İdris-i Bidlîsî’s Letters to Bayezid II and Selim I

Abstract

This article focuses on important unpublished correspondence (cited, however, in a number of publications) of İdris-i Bidlîsî dispatched to Ottoman sultans Bayezid II and Selim I. Two letters were addressed to Bayezid II and the remainder to Selim I. While the correspondence sent to Bayezid was personal in nature, those dispatched to Selim exhibit similar qualities to correspondence regarding the activities of Kurdish chieftains sent to Selim by Bıyıklı Mehmed Paşa, Şâdî Paşa and Şeref Han Bidlîsî. This article, rather than providing an in-depth analysis of the letters, concentrates on providing English-language translations and thus making this unique information available to a wider audience. Considering the scarcity of available resources relating to Bidlîsî, it can be seen that the first two letters dispatched to Bayezid II comprise important information about the life of Bidlîsî not available anywhere else. Those dispatched to Selim also carry valuable details in comparison to Selim Şâh-nâme – our unique source regarding the reign of Selim – and thus demonstrate the importance of the texts.