Karacaoglan
Encyclopedia
Karacaoğlan is a 17th century Ottoman
folk poet and ashik
. His exact dates of birth and death are unknown
but it is widely accepted that he was born around 1606 and died around 1680. He lived around the city of Mut
near Mersin
.
His poetry gave a vivid picture of nature, and village life, in Anatolia settlements.
This kind of folk poetry, as distinct from the poetry of the Ottoman palace,
was rediscovered only after the foundation of the Turkish Republic in 1923
and then became an important influence on modern lyric poetry, with Karacaoğlan being
its foremost exponent.
called Varsak. Others suggest that he is from the village of the same name, but in modern day
Osmaniye
. And Someone suggest he lived in Kahramanmaras
.The Barak tribe of Gaziantep
as well as the Çavuşlu tribe of Kilis claim he is from
their town. Most, however, believe that he was born near Çukurova
and lived among the Turkish
tribes in that mountainous region of southern Anatolia. lkş
Karacaoğlan was his pseudonym. His real name is thought to be Simayil, Halil or Hasan. According to
Hodja Hamdi Efendi of Akşehir
, he was an orphan. He left town at an early age. In some of his poetry
it is indicated that he took two of his sisters all the way to Bursa or Istanbul
. He spemost of his life in Çukurova
and Maraş
. Even though not known with certainty, it is believed that he died in
modern day Kahramanmaraş
.
He lived in an era when the Ottoman Empire
was under economic and political turmoil. The topics
of his poetry reflect the nature in which he was embedded, along
with the Turkish nomadic culture of the Toros
mountains of which he was a part.
The main themes of this poetry stemmed out of nature, love, longing for home, and death.
As with other Turkish folk poetry of his time in Anatolia, and in contrast to the poetry
of the Ottoman palace, his language was expressive,
yet unadorned, direct, and simple. With a big heart, he fell in love with women and
wrote poetry about them getting water from a fountain, or making bread.
His poetry were in the forms of koşma, türkü, mani, varsağı, üçleme, destan,
güzelleme and koçaklama.
More than five hundred of his poems have survived to this day.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
folk poet and ashik
Ashik
An Ashik is a mystic troubadour or traveling bard, in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, and Iran who sings and plays the saz, a form of lute. Ashiks' songs are semi-improvised around common bases....
. His exact dates of birth and death are unknown
but it is widely accepted that he was born around 1606 and died around 1680. He lived around the city of Mut
near Mersin
Mersin
-Mersin today:Today, Mersin is a large city spreading out along the coast, with Turkey's second tallest skyscraper , huge hotels, an opera house, expensive real estate near the sea or up in the hills, and many other modern urban...
.
His poetry gave a vivid picture of nature, and village life, in Anatolia settlements.
This kind of folk poetry, as distinct from the poetry of the Ottoman palace,
was rediscovered only after the foundation of the Turkish Republic in 1923
and then became an important influence on modern lyric poetry, with Karacaoğlan being
its foremost exponent.
Biography
There is very little known about his life. Some say he was born near Mount Kozan, near a villagecalled Varsak. Others suggest that he is from the village of the same name, but in modern day
Osmaniye
Osmaniye
-External links:...
. And Someone suggest he lived in Kahramanmaras
Kahramanmaras
-Industry:Kahramanmaraş's industry is mainly based on textile and ice cream. Kahramanmaraş is one of the biggest textile industry cities of Turkey. Companies like Kipaş, İskur, Arsan and Bozkurt are one of the richest companies in the city...
.The Barak tribe of Gaziantep
Gaziantep
Gaziantep , Ottoman Turkish: Ayintab) previously and still informally called Antep; ʻayn tāb is a city in southeast Turkey and amongst the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. The city is located 185 kilometres northeast of Adana and 127 kilometres by road north of Aleppo, Syria...
as well as the Çavuşlu tribe of Kilis claim he is from
their town. Most, however, believe that he was born near Çukurova
Çukurova
Çukurova , historically known as Cilicia, is a geographic, economic and cultural region in south-central Turkey, covering the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye and Hatay...
and lived among the Turkish
tribes in that mountainous region of southern Anatolia. lkş
Karacaoğlan was his pseudonym. His real name is thought to be Simayil, Halil or Hasan. According to
Hodja Hamdi Efendi of Akşehir
Aksehir
Akşehir is a town and district of Konya Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 114,918 of which 63,000 live in the town of Akşehir...
, he was an orphan. He left town at an early age. In some of his poetry
it is indicated that he took two of his sisters all the way to Bursa or Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. He spemost of his life in Çukurova
Çukurova
Çukurova , historically known as Cilicia, is a geographic, economic and cultural region in south-central Turkey, covering the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye and Hatay...
and Maraş
Maras
In ancient Latvia, Māras or Māras diena was a festival, celebrated on August 15, held in honor of Māra, the Latvian goddess. It marked the midpoint between Jāņi and Miķeļi...
. Even though not known with certainty, it is believed that he died in
modern day Kahramanmaraş
Kahramanmaras
-Industry:Kahramanmaraş's industry is mainly based on textile and ice cream. Kahramanmaraş is one of the biggest textile industry cities of Turkey. Companies like Kipaş, İskur, Arsan and Bozkurt are one of the richest companies in the city...
.
He lived in an era when the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
was under economic and political turmoil. The topics
of his poetry reflect the nature in which he was embedded, along
with the Turkish nomadic culture of the Toros
Toros
Toros may refer to:Sports*Austin Toros, NBA Development League minor league basketball team*Western District Toros, a soccer club from Adelaide, South AustraliaGeography*Taurus Mountains , a mountain range in southern Turkey...
mountains of which he was a part.
The main themes of this poetry stemmed out of nature, love, longing for home, and death.
As with other Turkish folk poetry of his time in Anatolia, and in contrast to the poetry
of the Ottoman palace, his language was expressive,
yet unadorned, direct, and simple. With a big heart, he fell in love with women and
wrote poetry about them getting water from a fountain, or making bread.
His poetry were in the forms of koşma, türkü, mani, varsağı, üçleme, destan,
güzelleme and koçaklama.
More than five hundred of his poems have survived to this day.