Vakʿanüvis Ahmed Lutfî Efendi’nin Bilinmeyen Bir Eseri: Sûrnâme
Sercan KadaşOsmanlı Devleti’nin son saray tarihçilerinden Ahmed Lutfî Efendi, 1866’da atandığı vakʿanüvisliği, vefat ettiği 1907 yılına kadar sürdürerek vakʿanüvislik görevini en uzun süre yerine getiren devlet adamı olmuştur. Târih-i Cevdet’e zeyl olarak yazdığı ve 15 cildini II. Abdülhamid’e sunduğu Târih-i Lutfî ile şöhret bulan Ahmed Lutfî Efendi’nin edebiyat, dil ve eğitim alanlarına ait eserleri de bilinmektedir. 1302/1884’te yayımlanan Dîvânçe-i Vakʿanüvis Ahmed Lutfî’de kaleme aldığı şiirlerini bir araya getirmiş; Lugat-ı Kâmûs adlı sözlüğü hazırlamış, Taʿlîmü’l-Müteʿallim adlı eserin Tefhîmü’l-Muʿallim adıyla çevirisini yapmıştır. Ahmed Lutfî Efendi’nin hakkında hiçbir kaynakta bilgi bulunmayan Sûrnâme adlı bir eserinin müellif hattı müstakil bir yazma hâlinde muhafaza edildiği belirlenmiştir. 1300-1301/1882-1883’te kaleme aldığı Sûrnâme, II. Abdülhamid’in şehzadeleri Mehmed Seyfeddîn, Mehmed Selîm, Abdulmecîd ve Mehmed Şevket’in üç gün devam eden sünnet düğünleri hakkındadır. Ahmed Lutfî Efendi, arşiv belgelerinde de bilgilerine rastlanan sûr-ı hıtân ile ilgili gözlemlerini şairâne ifadeler; beyit, kıta ve bir tarih manzumesi ile destekleyerek zenginleştirme yoluna gitmiştir. Dönemin tarihî, kültürel ve ekonomik durumu ile eski sûr törenlerine dair değerlendirmeler de yapmıştır. Lutfî Efendi Sûrnâmesi, uzun yıllar imparatorluğun ihtişamının bir göstergesi olan sûr-ı hümâyûn ve bu törenlerin tarihî ve edebî kaydı niteliğindeki sûrnâme türünde yaşanan değişimi yansıtmaktadır. Kültür tarihimizin önemli kaynaklarından olan sûrnâmelerin müellifi belli son örnekleri arasında sayılabilecek eser, ilk kez tanıtılacak; biçim, içerik ve üslup bakımından incelenerek çeviri yazısı ile sunulacaktır
Unknown Work of Chronicler Ahmed Lutfî Efendi: Sûrnâme
Sercan KadaşLutfî EFfendi, one of the last palace historians of the Ottoman Empire, served as a chronicler for the longest time, and he continued his duty as a chronicler until his death in 1907, when he was appointed in 1866. Ahmed Lutfî EFfendi became, who became famous with the Târih-i Lutfî he presented to II. Abdülhamid is, also known for his works in literature, language, and education. It has been determined that his work, Sûrnâme, about which there is no information in any source, was preserved in a separate manuscript together with the author's calligraphy. Sûrnâme, which he wrote in 1300-1301/1882-1883, is about the circumcision weddings of II. Abdülhamid’s princes Mehmed Seyfeddîn, Mehmed Selîm, Abdülmecîd and Mehmed Şevket. Ahmed Lutfî EFfendi expressed his observations about the sûr, which is also available in archive documents; He enriched it with couplets, stanzas, and historical poems. He evaluated the historical, cultural, and economic situation of the period and the old sûr ceremonies. Sûrnâme reflects the change in the genre of sûr-i hümâyûn, which was the indicator of the magnificence of the empire for many years, and sûrnâme, which is the historical and literary record of these ceremonies. This work, which can be considered among the last examples of authored sûrnâmes, which are important sources of our cultural history, will be introduced for the first time; Form, content, and stylistic features will be examined and presented with a translation.
Sûrnames, a genre specific to Turkish literature, are texts based on the narration of circumcision or marriage ceremonies organized by the will of the Ottoman sultans. The work we are subject to this study can change common chronological information about the surname genre. While Nâfî’s Peyâm-ı Sûr, written in 1858 and whose translated text was examined by Mehmed Arslan, is accepted as the last example of surnâme, the work we examined was prepared in 1882-1883.
Sûrnâme was, preserved at the University of Leipzig, Cod. Turc. 67 was, prepared by the author entirely in rik’a calligraphy, with varying numbers of lines, and without a ruler. The work, consisting of 6 sheets, is available individually in a volume covered with black cloth.
