Ahmed Dede Müneccimbaşi
Encyclopedia
Ahmed Dede Müneccimbaşi (1631, in Salonika – February 27, 1702, in Mecca
) was an Ottoman astronomer and astrologer. He was also a historian, having written a history of the world concentrating on the history of Islamic dynasties and especially the Ottoman Empire
. He is often referred to only under the sole name of "Müneccimbaşı", which was actually his title of chief astrologer. In western literature, this name/title is sometimes spelled as Müneĝĝimbaşi, In Turkish literature
he is referred to also as Ahmed Lütfullah.
, Greece
. His father, Lütfullah of Karaman Ereğlisi , was a cloth mearchant. Ahmed Dede, however, refused to continue his father's trade and received higher education against his father’s will. He studied 15 years with the Mevlevi dervishes
, at first in Salonica and from 1654 on with the Galata
Mevlevi in Istanbul
, where he studied with Sheikh Arzi Dede. His education covered religious topics such as the Hadith
, as well as philosophy and medicine. He also studied astrology with the chief astrologer of the time, Mehmed Efendi.
In 1665, after Mehmed Efendi’s death, Ahmed Dede was appointed müneccimbaşi (chief court astrologer) for the sultan Mehmed IV
. He used this title as name in his future works. In November 1675 he was elevated to the rank of musahib-i padişahi (favorite conversant of the sultan)
In November 1687, after Mehmed’s deposition by a revolt of the Janissaries, Müneccimbaşı Ahmed Dede fell out of favour with the new sultan Suleiman II
and was exiled to Egypt
where his adopted son Moralı Hasan Pasha served as governor. After a few years he moved to Medina
and Mecca
where he spent the rest of his life, as sheikh
at the monastery of Mevlevi dervishes there.
In 1700, he was recalled to Istanbul to work again as chief astrologer. Ahmed Dede declined the offer because of his old age. He died on February 27, 1702 in Mecca
(now in Saudi Arabia
, and was buried near the grave of Khadijah
, the prophet’s wife.
Kara Mustafa instructed him to prepare a comprehensive historical work. The compendium was completed when Müneccimbaşi retired to Mecca and was written in Arabic. Shortly after his death, in 1705, a copy of the manuscript was made. Later, during the reign of the sultan Ahmed III
, Grand Vizier Damat Ibrahim
ordered a summary of the Compendium to be translated into Turkish
by a commission coordinated by the poet Ahmed Nedim. This translation known as Sahaif-ül-Ahbar (The Pages of the Chronicle) is the version of Ahmed Dede's work that can be considered as having been fully published, although important parts of it were either left out or condensated upon the judgment of Ahmed Nedim himself. This version was first printed in Cairo
in 1868. The original manuscript, considered lost for a long time, is kept partly at the Library of the Selimiye Mosque
in Edirne
and the rest at the Library of the Topkapi Sarayi Museum
in Istanbul
.
The work is a universal history starting with Adam
and ending in the year 1672, based on 72 Arab, Persian and Turkish sources. Some of the original sources have been lost and are not available any more. The works used most frequently are the chronicles of Ali ibn al-Athir
, Abu'l-Fida
, Ibn al-Wardi
and Ibn Khaldun
. The pre-Muslim accounts seem also to be based on Roman and Jewish sources. The part related to Armenian history he mentions the use of Armenian chronicles. Fluent in Italian
and Spanish
since his early days in Salonika where he was in contact with the city's Jewish community of considerable size and activity, Ahmed Dede also had access to western sources of his day.
The book develops the history of the Ottoman Turks
, but also presents lesser dynasties and branches of the Turks for which few if any historical sources are available. His work also covers other kingdoms which existed on the territory of the Ottoman Empire
, dealing with the history of the Babylonians
, the Assyrians
and the Seleucids
, which were not dealt with previously by Islamic historiography. It also covers the history of non-Turkish populations such as the Franks
and Armenians
. Besides it also deals with the history of India
and China
.
In his Compendium, Müneccimbaşi follows the method used in Islamic historiography by Ibn Khaldun, indicating his sources and submitting them to a critical investigation.
.
with translations of anecdotes and raunchy poetry of the bawdy bard and often homoerotic Persian satyrist Ubayd-i Zākāni
He also composed a Divan in Turkish on mystical themes under the pen name of Âşik (meaning Lover).
