Abstract
A Ramadaniyye Shedding Light on the Scarcity in the XVIII. Century Istanbul and Its Effects on Social Life
It is possible to catch the traces of social life in some
works written in the field of Ottoman literature. Some
poets had written poems under the name of
"Ramadaniyya" with advent of holy Ramadan and they
had worked on the influence of this spiritual month on
people. One of them was Abdulbaki Effendi who was
a mudarris in the first half of 18th. century. But the
remarkable aspect of his poem was describing the scarcity
of neccessaries and its effects on the social life of the
Ottoman Empire with a literary style. Abdulbaki Effendi
used a rich depiction in his poem and inclued dialogues as
well when the occasion arosed. Idioms and expressions are
used to enpower the word which extanted until today are
remarkable. Later, that poem with 131 couplet are
presented to grand vizier Hekimoglu Ali Pasha. This
article shows the reflection of famine which was in the first
half of 18th century on Ottoman chronicles and archive
records. Full text of "Ramadaniyya" is given and the
remarkable sides are analyzed.
Keywords
Ramadaniyye, Hekimoglu Ali Pasha, social life in the Ottoman Empire, XVIII. century