Evliya Çelebi

Evliya Çelebi ( osman. اوليا چلبي; born March 25, 1611 Unkapanı district in İstanbul, † after 1683 to trips, probably in Egypt) was an Ottoman writer who in his travel book ( Seyahatname ) on his many travels in the Ottoman Empire and reported in the neighboring countries. This work is one of the most important of the Ottoman world of the late 17th century and was declared in 2013 a World Soundtrack Awards. The Orientalist Joseph von Hammer- Purgstall (1774-1856) has Evliya Çelebi rediscovered and translated (1834 ).

Origin and Youth

Evliya (Eng. " friend of God " ) Çelebi ( Ottoman honorific title to describe aristocratic or educated people ) was the son of the supreme court goldsmith of Sultan Ahmed I, Derviş Mehmed Zilli Efendi (also called Derviş Mehmed Aga or Derviş Mehmed Aga -i Zilli, † 1648), and his wife, one originating from the Caucasus maid of honor. So Evliya grew up in a very favorable economic conditions. His ancestors came from Kütahya in Asia Minor and went after the conquest of Constantinople Opel there. His father was a well-known personality who also took part in the conquest of Cyprus.

After completing his studies at the Madrasah Hamid Efendi Evliya Çelebi of Şeyhülislâm was given a job as a Quran reciter in the Seraglio. There he met with Mehmed Efendi Keçi calligraphy, music, Arabic grammar and Koranic studies at the institution of higher learning of the Sultan's Palace ( Enderun ), where he proved to be very talented. Mehmed Efendi Keçi was also taught the famous Katib Çelebi. Evliya was by its familiar position and his studies a well-behaved, well-educated and familiar with the customs of his environment man.

In the service of the Sultan and traveling

At the instigation of his uncle Melek Ahmed Pasha Evliya Çelebi was recorded in 1638 in the court service at Sultan Murad IV as Leibkavallerist ( Sipahi ). During this time he first roamed the capital of the Ottoman Empire and the surrounding area of Istanbul. From the beginning, he recorded what he observed and considered remarkable. 1640 Evliya began to travel to all parts of the Empire and neighboring lands in semi-official function. First he went to Bursa, Izmit and Trabzon. In 1645 he traveled to the Crimea, where he acted as an envoy of the Ottomans in the Tatar Khan. Also in the following years traveled Evliya in the service of the Ottoman state. He was a messenger for various Commander of the Army in Epirus on the road and worked as an accountant for the Governor General of Erzurum in the east of the kingdom later. He came to Azerbaijan and Georgia. 1648 Evliya returned back to Istanbul and went to a little later to Damascus, where he remained three years. After 1651, he traveled through Rumelia: Longer time he lived in Sofia and Silistra. In 1664 he was at the battle of St. Gotthard eyewitness and he visited Hungary in Buda and Lake Balaton. Between 1665 and 1670, Evliya visited Austria, Albania, Dalmatia, Thessaly, Crete, Komotini and Thessaloniki. At the end of his life he was in Egypt.

Seyahatname - the Travelogue

His travel reports published Evliya Çelebi in a ten -volume work, the Seyahatname ( Travelogue ). He described it everything seemed to him remarkable. His work offers a mix of all kinds of knowledge. He describes the cities visited and some important buildings, especially mosques, synagogues and churches, and their history. He also describes the people, their folk customs, songs and languages ​​, their clothing, festivals and religious or interpersonal relationships. At length he reported on the management of the respective area, about outstanding families and famous people such as poets, musicians, military or civil servants. Evliya is interested in the economic fundamentals of each area, he shall also provide information on military matters, in particular on the position and strength of many fortresses. Linguistically, Evliya provides important information because he often quoted words that were used by the various tribes.

However, the author went piecemeal in compiling his information. The information Evliya are therefore not always reliable. Especially with figures he exaggerates often. It is clearly seen that the author with his travel reports not only inform, but also wanted to entertain. Nevertheless, the Seyahatname is an important source of life and culture in the Ottoman Empire of the 17th century. Just one example is Evliya's description of the origin and occurrence of 76 musical instruments, making the Seyahatname provides the most valuable contribution to the knowledge of that music. In many areas, the source value of the research is estimated to be higher only in recent years.

Evliya Çelebi style differs greatly from the usual in his time style of Divan literature, which was marked by conventions and influences from the Persian. He instead used the then Turkish vernacular. His prose is fluid and easy to understand. He lets his own feelings, comments and thoughts in the description. At least from the perspective of the historian is Evliya's handling time problematic. The author is not particularly interested in the clear sequence of different events that he describes. In his work, past and present are linguistically closely intertwined: He often tells two stories from different places, as if it had been observed at the same time.

In the ten volumes of his log book he describes the following trips:

The " Golden Apple "

Particular detail he describes in Book VII of his visit to Vienna, the "Golden Apple" ( Kızıl Elma ) of the Ottomans. Since he sometimes embellished his trip reports with foreign experiences, including his stay in Vienna was not without controversy among historians. Karl Teply but in 1975 found an expense account in the imperial Hofkammerarchiv, is mentioned by name in the Evliya Efendi. He was a companion in the entourage of the Ottoman Great Ambassador Kara Mehmed Pasha, Beylerbeyi of Rumelia, in 1665th One traveled along the Danube on the oven, Komárom, Raab, Bruck an der Leitha and Schwechat in Vienna. Evliya Çelebi describes in very imaginative way the buildings of the city, for example, speaks of 360 churches and monasteries, one of 470 towers, and claims that in the tower of St. Stephen lived 1000 monks. He devotes special interest the fortifications and also reports on long protocol disputes between the Grand Ambassador and the imperial court. He enthusiastically describes the beauty of the boy and girl in Vienna. The interactions of men and women stunned him, however.