The Ottoman Sultans, who ruled the world for centuries, gave great value to art, science and knowledge, apart from war and politics. They were always involved in any branch of art and did not separate scientists and artists from their circle. The Sultans, who received an extremely intensive and disciplined education from their childhood, had a wide level of knowledge in many subjects, including literature .
It is known that a significant number of the thirty-six Sultans who ascended to the throne had poems, and that some of those who had poems had Arabic, Persian or Turkish divans. Although it is not possible to talk about all of these Sultans who wrote their poems under their own pen names, or nicknames, we will tell you about five Sultans who made a name for themselves with their poems as well as their political and military successes.
Fatih Sultan Mehmed (Avni)
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He was a sultan who was famous for the value he gave to science, art, literature and those who practiced these, and who was himself an intellectual. He was educated by the greatest and most important scholars of his time. Mehmed, who is said to have spoken seven languages, would often gather around him scholarly poets and artists and converse with them. He would have them write and examine subjects that caught his attention and that he was not familiar with. Mehmed II, who reigned over the Ottoman Empire for a total of over 30 years by ascending to the throne twice between 1444-1446 and 1451-1481, and who had the honor of conquering Istanbul, thus earning the title of Fatih, wrote poems under the pen name Avnî. His poems, which deal with many subjects such as love, mysticism, religion, social life, as well as historical stories and the idea of jihad, have a simple and understandable language. It is not unnoticeable that his poems reflect the dominant poetic style of the period. One of his poems is as follows:
Revnak Found the Sweet Spirit with the Bade-i Nab
“With the bottle of nectar the darling spirit found the rose garden
in a state of wonder, With the rose garden … darling spirit found the darling spirit found the darling spirit found the darling spirit with the darling spirit
The poor tresses that stand with the beloved’s soul in obedience, The shining
sun has become a shining star with the shining sun
My beloved will see my age, swinging with coyness,
finding the wicked servitor with Cuyibar
Hearing my cry, my beloved becomes a ladybug,
And with the nightingale’s cry, the rosebud of the ladybug becomes magnificent.
With my sweetheart’s mouth, the beloved’s lips become serene, With
the bed of hearts, the wretched, the wretched, find
Even with this state Avni finds the honorable soul of the beloved, just as
Gulistan found it with the chapters.
Bayezid II (Justice)
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Fatih raised his son with his interest and love for science and gave him a good education. Bayezid, who ascended to the throne after his father’s death, ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512. In addition to the education he received from his father, he also gathered scholars and intellectuals around him even during his time as a prince. Bayezid, who tried to educate himself like his father, also wrote poems using the pen name Adlî. It is a well-known fact that his brother Cem Sultan, with whom he had a fight for the throne, also wrote poems . It is even said that they argued with each other with their poems during these times of conflict. Sultan Bayezid also had a small divan, the majority of which consists of ghazals. One of his famous ghazals is as follows:
What Makes My Heart Crazy is the Love of the Pure Hair (Gazel)
“It is the pure love of the tresses that makes my heart crazy,
It is the bead of the bead that makes my soul a moth.
On my grave stand the service of my close friends,
For it is the ardor of the spirit and the sweetness of the honey that has made me worthy.
With his rosy face,
he is the majesty of pleasure and happiness, in the rose garden that makes one ten.
There is no adornment in roses if a rose does not bloom,
It is the lover’s soul that gives splendor to your soul.
The new lover, the new madman, is a famous parable.
Ferhad and Majnun went together, it is the fight of their love.
‘The judgment of justice has been fulfilled for the moment’
The title written to the world is the symbol of the beloved’s eyebrow.’
