TURKOMANS BETWEEN TWO EMPIRES: THE ... - Bilkent University

‘Ale’l-fevr niçe bin gümrāhı başına cem’ idüb, ‘Min ba’d devlet ü saltanat
benimdür’ diyū söyledi.
Nazm:
Oldı ashāb-ı fesādāta imām
Didi ‘Hep birdurur helāl ü haram’
Gāret itdi her diyārı bī-hisāb
Köyleri kıldı harāb ender-harāb
Didi ‘cāhil kavlidir fi’l-i nikāh!’
Oldı her ‘avret rıza ile mübāh. 1226
During the early phases of the rebellion an official inspector reported to the Porte
that they (rebels) were spoiling the properties of Muslims, killing them without
regarding whether those they kill are children or women, setting fire to villages and
towns. The inspector also recorded, the rebels were preaching among people, “the Shah
himself also will come by ‘the time of peach’ 1227 , from now on the country is our.” 1228
The unknown reporter calls special attention to the inconsistent attitudes of Şahkulu
regarding his own status: ‘In one instance he claims to be the Mahdi himself, while in
another instance he says ‘the Shah died and his country became mine, the country is
mine’. Still on some other occasions he says ‘I will die in few days, the country is
mine’.” 1229 Prince Osman, on the other hand, portrays him as pretending to be Mahdi,
who claimed “from now on the country is our”. 1230
Haniwaldanus Anonym’s account is rather interesting in this respect. According
to Haniwaldanus Anonym, One day Şahkulu gathered his disciples and uttered to them a
1226 ALI, p. 927. SLZ repeats ALI’s account on this affair. See SLZ1, p. 445.
1227 The time when peaches maturate, which roughly corresponds to early summer. Remembering that the
rebellion started in early April the rebels seem to have moved with the hope of meeting their shah at the
end of their movement.
1228 “...Cemi’ ‘alem halkına avāze yapmışlardır ki zerdalu vakdında Şah da gelse gerekdir. Memleket
bizimdür deyū mühmelat söylerler...” TSA, document E. 6187.
1229 “…Gāh mehdilik davasın eder gāh Şah öldü ānın vilāyeti bana değdi memleket benimdir der. Gāh
birkaç günlük ömrüm vardır memleket benimdir deyu birbirine muhalif kelimat eder...” TSA, document E.
6187.
1230 “...Varub Teke’nin tamam kaydın gördükden sonra mezkūr bedbaht mehdilik davasın edüb bundan
sonra memleket bizimdür deyu da’va edüb andan göçüb Hamid sancağına duhūl edüb...” TSA, document
E 2829.
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