Munejjim-bashi Ahmed Dede | |
|---|---|
 Ottoman observatoryastronomers andastrologers headed by themüneccimbaşı (chief astrologer) using thesextant. | |
| Born | 1631 |
| Died | February 27, 1702 Mecca, Ottoman Empire (modern-daySaudi Arabia) |
| Nationality | Ottoman |
| Occupation(s) | Astrologer, Writer, Historian, Sufi Poet |
| Notable work | Jamiʿ al-Duwal,Sahaif-ül-Ahbar,Dīvān |
Ahmed Lütfullah (early 17th century – 27 February 1702), better known by his court title ofMünejjim Bashi (Turkish:Müneccimbaşı; "ChiefAstrologer"), was anOttoman courtier, scholar,Sufi poet and historian. His chief work is theJamiʿ al-Duwal, aworld history particularly valuable for the history of the medieval Muslim dynasties of the regions around the southwestern shore of theCaspian Sea (Adharbayjan,Shirvan,Arran,Derbent). InTurkish literature, he is referred to also as Ahmed Lütfullah.
His father Lütfullah was a native ofEreğli, Konya, but Ahmed was born inSalonica sometime in the first half of the 17th century (in 1631 according to theEncyclopædia Britannica).[1][2] He was educated at theMevlevidervish lodge in the quarter ofKasımpaşa, spending 15 years there under the supervision of Sheikh Halil Dede.[1] After studies onastronomy andastrology, he advanced to the position of chief court astrologer (müneccimbaşi) in 1667/8. He enjoyed his greatest prominence under SultanMehmed IV (reigned 1648–87), who in 1675/6 raised him to the rank ofmusahib-ipadishahi ("imperial companion"), signifying his admittance to the innermost circle of the court.[1][3] He retained the post until Mehmed IV's deposition in November 1687, when he was exiled toEgypt, where his adopted sonMoralı Hasan Pasha served as governor. After some time he moved toMecca, where he became the sheikh of the local Mevlevi lodge. In 1693/4 he moved toMedina for seven years. In 1700, he was recalled to Istanbul to work again as chief astrologer, but declined the offer because of his old age. He returned to Mecca, where he died on 27 February 1702. His tomb was located near the mausoleum ofKhadija, the first wife ofMuhammad.[1][3]
Münejjim Bashi's main work is theJamiʿ al-Duwal ("The Compendium of Nations"), written inArabic.[1][2] It was begun at the behest ofGrand VizierKara Mustafa, who instructed him to prepare a comprehensive historical work.[4] It is aworld history, beginning withAdam and ending in Ottoman times, in the year 1678. It is divided into three parts: the history of Muhammad, the history of pre- and non-Islamic dynasties, and the history of Islamic dynasties, concluding with the history of the Ottoman dynasty until 1678.[1][2] His work is especially valuable as it preserves information from several sources now lost, especially on many minor Muslim dynasties overlooked by major historians. This is particularly the case on his use of the lostTaʾrikh Bab al-Abwab ("History ofDerbent"), which provides much information on the dynasties of easternTranscaucasia,Arran andAdharbayjan.[1] His pre-Islamic section is also notable, as he used Roman and Jewish sources, as well as West European chronicles, and was the first Islamic historian to deal with dynasties like theBabylonians, theSeleucids and theAssyrians. His work also includes sections onIndia andChina.[2] Although several manuscript copies of the original Arabic work are known to exist, theJamiʿ al-Duwal was for long best known and accessible through a Turkish translation byAhmed Nedim in the 18th century, known asSaha'if al-Akhbar ("The Pages of the Chronicle").[1][2] Althoughepitomized, Nedim's version "is very readable and not composed in the highflown literary style that prevailed in his period".[1] The work notably provided the main material forVladimir Minorsky's magisterialStudies in Caucasian history (London 1953) andA history of Sharvan and Darband (Cambridge 1958).[1] The original manuscript, considered lost for a long time, is kept partly at the Library of theSelimiye Mosque inEdirne and the rest at the Library of theTopkapi Sarayi Museum inIstanbul.[3]
In his history, Münejjim Bashi follows the method used in Islamic historiography byIbn Khaldun, indicating his sources and submitting them to a critical investigation.[4]
Although best known for his history, Münejjim Bashi also wrote numerous other works, such as a collection of poems (diwan) on mystical themes under thepen-name "Ashik" ("lover"), aLata'if-name, treatises on geometry, music and mysticism, theological commentaries, and a translation of anecdotes of the bawdy bard and often homoerotic Persian satyristUbayd Zakani.[1][2][3]
An important work isHasia, a commentary of the interpretation of theQur'anTafsir al-baydawi al-musamma anwar altanzil wa asrar byAl Baidawi.[3]
Of the other works written by Müneccimbaşi the following are worth mentioning:
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