AHMET PASA BURSALI (1474)

One of the most important figures in 15th-century Turkish literature.


Born into a prominent family of sayyids (Muslims who claim lineal descent from the Prophet), Ahmet Pasa received a classical Islamic education and was appointed as a teacher in the madrasah or religious college named after the Ottoman sultan Murat II (1421-51) in the city of Bursa. In 1451 he took the important post of qadi or judge of the city of Edirne. With the accession of Sultan Mehmet II (1451-81), he became qadi asker or military judge and tutor to the Sultan and took part in the conquest of Constantinople in 1453. After falling out of favour with the Sultan, he spent many years in virtual exile in Bursa and then as governor of a number of Ottoman cities. With the accession of Sultan Bayezid (1481-1512), however, he continued his career in government service until his death in 1496/97.


Principally a panegyrist, Ahmet Pasa wrote mainly qasidahs or odes and ghazals or lyrics and is considered the first master of classical poetry in Ottoman literature. Laying the foundation for Turkish literary style and language, he wrote with a grace and refinement that was much appreciated by his contemporaries. The melodius poems in his Divan or Collected Poems had a strong influence on later Ottoman classical poets, securing for him an important place in Turkish literary history.