ÂLİ Gelibolulu

Divan* poet and historian (b. 1541, Gelibolu / Çanakkale – d. 1600, Cidde). He lived in the era of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman and Sultan Selim II. He lived under the protection of the Conqueror of Cyprus, Lala Mustafa Paşa with whom he joined the conquest of Cyprus and was his clerk of the court. In addition to this, he was the Chamberlain of Damascus, Erzurum, Baghdad and Amasya and his final post was as the Paşa of Cidde.

Gelibolulu Ali, who started his literary work with poetry, wrote almost fifty works on history, biography, morality, social relations and political and religious issues. His most important work was his history research Künhü’l Ahbar (The Essence of Tradition), which comprised of four volumes, two of which were on Arabian History and the other two on Mongol and Turkish History.

WORKS:

Künhü'l-Ahbar (The Essence of Tradition, 4 volumes, 1860-70), Menâkıb-ı Hünerverân (The Anecdotes of the Ingenious, 1586; with the name Hattatların ve Kitap Sanatçılarının Destanları-The Legends of Calligraphists and Book Illustrators, 1982), Türkçe Divan (Turkish Divan*, odes and eulogies, 1575), Melâidü'n-Nefâis fi Kavaidi'l-Mecalis (Delicious Tables in the Rules of Councils, social intercourse, under the name of Ottoman Traditions and Customs, by Cemil Yener 1975; under the title Tables of the Banquet, by Orhan Şaik Gökyay, 1978), Mihr-ü Mah (Sun and Moon), Heft Meclis (Seven Council, the Last Years of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman, the procession of Sultan Selim II), Farsça Divan (Divan* in Persian), Mir'atü'l-Evalim (The Miracles of the Esteemed Prophet), Nusretnâme (Book of Nusret, recounts the Iran Campaign), Câmiü'l-Hubur der Mecâli-ü'l-Sur (The Circumcision Feast of Şehzade Mehmet), Hilyetü'l-Rical (Jewellery of Men, mystic).