Lutfî Efendi Sûrnâme comprises of three parts. The chapters are arranged with titles written by the author. In the introduction section, there is information and evaluations about what happened during the preparation phase of the sûr, thoughts about the previous sûrs, and general opinions and information about the prepared sûr. In the second chapter called, Tafsîl-i Sûrnâme, details of the 3-day sûr-ı hümâyûn are given. Although the events are given daily under subheadings, the conversations are summarized or conveyed directly. Lutfî EFfendi stated that he wanted to end the sûrnâme with historical verse, as is the customary. For this purpose, he completed the sûrnâme by writing a ten-couplet history in stanza verse form.
Sûrnâme contains 1 couplet in Turkish, 2 stanzas and historical verse, and one couplet in Persian. All of the mentioned poems have the features of eulogy. The first verse piece, the couplet, contains the poet’s feelings when the sultan came to the area where the wall was built in the “Tafsîl-i Suver-i Eyyâm-ı Sûriyye” section. Lutfî EFfendi manages to integrate the sentences with expressions in the prose section with the expressions in the couplets, both in meaning and form. The second poem is a stanza of two couplets. The author states that after narrating the third day of the Imperial Wall, he wrote a stanza to inform the reader that story has been completed. The last verse of Sûrnâme is a ten-couplet history in stanza form in the poem in which Abdülhamid’s praise is discussed, the sultan’s devotion to the rules of religion is emphasized.
The three-day sûr-ı hıtân, which was organized for the circumcision of Abdülhamid’s princes Mehmed Seyfeddîn, Abdulmecîd, Mehmed Şevket and Mehmed Selîm, was depicted by Ahmed Lutfî EFfendi, who was commissioned by the sultan. In the first part of the work, after the preparations for the circumcision ceremony and the intermediate section in which the author evaluates the activities carried out in the old walls from a critical perspective, the activities carried out from Monday to Wednesday are explained.
The preparations for the sur-ı hıtan, which began with the will of the Sultan, were postponed for a while due to financial difficulties. Considering that the amount of expenditure, which was more than one hundred fifty thousand gold coins, was reduced to sixty thousand by complying with the saving measures, it was decided to build the imperial walls at the end of Filice, 1300, and the necessary preparations for the circumcision of 6000 children were ordered to be completed one week before the determined date.
While Ahmed Lutfî Efendi provided information about the health status of children who were circumcised due to the sûr-ı hıtân, which is the subject of his work, he also included his negative criticisms, highlighting the shortcomings of the old sûr-ı hıtân in an intermediate section not separated by a title. The author evaluated the negative effects caused by the old walls on health, economy, and social life. The author also describes the tents set up in the areas where old palace weddings were held and the entertainment elements in these places from a critical perspective.
Sûr-ı Hümâyûn started on the twenty-first Monday of Filice, 1300. The circumcision procedures of the princes were completed in four. Ulema, sheikhs, and directors were invited to dinner held at 11 in the Mabeyn-i Humayun. After the meal, evening prayers were performed, followed by a “peace lesson” as is customary. The Sultan came to the place where the guests were to give a thank you speech.
On the second day, representatives of non-Muslim subjects; A banquet was held for the patriarchs and the chief rabbi. The Greek Patriarch prayed to the sultan on behalf of the patriarch and the non-Muslim subjects. In the evening, after a banquet organized for military representatives, consisting of two tables for 82 and 151 people, Grand Vizier Said Pasha delivered a speech of thanks and congratulations. On the occasion of Sur, it was decided to release 72 prisoners whose sentences were to be terminated.
On Wednesday evening, a banquet was held for the ambassador, chief translators and bank managers. The circumcision procedures of the six thousand children stated in the introduction continued for a few days after Wednesday, when the Imperial Sura was completed.
The 1300-1301 sûr-ı hıtân, the subject of Lutfî EFfendi’s work, is one of the first examples of the change that palace weddings in the Ottoman Empire experienced in terms of performance and function. This circumcision ceremony is an indication that the entertainment and festivity that had become traditional in palace weddings had ended and social service/social state understanding had been brought to the fore.
Although Sûrname is small in volume, it is important because it contains information about late Ottoman culture, history, life, and the economy. Lutfî EFfendi’s views reflected in the work; It is noteworthy because it includes a change in the approach of the Ottoman intellectuals of the Tanzimat Period, who were raised in institutions providing traditional education, to obsolete institutions and practices.
In the sûrnâme that was examined and the text of which was presented, the first of the palace weddings held during the reign of II. Abdülhamid is discussed. This work, which is a prose surname prepared by the order of the Sultan, is considered to be the last example of sûrnâmes, one of the important genres of divan literature whose, date and author are known.
