Or 16237 (1)

This volume contains a medical treatise, with some passages in verse, by the physician Nidai (died after 975 AH/1567 CE). Known also as Kaysunizade Nidai Mehmed Çelebi, he is not to be confused with Kaysunizade Bedrüddin (died 976 AH/1568 CE), another prominent Ottoman physician and author of Zadü’l-mesir fi ʿilaci’l-bevasir.

He was likely born around 915 AH/1509 CE, and at some point came to Ankara from Jerusalem with his father. During a trip to Crimea, he was well received by Sahib Giray I, who he also taught for a period. Nidai also served as his ambassador to the court of Süleyman the Magnificent, but later fell out of favour and was imprisoned for seven years, during which time he devoted himself to the Sufi path and composed mystical poetry. Upon his release, he studied medicine with an elderly descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. He then emigrated from Crimea to Konya, where he came under the patronage of Şehzade Selim (later Sultan Selim II, ruled 974-82 AH/1566-74 CE). When the latter came to the throne, Nidai was made a palace physician.

Nidai completed the Menafiu’n-nas in 974 AH/1566 CE and dedicated the work to his patron Selim II. He based his work on a work in Persian. It consists of sixty bablar (introduced on ff 6r-7r), with segments of verse in the mesnevi style. The work opens with forty-four beyitler (3v-4v), followed by an introduction with Qur’anic verses and hadith related to the science of medicine (4v-6r). In the final section of the work, Nidai shares some of his travels and the events he encountered. The work was widely used, judging by the sheer amount of surviving copies.

Begins:

Besmele, ey hekim ü alim-i lem-yezeli * ilm ü hikmetde kamil-i ezeli / hikmetin bahri dolu gevheri hass * nice Lokmanı eyledin gavvas

Ends:

Onun şevkiyle cuş etti bu derya * iki âlemde olsun sadr-ı a‘la

Devam-i devleti olsun ziyade * iki âlemde irsün her murada…

There is a simple illuminated heading on f 1v and colouring between text lines or columns on several other folios. There are text frames in black and gold on ff 3-10 and 69-78. Other contents of this volume include titles of the manuscript and printed contents of the volume on 1v and a medicinal formula on 3r. Though undated, this copy is likely from the 13th century AH/19th century CE.