Early Mystics in Turkish Literature: 2 (Routledge Sufi Series) - Tapa dura

The Muslim World Book Review

Islamic Spirituality- Shiraz Sheikh

Early Mystics in Turkish Literature

After a short discussion on Turkish literature before Ahmad Yasawi, the first part of the book proceeds with an account on the life and times of this great sufi personality. Relying primarily on hagiographical works (velayet-name, manaqib), such as the Jawahir al-Abrar of Hazini.]-[The second part which deals with Yunus Emre, follows a similar format to the one on Yasawi's in almost equal treatment, except now the focus has shifted from Central Asia to Anatolia. In this regard, before embanking on an account of the life of Yunus Emre, Koprulu begins by giving an overview of the first appearances of Turkish "national" literature in Anatolia. It is also in this section that Koprulu deals with the question of the flourishing and spread of Islmic mysticism in Anatolia, with special attention to the life and influence of Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi.

This book is a translation of one of the most important Turkish scholarly works of the twentieth century. It was the masterpiece of M.F. Koprulu, one of Turkey’s leading, and most prolific, intellectuals and scholars. Using a wide variety of Arabic, and especially Turkish and Persian sources, this book sheds light on the early development of Turkish literature and attempts to show the continuity in this development between the Turks and that of Anatolia. Early Mystics in Turkish Literature addresses this topic within the context of other subjects, including Sufism, Islam and the genesis of Turkish culture in the Muslim world.

This is a major contribution to the study of Turkish literature and is essential reading for scholars of Turkish literature, Islam, Sufism and Turkish history.