Summary View

Country

Turkey

City

Istanbul

Institution

İstanbul Üniversitesi Nadir Eserleri Kütüphanesi

Shelfmark

2753

Contents

Work 2: Dīvān (Kaygusuz Abdal, (active second half of the 14th century - First half of the 15th century))

LOC subject headings

Sufism

Turkish poetry

Bektashi

Author

Kaygusuz Abdal, (active second half of the 14th century - First half of the 15th century)

قيغوسوز ابدال

Show other names

Ḳayġusuz Abdāl

Kaygusuz Abdal, active 15th century (authorised)

Alâaddin Gaybî, active 15th century (variant)

Alâeddin Gaybî, active 15th century (variant)

Gaybî, active 15th century (variant)

Kaygusuz Abdal, 15th cent (variant)

قيغوسز ابدال (variant)

قيغوسز ابدال،, active 15th century (variant)

قيغوسز ابدل (variant)

Biographical notes

Turkish mystic poet and writer belonging to the dervish group named Abdālān-ı Rūm(ابدالان روم) , who was the first major representetive and the most influential forerunner of the genre which later came to be known as Alevi-Bektashi literature. Information on Ḳayġusuz Abdāl's life relies entirely on the references in his poems as well as the hagiographies of him and his master Abdāl Mūsā. Some scholars consider the name " Ġaybī(غيبي) which figures in his hagioraphy to be his real name. Other scholars, however, assert that this name rather resembles a pen name. His hagiography indicates that he was the son the Bey (Governor) of ‘Alā‘iye which is considered by some scholars as to be the reason for his occasional use of the pen name Sarāyī(سرايي). He served in the dervish lodge of his master Abdāl Mūsā (fl. 14th century) [1300-1399 CE]) which, according to historical documents, was initially located near Finike (Southern Anatolia) and later moved to the village of Tekke in Elmalı (Niğde, Turkey) . After obtaining icāzetnāme(اجازة نامه), Ḳayġusuz Abdāl travelled to Egypt where he found a dervish lodge in his own name. This dervish lodge as well as that of Abdāl Mūsā later became very important Bektashi centers. The references in his poems to place names in the Balkans as well as the existence of a neighborhood and a fountain named Ḳayġusuz in Bitola (Macedonia) have led scholars to believe that Ḳayġusuz either travelled to the Balkans or lived here for some time. His hagiography narrates his pilgrimage to Mecca and the cities he visited on his return, some of which include the sacred places of the Alevi-Bektashi and Shi’îte traditions, such as Kufah (Iraq), Najaf (Iraq) , Karbalāʼ (Iraq). It also gives a detailed account of his meeting with the Egyptian sultan which, in contrast to his other travels, cannot be verified through references in his works. Aḥmed Sırrı Baba(d. 1965 [1965 CE], ), the last shaykh of the Bektashi lodge in Cairo (Egypt), gives specific dates for Ḳayġusuz's travels and death (the date of 848 AH [1444 CE] for the latter), but does not make reference to any written sources. Two traditions exist on Ḳayġusuz's place of death, in parallel with the two distinct branches of his hagiography. According to one of these traditions, Ḳayġusuz died in Egypt and was buried in a cave in the mountain of Moqattam. This tradition is the source of the name ‘Abdullāhu’l-Maġavrī given to him by the people of Egypt. According to the second tradition, he was buried in Abdāl Mūsā dervish lodge in the village of Tekke. However, the fact that Evliyā Çelebī does no mention this tomb in his description of the dervish lodge makes doubtful the references in the kitābe of the tomb, which belongs to a later date. Ḳayġusuz Abdāl is the first poet known to call himself Bektāşī. His relation to Ḥacı Bektāş can be traced through his master Abdāl Mūsā, who was a follower (muḥibb) of Ḥacı Bektāş's spiritual daughter, Ḳadıncıḳ Ana. Abdāl Mūsā is also known for his participation in the conquest of Bursa which according to legend ties him to the Bektashisation of the Janissaries. According to the Bektashi tradition, Ḳayġusuz Abdāl initiated the use of the twelve-gored Qalandarī cap (ṭāc(طاج)). He and his master are nameholders of two of the twelve sheepskin ceremonial seats (pūṣt (پوصت)) in the Bektāshī meydān (ceremonial room), linking them to the duties of naḳīb(ناقيب) and ayaḳçı(اياقچي) in the Bektashi ceremony (cem‘(جمع)). A miniature of Ḳayġusuz Abdāl based on an older copy was painted by Levnī in the 18th century [1700-1799 CE]( TSMK, Albüm, nr. 2164, fol. 22b). Ḳayġusuz Abdāl also used his pen name in the form "Ḳayġusuz", which sometimes leads to the confusion of his poems in the cönk(جونك) and mecmū‘a(مجموعة) with those of a second Ḳayġusuz named Alāeddīn el-Vizevī(علاء الدين الوزوي) who lived in the 16th century [1500-1599 CE] and belonged to the Malāmī(ملامي) movement.

Title

Dīvān

ديوان

Notes

Ḳayġusuz Abdāl does not have a müretteb dīvān. However, in a manuscript dated 907 [1501-1502 CE], over 130 of his poems appear under the title Dīvān. These poems exemplify a great influence of Yūnus Emre in language and content. AfterYūnus Emre, Ḳayġusuz Abdāl is considered to be the second important representative of the Anatolian genre of şatḥıyye (شتحيّة). His poems are characterized by joyous expressions of the oneness of being, satirical humor, strong irony and political criticism, as well as references to daily life with the names of various dishes and animals. His Ḳaṣīde-i Ṭolab (قصيدۀ ﻂﻮﻻﺏ) and his ḳoşma named Ṣalāt-nāme (صلاة نامه) are also part of the Dīvān.

Main language of text

Turkish

Bibliography

Editions

Ergun, Sadettin Nüzhet. Bektaşî Şairleri. İstanbul: Devlet Matbaası, 1930.

Gölpınarlı, Abdülbâkî, ed. Alevî-Bektaşî Nefesleri. İstanbul: İnkılâp Kitabevi, 1992.

Güzel, Abdurrahman, ed. Kaygusuz Abdâl Divânı. Ankara: MEB, 2010.

Öztelli, Cahit, ed. Bektaşî Gülleri: Alevî-Bektaşî Şiirleri Antolojisi. İstanbul: Milliyet Yayınları, 1973.

Show filiations

Atatürk Kitaplığı 606

Atatürk Kitaplığı 1296

Ankara Milli Kütüphane no. A 7621

Yapı Kredi Sermet Çifter Kitaplığı 751

Berlin Staatsbibliothek 4044

Ankara Milli Kütüphane 824

Physical Description

Number of folios

xx ff.

History

Date of copy

20th. century