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
) was an Ottoman astronomer and astrologer. He was also a historian, having written a history of the world concentrating on the history of Islamic dynasties and especially the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. He is often referred to only under the sole name of "Müneccimbaşı", which was actually his title of chief astrologer. In western literature, this name/title is sometimes spelled as Müneĝĝimbaşi, In Turkish literature
Turkish literature
Turkish literature comprises both oral compositions and written texts in the Turkish language, either in its Ottoman form or in less exclusively literary forms, such as that spoken in the Republic of Turkey today...
he is referred to also as Ahmed Lütfullah.
Biography
Ahmed Lütfullah was born 1631 in Salonica (now ThessalonikiThessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. His father, Lütfullah of Karaman Ereğlisi , was a cloth mearchant. Ahmed Dede, however, refused to continue his father's trade and received higher education against his father’s will. He studied 15 years with the Mevlevi dervishes
Dervish
A Dervish or Darvesh is someone treading a Sufi Muslim ascetic path or "Tariqah", known for their extreme poverty and austerity, similar to mendicant friars in Christianity or Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhus.-Etymology:The Persian word darvīsh is of ancient origin and descends from a Proto-Iranian...
, at first in Salonica and from 1654 on with the Galata
Galata
Galata or Galatae is a neighbourhood in the Beyoğlu district on the European side of Istanbul, the largest city of Turkey. Galata is located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn, the inlet which separates it from the historic peninsula of old Constantinople. The Golden Horn is crossed by...
Mevlevi in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, where he studied with Sheikh Arzi Dede. His education covered religious topics such as the Hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
, as well as philosophy and medicine. He also studied astrology with the chief astrologer of the time, Mehmed Efendi.
In 1665, after Mehmed Efendi’s death, Ahmed Dede was appointed müneccimbaşi (chief court astrologer) for the sultan Mehmed IV
Mehmed IV
Mehmed IV Modern Turkish Mehmet was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687...
. He used this title as name in his future works. In November 1675 he was elevated to the rank of musahib-i padişahi (favorite conversant of the sultan)
In November 1687, after Mehmed’s deposition by a revolt of the Janissaries, Müneccimbaşı Ahmed Dede fell out of favour with the new sultan Suleiman II
Suleiman II
Suleiman II was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1687 to 1691...
and was exiled to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
where his adopted son Moralı Hasan Pasha served as governor. After a few years he moved to Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
and Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
where he spent the rest of his life, as sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
at the monastery of Mevlevi dervishes there.
In 1700, he was recalled to Istanbul to work again as chief astrologer. Ahmed Dede declined the offer because of his old age. He died on February 27, 1702 in Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
(now in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, and was buried near the grave of Khadijah
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid
Khadījah bint Khuwaylid or Khadījah al-Kubra was the first wife of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. She was the daughter of Khuwaylid ibn Asad and Fatimah bint Za'idah and belonged to the clan of Banu Asad. She is important in Islam as Muhammad's first wife, and one of the "mothers of the believers"...
, the prophet’s wife.
The Compendium of Nations
Müneccimbaşi’s most important work is Camiu'd - Düvel (The Compendium of Nations), written in Arabic. While Müneccimbaşi was working as chief astrologer, Grand VizierGrand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
Kara Mustafa instructed him to prepare a comprehensive historical work. The compendium was completed when Müneccimbaşi retired to Mecca and was written in Arabic. Shortly after his death, in 1705, a copy of the manuscript was made. Later, during the reign of the sultan Ahmed III
Ahmed III
Ahmed III was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and a son of Sultan Mehmed IV . His mother was Mâh-Pâre Ummatullah Râbi'a Gül-Nûş Valide Sultan, originally named Evmania Voria, who was an ethnic Greek. He was born at Hajioglupazari, in Dobruja...
, Grand Vizier Damat Ibrahim
Nevsehirli Damat Ibrahim Pasha
Nevşehirli Damad Ibrahim Pasha served as Grand Vizier for Sultan Ahmed III of the Ottoman Empire during the Tulip period. He was also the head of a ruling family which had great influence in the court of Ahmed III...
ordered a summary of the Compendium to be translated into Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
by a commission coordinated by the poet Ahmed Nedim. This translation known as Sahaif-ül-Ahbar (The Pages of the Chronicle) is the version of Ahmed Dede's work that can be considered as having been fully published, although important parts of it were either left out or condensated upon the judgment of Ahmed Nedim himself. This version was first printed in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
in 1868. The original manuscript, considered lost for a long time, is kept partly at the Library of the Selimiye Mosque
Selimiye Mosque
The Selimiye Mosque is an Ottoman mosque in the city of Edirne, Turkey. The mosque was commissioned by Sultan Selim II and was built by architect Mimar Sinan between 1569 and 1575...
in Edirne
Edirne
Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
and the rest at the Library of the Topkapi Sarayi Museum
Topkapi Palace
The Topkapı Palace is a large palace in Istanbul, Turkey, that was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years of their 624-year reign....
