Abstract
A New Sur-nama (The Circumcision Feast Text) Dated 1582 : The Sur-nama of Akshamsaddin’s Grandson Qadimi
Sur-nama texts (The texts of Circumcision Feast) serves as rich, qualified and important sources for subjects such as the daily life of the Ottomans, court traditions, means of production and various forms of art. In the summer of 1582, Sultan Murad III celebrated the circumcision of his son Mehmed with a magnificent imperial festival (sur-ı humayun) which lasted over fifty days and nights. This Sur-ı Humayun was a splendid event for the members of the Ottoman court and for the populace of Istanbul and its environs; but the festivities were also attended by an extraordinarily large number of foreign ambassadors, both from the West and the East.
This article focus on literary works that were written to meet the immediate concerns and the personal expectations of the poets who attended the 1582 Festival. Five sur-nama texts were written along with Qadímí 's poem about the 1582 Festival. Câmi’u’l-Buhur Der Mecâlis-i Sûr of Gelibolulu Âlî and Sûrnâme-i Hümâyûn of İntizâmî, Ferâhî’s Sûr-nâme and Dervish Pasha’s Zubdatu’l-Aş^âr are the most important literary works describing this festival. In addition, many poems were presented to the sultan for this festival. This article will introduce a new sur-nama consisting of 431 couplets about the 1582 Festival. The author of this Sur-nama is Qadímí being the grandson of Akshamsaddin. In other words, Qadímí is Hamdullah Hamdí’s son or grandson. He died when he was a clerk at the Topkapı Palace in 1587. In this study, some analyzes were made to shed light on Qadímí’s unknown life based on the documents.
Keywords
Sultan Murad III, Akshamsaddin-zada, vaqfıyya, festival, Ottoman poetry, sur-nama.