Yavuz Sultan Selim (Selimî)
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Yavuz, who loved reading and researching like his predecessors, unsurprisingly supported scholars and artists and gathered them around him by looking out for them. It is known that he received a good education from a young age and took lessons from private tutors. He was known by the nickname “Yavuz” due to his harsh temperament, courage and boldness. Selim I, who reigned for a short period of eight years from 1512 to 1520, achieved very important actions that would have an impact on his future. Yavuz also wrote Persian poems under the pen name “Selîmî”. Selim’s only work is his Persian Divan. This Divan was first published in Istanbul and then in Berlin by order of the German Emperor Wilhelm II. The one printed in Berlin was also given to Abdulhamid II as a gift. One of his poems is as follows:
“What can you do to this darling who has no life in his body?
What can you do with a cure that is not a cure for your language problem?
While I am in a state of anguish and sadness, my tongue is in the mouth of sorrow.
What can you do if you love a beautiful and glorious sultan?
The preacher praises the skin of the beloved, the garden of the jinn
What can you do with an ignorant and ignorant person who doesn’t understand Dirigaga?
Don’t let the rival of the earth stand in the well, let him go
Oh angel devil, what are you doing in Gulistan-i Cinan?
Selimi, the way of union is your existence, make it nonexistent
What will you do with this separation that is the cause of your beloved?
Suleiman the Magnificent (Muhibbî)
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He was the sultan who reigned for a very long time, forty-six years between 1520 and 1566, and ensured that the Ottoman Empire experienced its “Golden Age”. Turkish sovereignty reached its peak during his reign. His father, Yavuz, had given him a very proper and meticulous education. Thus, a sultan who ruled over three continents emerged. Sultan Suleiman was a sultan who loved justice and put the existing laws into writing and strictly enforced them. For this reason, he was called “Kanuni”. Like many sultans before and after him, Suleiman also valued scholars and poets and protected them. The most important proof of this is that he took an important poet like Baki with him. Like most Ottoman sultans, Suleiman the Magnificent was a poet sultan. Although he mostly used the pen name “Muhibbî”, he also used the pen names “Meftûnî” and “Muhib”. His contact with great poets and following them helped him become a master of poetry. Muhibbî, who wrote poems on many different subjects, wrote poems on subjects such as love, mysticism , religion as well as heroism and thought. These poems include couplets that have been passed down from mouth to mouth and have been used as proverbs. It is said that Kanuni, who won many important victories during his long reign, reflected the wars he participated in in his poems like a painting. Muhibbî was also influenced by great poets such as Bâki and Fuzûlî. He has a Divan in Persian and Turkish. His poem, which also includes a couplet that has been passed down as a wise saying, is as follows:
There is no such thing as a respected object among the people as the state.
Being a state in the world is like a breath of health
Their claim of sultanate is only a worldly quarrel
The fortune and happiness to be in the world is like unity
Do this iysh and ishrate because the end is wretched
Like obeying to be your eternal lover if you wish
If only the sands would fill your life
This bottle of pottery is coming like a clock
If you wish to find peace, oh beloved, be free.
Unity to be in the world like a bird of solitude
Osman II (Persian)
5 Ottoman Sultans Famous for Their Poetry
Osman II, also known as Genç Osman, is said to have been named after Osman Gazi, who is considered the founder of the Ottoman State, because he was the first son of Ahmed I. It is even said that great festivities were organized. Osman II, who reigned between 1618 and 1622, was dethroned in an unprecedented manner. He is also considered one of the first reformers in Ottoman history. As a general characteristic of Ottoman sultans, he was well-mannered and educated; it is said that he learned both Eastern and Western languages such as Arabic, Persian, Greek and Italian very well. He also wrote poems with a simple language under the pen name “Farisi”. He also has a Divan where he collects these poems. Let us give an example from his poems:
“Be for me, the sweetest lady, the resting place to look after.
The good news passes from your heart to your soul
If the one who escapes will be punished by the stature of the appointed dynasty,
How many thousand lovers of the devil are mother moths
Who will make this heart’s city a soup kitchen?
My beautiful milk of tongue has been ruined by the sorrow of separation
I tried to hide my displeasure in the end
Discovery of contentment led my eyes to tears, my beloved
The Persian world lives in the spirit of a kiss
I pray, O Lord, that this enthusiasm does not become a legend.