14th century [1300-1399 CE] Turkish poet known
for his mes̱nevī Varaḳa ve Gülşāh.
The contents of his works indicate that he was well educated and knew Arabic and Persian.
He spent his youth in an Azeri region and became Mevlevī after his move to Konya. As evidenced by his penname, he was a meddāḥ (public storyteller).
In his work Varaḳa ve Gülşāh
he mentions his devotion to Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī (d. 672/1273). The earliest mention of
Yūsuf-ı Meddāḥ by other authors is in the Kenzü’l-Küberā which was written in 803 AH [1401 CE]
by Şeyḫoġlı Muṣṭafā (d. 817/1414 ?)
A mes̱nevī which narrates the tale of the aṣḥāb al-kahf (those of the cave) taking place in the city of
Ephesus. It consists of 324 couplets in the edition.
A mes̱nevī of approximately 1700 couplets, divided into six gatherings (meclis), for the purpose of
recitation on consecutive days. It is the first Anatolian Turkish romantic narrative poem. It is based on
the mes̱nevī by the Persian poet ʿAyyūḳī (fl. in the early 5th/11th century). The story itself
is based on Arabic folk stories and narrates the love story between cousins Varaḳa and Gülşāh,
both members of the Banū Shayba tribe. The theme of war is particularly stressed in the work. Show more
A mes̱nevī which narrates the miracle performed by the prophet in a Muslim’s dream, which results in the
emancipation of a beautiful and righteous girl who had accepted enslavement to support her family. The
first part of the story narrates the greedy act of a Jew against the girl’s family. The mes̱nevī consists of
274 couplets in the edition.
A mes̱nevī consisting of approximately 200-250 couplets, narrating discussions between a qadi and
a thief, who beats the qadi with his knowledge of religious science.
