This work is an abstract from the well known ʻAjāʼib al-makhlūqāt (عجائب
المخلوقات) of Qazwīnī, Zakarīyā ibn
Muḥammad, ca. 1203-1283, which, by the omission of entire chapters and
severe curtailing of others, has been reduced to less than a fifth of its
bulk
The Dürr-i meknūn (در
مكنون) is an apocalyptic text organized according to an
encyclopedic format. It was composed in between the years 1454-1465 in the
Turkish Anatolian vernacular for a popular audience. It consists of 18 chapters
covering cosmology, Creation, the wonders of the world and marvelous creatures, the
Prophets to Prophet Muḥammad, the climes, days
and hours, geography, the cities of the world with an emphasis on Constantinople, iconic religious monuments of the
Abrahamic faith, King Solomon, physiognomy, materia
medica (medicinal plants), geographical wonders, the story of Simurg, divination,
portents, and eschatology, with an emphasis on the signs of the Last Hour. It posits
the conquest of Constantinople in
1453 as an important sign, and presents Mehmed
II, Sultan of the Turks, 1432-1481 as one of the actors of the final
tribulations. The chapters on divination and eschatology draw largely on Bisṭāmī, ʻAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad,
approximately 1380-1454’s Miftāḥ
al-jafr al-jāmi‘(مفتاح الجفر الجامع)
(The Key to All Divination), a work on the science of letters and which is
originally based on Abū Sālim
al-Naṣībī, Muḥammad ibn Ṭalḥah, 1186 or 1187-1254 or 1255’s
al-Durr al-munaẓẓam fī al-sirr al-aʻẓam (الدر المنظم في السر الاعظم).
The Envārü’l-‘āşıḳīn (انوار العاشقين) , Yazıcıoğlu
Aḥmed Bīcān’s most popular work, is a Turkish prose translation of the
author’s brother Yazıcıoğlu Meḥmed, d. 855/1451’s
Arabic Maghārib al-zamān (مغارب الزمان, written in between the years 1446-1451. Organized
in five chapters, the work treats the birth and life of the Prophet Muḥammad and covers events
up to the deaths of Ḥasan ibn ʻAlī, d. 670 and Ḥusayn ibn ʻAlī, -680. It is
prefaced with a description of Creation and ends with a chapter on eschatology,
treating the end of the world and Judgment Day.
Often described as a free Turkish translation of Yazıcızāde Meḥmed's abridged Arabic
commentary of Ibn al-ʻArabī,
1165-1240’s Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam (فصوص الحكم), the Müntehā () (Epilogue)
has a strong apocalyptic component. It also includes various stories of the
Prophets, the first four Caliphs, and Sufi saints. Show more
The Müntehā()
exists in two recensions: the first composed in 1453, and the second revised version completed in Muḥarram 870(Aug-Sept 1465). In the
second rescension the work’s eschatological component is elaborated with a portrayal
of Mehmed II, Sultan of the Turks,
1432-1481 as an apocalyptic warrior who fulfills the prophecy of the
conquest of Rome with his capture of
Constantinople and as protector of
Muslims as the end of the world approaches
The ‘Acāib al-maḫlūḳāt (عجائب المخلوقات) is an abridged loose Turkish adaptation of
Qazwīnī, Zakarīyā ibn Muḥammad,
approximately 1203-1283’s popular Arabic cosmographical work of the
same name, the first systematic exposition of cosmography in Muslim literature. The
work treats supraterrestrial phenomena such as the moon, sun, star and the
inhabitants of the heavens such as angels, as well as terrestial phenomena, ranging
from the elements, climes, geographical features and natural history as well as
discussing mankind and characteristics of human tribes. Yazıcıoğlu Aḥmed Bīcān claims to
have compiled the work on the suggestion of Hacı
Bayram Veli, -1429. The work was completed in 1453.
