Harley MS 5457

This volume contains the calendar of Şeyh Vefa.

The second table of the work (f 2r) shows the day of the week on which each of the Hijri months begins in the years 1107-14 AH (1695-1705 CE). The calendar has one page for each of the Syrian months, from Azer to Şubat.

Şeyh Vefa, to whom the Ruzname is commonly ascribed, was a celebrated holy personage who lived in the time of Sultans Mehmet II and Bayezit II and died in 896 AH (1490-91 CE). The date of his death is fixed in a copy of the calendar (Add MS 23591 f 18r) by a chronogram.

His given name was, as stated by the author himself, according to the Şakaik, Mustafa İbn-i Ahmet el-Sadri el-Kunevi, commonly called Vefa, and his lakap was Muslihuddin. Born at Konya, he devoted himself from his youth to a religious life, and had as spiritual guides Şeyh Muslihuddin Halife, İmamu''d-Debbağın of Edirne, and afterwards Şeyh Abdüllatif İbn-i Abdurrahman Kudsi (who died in Bursa in 856 AH/1452-53 CE). He became also well-versed in sundry sciences, especially those of astronomy and music. Having been captured at sea by the Europeans, while on his way to Mekke, he was taken as a prisoner to Rhodes, and afterwards ransomed to Karamanoğlu İbrahim Bey. He subsequently settled in İstanbul , where he died in the aforementioned year in great repute for sanctity. Sultan Bayezit, who wished in vain to see him in his lifetime, insisted on having his face unveiled after death in order to contemplate his features.

This ruzname was copied in 1107 AH (1695-96 CE).