Chagatai poet (b. 9 February 1441,
Heart / Afghanistan – d. 3 January 1501). His father was Gıyaseddin Kiçkine who
was called Kiçkine Bahadır or Kiçkin Bahşi. Nevai lived in Iraq with his father
for a time. Upon his father’s death, he was supported by Ebu’l Gazi Babür for
whom his father had previously served. He completed his education at the
science centers of the period such as Meshed and Samarqand. When his childhood
friend and foster brother Hüseyin Baykara became the sultan of Horasan, he
served and lived with him until his death.
Nevai who was appointed as private
secretary at Herat Palace, became the second man of power, the first being the
sultan. Although being an intimate friend to the Sultan, Nevai never forgot his
ministerial affairs and he not only served the country in its development of
science and art and architecture and techniques, but also in the progression in
the areas of society and economics.
Thanks to his efforts, Herat became an
important scientific center. In cooperation with Hüseyin Baykara, he started an
impressive period of literature during his lifetime.
Nevai, both as a poet and a
philosopher, was a religious scholar who strived for the development of Turkish
and the presentation of the language. He was a knowledgeable poet of Arabian
and Persian literature so he was able to elaborate on their deeper meanings. He
attempted to glorify Turkish literature and the Turkish language. In Muhakemetü’l Lugateyn (The Trial of the
Two Languages) (1498) he asserted that Turkish was equal to Arabic and Persian
in respect to meaning and pronunciation and ascertained that it was easier to
read poems in Turkish. One of his most important works, Mecalisü’n-Nefais (Council of the Exquisites, 1491) is his first
poetry anthology.
WORKS:
DIVAN*: Hazâinü'l-Maânî (Treasure of Meanings,
Four Turkish Divans*: Garaibü's Sigar (Garib of the Young), Nevâdirü'ş
Şebâb (Value of Youth), Bedâyiü'l Vasât (Average Beauty), Fevaidü'l-Kiber
(Advantages of Maturity) and a Persian Divan* as well.
MESNEVI: Hayretü'l Ebrâr (Surprises of the Good), Ferhâd-ü Şirin (Ferhad and Şirin), Leylî vü Mecnun (Leyla and Mecnun), Seb'âi Seyyâre (Seven
Planets), Sedd-i İskenderî (Great Wall of Alexandria).
SCIENTIFIC-LITERARY
WORKS: Muhakemetü'l Lugateyn (The
Trial of the Two Languages),
Mecâlisü'n-Nefâis (Council of the Exquisites), Mizânü'l Evzân (The Measure of Meters), Nesâimü'l Mehabbe (Breezes of the Place from Which Wind
Originated, translation of Nefahatü'l-üns-Breath of Confidence by Molla
Jami), Hamsetü'l Mütehayyirin (5 Mesnevi’s* of Confused Ones), Hayat-ı Pehlevan Muhammed (The Life of
Pehlevan Muhammed), Hâlât -ı Hasan
Ardeşir (The Incidents of Hasan Ardeşir),
Risale-i Muamma (The Mysterious Book),
Münşeât (Letters, in Turkish),
Münşeât (Letters, in Persian),
Nazmü'l-Cevahir (Gems of Poetry),
Tarih-i Enbiyâ (History of the Prophets),
Hukemâ (Scholars), Tarih-i Mülûk-i
Acem (History of Persian Sultans),
Vakfiyye (About Foundations), Çihil Hadis (Forty Hadis*), Mahbubu'l
Kulub (Lovers of the Hearts, about
the life of the people in Herat
and its surrounding), Lisanü't-Tayr (The
Language of the Birds, a poem resembling Mantıku't Tayr-The Conference
of the Birds by Farid od-Din Attar).
REFERENCE: Fuad Köprülü / Ali Şir Nevaî (1941), Ali Nihat Tarlan /
Ali Şir Nevaî (1942), Zeki Velidî Togan
/ Ali Şir (İslam Ansiklopedisi, c. 1), Abdülkadir İnan / Ali Şir Nevaî ve
Folklor (Türk Folklor Araştırmaları, sayı: 182, 1964), Ahmed Caferoğlu, Türk
Dili Tarihi (c. 2, 1964), Vahap Kabahasanoğlu / Ali Şir Nevaî (1984), Behçet
Necatigil / Edebiyatımızda İsimler Sözlüğü (18. bas. 1999), İhsan Işık / Yazarlar
Sözlüğü (1990, 1998) - Türkiye Yazarlar Ansiklopedisi (2001, 2004) – Encyclopedia
of Turkish Authors (2005) - Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve
Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (2006, gen. 2. bas. 2007) – Ünlü Edebiyatçılar
(Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 4, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous
People (2013).