Harley MS 5494

This volume contains the Tuhfe-yi Şahidi, a well-known versified Persian-Ottoman Turkish vocabulary composed in 920 AH (1514-15 CE) by Şahidi, who died in 957 AH (1550-51 CE).

Mevlana Şahidi, or Şahidi Dede, whose given name was İbrahim, was born in Muğla in the province of Menteşe and entered, like his father Hodayi Dede, the Mevlevi order. He left, apart from the current work, a treatise on prosody and a poetical expansion of the Mesnevi of 600 lines entitled Gulshan-i Tavḥīd.

The current work consists of 26 kıt''alar in various metres, and a last section in mesnevi form. The measure of each kıt''a is expressed in the last line by the technical names of the feet.

In the early part of the manuscript (ff 6r-31v), English glosses are written in a 17th century hand under most words. The first page of the volume has "Brian Braxton his book, 1652". A short Latin notice of the manuscript in the handwriting of Professor Jean Gagnier is also posted on the inside cover.