Or 16037

This volume contains part of the Hamzaname of Hamzavi (died 815 AH/1412-13 CE). It is a lengthy narrative on the mythical exploits of Hamza, paternal uncle of the Prophet Muhammad. The narrative is ‘a conflation of stories from eastern Persia about Ḥamza b. ʿAbd-Allāh the Kharijite,’ (died 181 AH/797-98 CE) and stories of the Prophet’s uncle (Hanaway and Pritchett, ‘ḤAMZA-NĀMA’).

The romance of Hamza was primarily transmitted orally in various languages, including Persian, Urdu, and Arabic. An Old Anatolian Turkish version of the Hamzaname was first written down in the Ottoman lands in the lifetime of its author Hamzavi. It is written mainly in prose, though Hamzavi’s own verse features in some parts. His work found great popularity in succeeding centuries, especially amongst janissaries, in fortresses on the frontier, and in coffee houses. In these places, it was either read from books or recited by storytellers (Albayrak, ‘Hamzanâme’). It consists of almost 200 stories featuring extraordinary events and supernatural beings. The events vary in their connection to historical fact and take place in distant or fictional locations. At least 69 separate volumes of the work have been registered in Turkish libraries.

The present copy consists of twenty-four parts, mainly in prose. It appears to be a surviving portion of what was once a larger codex, since the folios have an old numbering of 168-230. The narrative both begins and ends with the interpretation of dreams. What is now f 1r begins in the middle of a sentence praising God, which suggests that the previous folio may have been the first of a new section, or alternatively that the same codex may have contained a different work or works on the preceding folios. About half of 72 and one-third of 76 are missing, both being torn diagonally. There are also lacunae following 72 and 73.

Begins:

...Allah ‘ala küll hal ve’l-hamdülillah ‘ala küll hal diye Tanrı şükrini yerine getürür anun hisabını bilmezüm didi Hamza gönlüne (düşer?) ki ‘Aceb ne nesne olaki bundan (pek..rek?) bu firişte bilür

Ends:

Hoca eyder, Düş mi gördün Eyder Evet (Eyitgil?) düşini tabir ideyim Kendüzimi gördim bir (?) bir arslanuñ üzarınạ?? binmişim bir yılanı?? boğazından ṭutmuşum

Though undated, this copy is probably from the 11th century AH/17th century CE.