CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020
| Author | Durak, Ahmet Cem |
|---|---|
| Title | The Ottoman Hagiography Of Abraham: Constructing Sacred Rule and Universal History in Abdulvasi's Halilname |
| Summary | Hâlilname stands as a unique literary work in the Ottoman historiography with its choice of Prophet Abraham as its protagonist. The choice of the author who is under the patronage of the grand vizier of Sultan Mehmed I illustrates the court’s mentality of placing themselves as a state in a wider universal history in the post-Timurid Anatolia. This thesis researches the reasons of its author Abdülvâsi’s preference of an ancient prophet as his work’s protagonist to present Sultan Mehmed I and his grand vizier Bayezid Pasha as pious Islamic rulers. The methodology used is both from the disciplines of religious studies and history. As a religious text, Hâlilname presents an ubi sunt pattern to its audience, and this religiosity is compared with its contemporary sacred discourse and historic-religious advancements. The major findings of this thesis are (1) being the scholar of the court, Abdülvâsi differs from the early Ottoman hagiography who were critical about classic Perso-Islamic sedentary state policies. (2) The author legitimizes his patron’s actions through history writing and drawing parallels with ancient Perso-Islamic heroes. Abraham with other prophets and some ancient Persian mythologic kings named in Hâlilname are presented as archetypic heroes of justice and piety. Their endeavours such as enforcing justice and producing wealth were followed by Sultan Mehmed I and Bayezid Pasha. (3) Abdülvâsi draws on isrā+ e;īliyy&# x101;t mostly found in classical ḳiǦ 3;āǦ 3; al-anbiyāʾ books and a tafsir named al-K̲h&#x 332;aṣ&# x1e63;āf to develop his Abraham legend. His sources illustrate the medieval Ottoman author’s literature knowledge. |
| Supervisor | Wilke, Carsten L.; Börekçi, Günhan |
| Department | Medieval Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2020/durak_ahmet.pdf |
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