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
The work is a universal history starting with Adam
Adam
Adam is a figure in the Book of Genesis. According to the creation myth of Abrahamic religions, he is the first human. In the Genesis creation narratives, he was created by Yahweh-Elohim , and the first woman, Eve was formed from his rib...
and ending in the year 1672, based on 72 Arab, Persian and Turkish sources. Some of the original sources have been lost and are not available any more. The works used most frequently are the chronicles of Ali ibn al-Athir
Ali ibn al-Athir
Abu al-Hassan Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad, better known as Ali 'Izz al-Din Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari was a Kurdish Muslim historian from the Ibn Athir family...
, Abu'l-Fida
Abu'l-Fida
Abu al-Fida or Abul Fida Ismail Hamvi was a Kurdish historian, geographer, and local sultan...
, Ibn al-Wardi
Ibn al-Wardi
Umar ibn Muzaffar ibn al-Wardi , known as Ibn al-Wardi, was an Arabic historian .- His Works :* Kharidat al-'Aja'ib wa Faridat al-Ghara'ib . . The work accompanied with a coloured world map and a picture of Ka'bah...
and Ibn Khaldun
Ibn Khaldun
Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun was an Arab Tunisian historiographer and historian who is often viewed as one of the forerunners of modern historiography, sociology and economics...
. The pre-Muslim accounts seem also to be based on Roman and Jewish sources. The part related to Armenian history he mentions the use of Armenian chronicles. Fluent in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
since his early days in Salonika where he was in contact with the city's Jewish community of considerable size and activity, Ahmed Dede also had access to western sources of his day.
The book develops the history of the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
, but also presents lesser dynasties and branches of the Turks for which few if any historical sources are available. His work also covers other kingdoms which existed on the territory of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, dealing with the history of the Babylonians
Babylonia
Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia , with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as a major power when Hammurabi Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as...
, the Assyrians
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
and the Seleucids
Seleucid Empire
The Seleucid Empire was a Greek-Macedonian state that was created out of the eastern conquests of Alexander the Great. At the height of its power, it included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, today's Turkmenistan, Pamir and parts of Pakistan.The Seleucid Empire was a major centre...
, which were not dealt with previously by Islamic historiography. It also covers the history of non-Turkish populations such as the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
and Armenians
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
. Besides it also deals with the history of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
In his Compendium, Müneccimbaşi follows the method used in Islamic historiography by Ibn Khaldun, indicating his sources and submitting them to a critical investigation.
Commentaries of the Qur'an
An important work is Hasia, a commentary of the interpretation of the Qur’an Tafsir al-baydawi al-musamma anwar altanzil wa asrar by Al BaidawiBaidawi
Baidawi , was a Muslim scholar, was born in Fars, where his father was chief judge, in the time of the Atabek ruler Abu Bakr ibn Sa'd . He himself became judge in Shiraz, and died in Tabriz about 1286. Many commentaries have been written on Baidawi's work...
.
Poetry
Müneccimbaşi also published a Letaifname, a volume of Divan poetryDiwan (poetry)
-Etymology:The English usage of the phrase Diwan Poetry comes from the Arabic word diwan , which is loaned from Persian means designated a list or register. The Persian word derived from the Persian dibir meaning writer or scribe...
with translations of anecdotes and raunchy poetry of the bawdy bard and often homoerotic Persian satyrist Ubayd-i Zākāni
He also composed a Divan in Turkish on mystical themes under the pen name of Âşik (meaning Lover).
Others
Of the other works written by Müneccimbaşi the following are worth mentioning:- Şerh-i kitâb-ı Ahlâk - annotations on the ethicsEthicsEthics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
book of Qadi Adudun. - Talikat 'ala Uklidi – a treaty of geometryGeometryGeometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
. - Vesilet ül-Vüsûl ilâ Ma'rifet İl-Hamli vel-Mahmûl - the science of logicLogicIn philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
. - Risale-i Mûsikiyye - a treaty of music.
- Feyz-ül-Harem – a presentation of the city of Mecca and its environment, meant mainly as a guide for pilgrims during their HajjHajjThe Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
- Cayet-ül-Beyân fi Dekaik-i ilm-ül-Beyân – a study on the use of the metaphorMetaphorA metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
,