Âşıkî, Manzume 115: Murâd Han kim Selânik aldı n'itdi

Manzume 115 — Murâd Han kim Selânik aldı n'itdi

Amasya05 Editorial Board • Editor: Mevlüt Erdem Öztürk • 01 October 2026 • Updated: 14 October 2026 • 3 min reading

Murad's designs on the Morea and Hungary, in five couplets: Salonica falls in a moment in 833 (1430) at his cry "the fortress is booty, gazis".

Original Ottoman Turkish Text

Murâd Han kim Selânik aldı n'itdi
Mora'ya Üngürüz'e niyyet etdi.

Paşalara buyurdı turmañuz tîz
Hak'uñ fazlı velîler himmet itdi

Kâfirler maglûb u makhûr cihânda
Bil İslâm ehli cümle milki tutdı

Yörimek vaktıdur tîz yöriyelüm
Gāzi erenler uş öñümce gitdi

Baña dirler Murâd turma gazâ it
Muhammed mu'ciziyle yardım itdi

In English

1. Murad Han, who took Salonica, what did he do: he set his intention on the Morea and on Hungary.

2. He commanded the paşas: "Do not stay, be quick; God's grace (is with us), the saints have given their aid.

3. The infidels in the world are defeated and crushed; know that the people of Islam have held the whole realm.

4. It is time to march, let us march quickly; the gazi saints have gone, look, ahead of me.

5. They tell me, 'Murad, do not stay, wage gazâ'; Muhammad has helped with his miracle."

Literary and Historical Commentary

The Fortress Is Booty

The siege of Salonica fills the hundred and fourth chapter. Murad passes beyond Serres, ships are brought from Gallipoli, the call "intention of gazâ" goes out and Salonica is besieged. Many gazis gather from round about; they fight for some days. At last the khan asks the paşas for a plan to take this fortress. Evrenezoğlu Ali Beg replies: fighting for this fortress is very hard; to take it, plunder must be proclaimed. Murad says, "Hey, the fortress is booty, gazis"; hearing the news of plunder the gazis bring ladders from every side, give the defenders no time to blink, get into the fortress, and the town falls in a moment. The booty is rich and the captives many; houses are left empty. Those who wish to stay are given their houses as property, and the people of Vardar Yenicesi are driven out and settled in Salonica. After the conquest Murad says: "Hey, gazis, there is no greater blessing than this, that gazis sack a fortress... So I have greatly loved this gazâ." The date is 833 (1430).

The Next Campaign

Salonica is taken; the five couplets look to the next step: Murad sets his intention on the Morea and on Hungary. From the second couplet the speech comes from Murad's mouth. He tells the paşas not to stay; God's grace and the saints' aid are with them. In the fourth couplet "gāzi erenler uş öñümce gitdi", the gazi saints have gone ahead of me, reflects a belief that the gazi saints, the souls of the gazis who have died, show the way ahead. In the fifth couplet the voices telling Murad "do not stay, wage gazâ" and the miracle of the Prophet are named. These five couplets turn Murad's words in the prose, that he loved this gazâ, into a call to campaign. The refrain is built with "itdi/etdi/tutdı/gitdi"; the spellings "itdi" and "etdi" side by side in the first couplet are left as in the edition.