Or 16140

This volume contains a free translation of the Arabic-language Futūḥ al-Shām, which chronicles the conquest of Syria under the caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar. Its translation into Ottoman Turkish was executed by the author and poet Mustafa ibn-i Yusuf Darir Erzenü’r-Rumi (of Erzurum), an author active in the later 8th century AH/14th century CE. The author of the original is not known, though it is often ascribed to Muhammad bin Umar al-Wāqidī (died 207 AH/822 CE).

Mustafa was born blind, and used the mahlas ‘Darir,’ or sometimes ‘Gözsüz,’ as a reference to his sightlessness. He studied in Erzurum, and judging by his translations, mastered both Arabic and Persian. He travelled much throughout his career, first leaving Erzurum for Cairo in 779 AH/1377 CE. While in the city, he enjoyed the patronage of successive Mamluk sultans and completed his best-known work, Siyer-i Nebi, an enlarged free translation of a Prophetic biography in five volumes. He presented the work to Sultan Barquq (died 801 AH/1399 CE, ruled 784-791 and 792-801 AH/1382–1389 and 1389–1399 CE), but after the latter’s removal from the throne, Mustafa was forced to relocate to Karaman. After approximately four years there, he moved to Aleppo in 795 AH/1392 CE, where he enjoyed the patronage of the city’s ruler Amir Julban. Mustafa presented his Fütuhu’ş-Şam to the Emir in 796 AH/1393 CE. His death date is not known.

Although the Fütuhu’ş-Şam was originally composed in four volumes, the present manuscript contains only the third of these. It is also incomplete at the end. According to notes made by the Turcologist C.S. Mundy, former owner of the manuscript, the text agrees with a manuscript present in the Ayasofya collection (Süleymaniye Kütüphanesi, Ayasofya, 3327 or 3328), as distinct from the tradition represented by Fatih 4286. Mustafa’s works represent some of the earliest examples of Old Anatolian Turkish, and are significant for his use of a broad range of vocabulary and incorporation of folk expressions. His works also display some elements of an Azerbaijani dialect.

Begins:

el-Hamd ... ve’s-salat ... Fe’l-Hamd lillah Rabbi’l-‘alemin, Muaz bin Cebrail ‘m [aleyhi’s-selam?] r i … ila sevahili’l-bahr Sahib-i tercüme [Zar]ir-i hakir Mustafa bin Yusuf el-Mevlevi... Fütuhu’ş-Şam Şabinun (sic) tercümesinde üçüncü kitabındaki dil birle…

Ends:

bu hale ittila yok, Bir kişiye bir hal vaki olmağa ol mirine [?]lınca çare yoktur. Vakidi rahmet’üllah ‘aleyh eyder şehir ya [?] [melike?] bir [iş?] andan mirdin [kinuk?] Tammet

The copy is undated; however, it is probably from the 10th century AH/16th century CE.