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

also appears another word which would be frequently seen in later descriptions of the
qizilbashes by Ottoman writers: ‘evbaş’ which literally means vagrant. 1744
Kemalpaşazāde’s description of Ismail and his disciples further develops and gets closer
to the official formulation of later Ottoman ulemā, which evolved in its final form during
the reign of Selim I, in his narration of Ismail’s capture of Bagdad in 1508. 1745 He uses,
for the first time, the words ‘kızılbaş’, ‘gümrāh’, and ‘evbaş’ together. 1746 This words
would evolve into formulaic expression of the Ottoman religious scholars in a few years.
Perhaps what is more significant is that Kemalpaşazāde firstly atributes ‘rafaza’ 1747 to
Ismail and his followers. He says that when Bagdad fell in the hands of Ismail only those
who were supposed to pursue shi’ite faith avoided his wrath. He massacred Sunni
population of the city. 1748 This is the last connotation attributed to the qizilbash identity
in the eighth defter of Kemalpaşazāde’s Tevārih.
1744 KPZ8a, p. 251.
1745 The conquest of Baghdād and the occupation of ‘Iraq-i ‘Arab marked the final stage in the conquest by
the Safavids of the former Aqqoyunlu territories. See Roger Savory, “The Consolidation of Safawid
Power in Persia”, Der Islam, 41, 1965, p. 77.
1746 KPZ8a, p. 277.
1747 The connotation of this word is quite comprehesive and variable in Ottoman context. But still some
consistent elements of meaning can be detected in almost all usages. First of all ‘rafaza’ associates with
shi’ite connotations such as disregarding first three true chalips – especially first two – and Aisha, the wife
of the Prophet, and exalting Ali and his offspring. In connection to the shi’ite content in its meaning
‘rafada’ also refers to religious heresy in Ottoman context.
1748 “...geldi Bağdad’ı aldı. Ol sevād ābāda dahī nehr-i kahr ü bī-dādı saldı. Rafzla müttehem olanlar ehl-i
bid’atdan hāli mübhem olanlar kurtuldular. Onlar ki, eshāb-ı sünnet ü cem’atdılar gark-āb-ı ‘azābda
boğuldılar. Māhi-yi āsār-ı bid’at olanların harmenini yile virüb, hāmī-i şi’ār-ı şeri’at olanları ol
havāliden ayırub, Medinetü’s-selām Bağdad’ı ālām-ı Đslām’dan hāli kıldı. Nūr-ı hidāyetün menba’ını
zulmet-i dalāletle mālī kıldı. Ceyş-i bed-kīşi Bağdad’a bir iş itdi ki, şerha kābil değil. Ol bī-dādların
fesādların fesādların beyāna lisān mütehammil değil. ..
Dil niçe şerh eylesün düşmenlerün bī-dādını
Yıkdılar dārü’s-selām u sulhun bünyādını
Niçe akmasun gözümün kanlu yaşı Dicle-vār
Leşker-i gam geldi yıkdı gönlün Bağdādını.” See KPZ8a, p. 278.
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