A Fatiha!’… My father presented me with a sack containing twelve excellent books of religious guidance… He also gave me 200 musk-scented şerifi gold pieces…” 5Įvliya returns home surprised to learn that his father is well-aware of his visit to Bursa (due to a miraculous dream which had illuminated for him his son’s fervent desire to travel the world). But I have some advice to give you.’ With his right hand, he grasped my left ear, and began to give his counsel… With that he gave me a resounding slap on the back of my neck, twisted my ear, and said, ‘Go forth, may your final end be good. “‘ Come, my son, henceforth you are marked out for travel may God bless you. Get your parents’ and teachers’ blessings His account offers surprisingly relevant tips for the spiritually-aware traveler, even today.Ĥ. His extensive ten-volume account is available in an abridged English translation, 1 unlocking access into a strangely familiar world. In the Seyahatname, Evliya combines detailed descriptions of people and places with colorful anecdotes interspersed with poetry and pithy phrases, often to hilarious (and, occasionally, unsavory) effect. Educated in a courtly medrese with little interest in a bureaucratic career, Evliya-the-traveler embraced roles as diverse as muezzin (caller to prayer), sipahi (soldier), and general representative of the Ottoman Empire while navigating the world.ĭistinguishing himself from both ‘religious fanatics’ and ‘aimless dervishes,’ Evliya saw himself as a more balanced world-traveler who was nonetheless divinely called to the pursuit of travel. The Seyahetname of Evliya Ç elebi is a multivolume travel account of a larger-than-life Ottoman gentleman from 17 th century Anatolia.
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