Or 1147

This volume contains the Hamse of Yahya. Although most of the works included are not uncommon, their compilation is fairly unusual. The volume comprises:

ff 1v-31v : Gülşen-i Envar, a religious poem treating the qualities and dispositions necessary to a true devotee, and of the various degrees of holiness. It is in the metre of Nizami's Mahzenü'l-esrar. Although appearing in the first position of the Hamse, this poem was the latest in date. In the epilogue, Yahya speaks of the Hamse as complete and describes himself as a weak old man, bent double with age, like the letter dal. It was composed, however, before the death of Süleyman I (20 Safer 974 AH/6 September 1566 CE), who is addressed in the prologue of this poem, as well as in the other four, as the reigning Sultan. In the same section, the poet names the four great writers of hamseler, namely Nizami, Husrev, Cami and Navoiy, and claims to be ranked next to them;

ff 32v-85v : Yusuf ve Züleyha, in the same metre as the Husrev u Şirin of Nizami and the Yusuf ve Züleyha of Cami. Yahya composed this poem on his journey to Makkah. The first impulse came to him during his stay in Canaan, the birthplace of Yusuf, and he drew a fresh inspiration of the same theme from the sight of the beauties of Egypt, which he describes at length in the prologue. In the epilogue, he asserts that the poem is not a translation, and he claims for it the merit of an original invention;

ff 86v-118r : Gencine-yi Raz, a religious poem in the metre of the Subhatu'l-ebrar of Cami. It is divided into forty sections called maqalat and consists of comments on Arabic texts relating to spiritual life, illustrated by anecdotes. It was composed in the space of less than one month in 947 AH (1540-41 CE), as stated in several lines at the end of the poem. It begins with a section treating the mystic sense of the Besmele. This is indicated by a prose rubric;

ff 119v-153v : Kitab-i usul or Usul-name, a poem containing moral precepts and rules of life, illustrated by anecdotes. This work was written in the metre of Nizami's İskendername;

ff 154v-174v : Şah u Geda, in the metre of Nizami's Heft Peyker. The poem was composed, as stated at the end of the work, in the space of a week. This is the most popular of Yahya's compositions.

Yahya Bey belonged to a noble Albanian family, the Beys of Dukagjin. He followed in his father's footsteps and served as a Janissary, and was subsequently appointed to the stewardship of various vakıflar in Istanbul. His bold elegy on the death of Prince Mustafa, executed by Süleyman I in 960 AH (1552-53 CE), and some biting verses against Rüstem Paşa, drew the ire of the Vezir who, upon being reinstated in 962 AH (1554-55 CE), had the Sultan dismiss Yahya and banish him to the Sancak of Zvornik in Bosnia. Ali, from whose history this anecdote is taken, met him there in 982 AH (1574-75 CE), and says that he was past 80 and still engaged in compiling his Divan when death overcame him in 983 CE (1575-76 CE). Afterwards, the poet's son, Adem Çelebi, brought the preface of the Divan to Ali, which, according to Yahya's wishes, was to be submitted to him for revisions. Yahya Bey was held in high esteem by his contemporaries Kınalızade and Ahdi.

An esoteric drawing features on f 1r comprised of concentric circles divided by arcs and filled with Ottoman Turkish text or alchemical/astrological (?) symbols.

The manuscript was completed in the month of Safer 988 AH (March-April 1580 CE).