Amasyalıdır. Eşrâf ü sâdât-i Hüseynîyyeden Çırçırlı ve oğlu es-Seyyîd Abdullah Bey bin es-Seyyîd Mehmed Bey’in mahdûmudur. Vezîr Firârî es-Seyyîd Hasan Paşa’nın torunu olduğundan “Âsafî” lakabını aldı. Evâil-i hâlinde züamâdan olup alaybeyi de olmuşdu.
[25] 1184’de me’mûr olduğu Rus harbinden firâr etmekle açığa çıkarıldı. Sonra dervişliğe bozdu. Güzel bağlama çalardı. Âbâ u ecdâdından kalan servetini sefâhatla tüketdi. Kahve şâiri olup şehzâdeler türbesi civârında Fethullah Ağa’nın kahvehânesinde 1210 sâline kadar yaşadı. Ba’dehû vefât etdi. Yeniçeriler ve Bekrîler arasında şöhreti vardı. “Destancı” da denirdi.
In Modern English
He was a native of Amasya, the son of Seyyid Abdullah Bey, son of Çırçırlı, of the seyyid and notable families, who in turn was the son of Seyyid Mehmed Bey. Because he was a grandson of the fugitive vizier Seyyid Hasan Pasha, he took the epithet "Âsafî". In his early years he had been among the holders of zeamets (large military fiefs) and had also served as alaybeyi.
In 1184 [1770-71] he was suspended because he fled the Russian war to which he had been assigned. He then turned to dervishhood. He played the bağlama beautifully. He used up through extravagance the wealth left from his fathers and ancestors. He was a coffeehouse poet; he lived in the coffeehouse of Fethullah Ağa near the princes' tombs until 1210 [1795-96]. Then he died. He was well known among the Janissaries and the Bektashis. He was also called "Destancı" (the epic-singer).
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- eşrâf ü sâdât-ı Hüseynîyye: seyyids descended from Imam Hüseyin, and respected families
- vezîr firârî: a vizier who fled his post
- zü'amâ: the class of cavalry holding large timars called zeamets
- alaybeyi: the bey at the head of the military units within a sanjak
- sefâhat: fondness for amusement and extravagance
- Bekrîler: the Bektashis, or the community known in cities by the name Bekrî
The Coffeehouse Poet and the Epic Tradition
Âsafî Ahmed Bey is one of the known names of the ashik-style epic narration that flourished in and around Amasya. According to an article written on the subject, singing epics to the accompaniment of the saz in coffeehouses was a pursuit that drew interest in Janissary and Bekrî circles in times of war and campaign. The same study mentions Âsafî for the beauty of his voice and melody and his skill in playing the saz and reciting epics. Hüsameddin's sentence "he had fame among the Janissaries and the Bekrîs" agrees with this.
On the location of the coffeehouse the sources seem to differ: Hüsameddin names the coffeehouse of Fethullah Ağa near the princes' tombs, while the record in the article speaks of a coffeehouse in the Selağzı area, at the place also known as the Garibler Mosque. Hüsameddin, however, associates the Selağzı coffeehouse not with Âsafî but with Âşık Mehmed Ağa (Odabaşıoğlu); the record in the article may have conflated the two minstrels. Whether these two accounts point to the same place could not be verified. For the date of death Hüsameddin indicates a time after 1210 [1795-96]; a different year was seen in another record, but since the full text of the article could not be reached, no comparison could be made.
The claim on which the epithet Âsafî rests, that is, that his lineage reaches back to the fugitive vizier Seyyid Hasan Pasha, was not confirmed in sources other than Hüsameddin.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 18–18. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies
Official sources
- Amasya Belediyesi, Amasya Şairleri: Seçme Şiirler Antolojisi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları.