler ile der-amedler tahsil idüp sohbetler ile avaze-i zevk ü neşatuñ etrafa şayi‘ olsun, ta‘bīri böyle vakı‘ olsun didi.” Kara-bali-zade laughed and said “This is an auspicious dream. No possibility for another interpretation. If God wills, I will go to İskender Çelebi Efendi for you today and get you the position as a scribe at the custom or slave tax quickly. I will be back with the appointment deed before the evening. May you earn from the custom fees at the port while drinking and partying with a view of the sea. May the sound of your pleasure and cheerfulness (zevk and neşat) be heard all-around. May its interpretation happen in this way.”  Translation from ‘Ᾱşıḳ Çelebi, Meşâ’irü’ş-Şu’arâ: İnceleme-Metin, ed. Filiz Kılıç (İstanbul: İstanbul Araştırmaları Enstitüsü, 2010), vol 3, 1208.