Sultan Veled

Theologian poet (b. 1226, Larende / Karaman - d. 11 November 1312, Konya). He is the son of Mevlânâ Celâleddîn Rûmî. His actual name was Bahaeddin Muhammed. He was raised with lessons he took from his father. On the death of Çelebi Hüsameddin, his father’s successor in 1284, he accepted the position and became the Sheikh. However, he made it clear that the real successor should have been Kerimüddin Bektemür and until his death, he had great respect for him. Sultan Veled, who in his youth served his father and later on Çelebi Hüsameddin, put the principles and ceremonies of the sect of the Mevlevi dervishes in order when he became the Sheikh. He made concerted efforts until he died, in order for sect of the Mevlevi to expand. He is buried next to his father in the Mevlânâ tomb.

His works are the most dependable primary sources for research related to Mevlânâ and the sect of the Mevlevi dervishes. Sultan Veled’s poems are not important because of their artistic features, but due to them being the first examples of old Anatolian Turkish. All his works originate from the guidance of theosophy.

WORKS:

Divan (Divan*, 129 verses in Turkish, the rest of them in Persian, 12179 verses in total), İbtidaname (Mesnevi*), Rübabname (Mesnevi*), İntibânâme (Mesnevi*), Maarif (Mesnevi* annotation, Meliha Anbarcıoğlu, translator, second edition, 1966). The Turkish pieces in his Divan* and mesnevi*s, were collected by Çelebi Veled in the work named Divan-ı Türki-i Sultan Veled (Sultan Veled’s Turkish Divan*, 1925) and by Mecdud Mansuroğlu with the number of Turkish verse numbering 367, in the book named Sultan Veled’in Türkçe Manzumeleri (Sultan Veled’s Turkish Poems, 1958).