Narrative of Travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa, in the Seventeenth Century, Vol. IEvliya Çelebi
History
Narrative of Travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa, in the Seventeenth Century, Vol. I
Evliya Çelebi
Caucasus, South -- Description and travel; Istanbul (Turkey) -- Description and travel; Turkey -- History
If any man have a bad memory which he wishes to improve, he should
place himself beneath the Golden Ball suspended in the middle of the
cupola, and say the morning prayer seven times; three times repeat the
words Allahumma Yá káshifo-l mushkilát Yá ’álimu-s-sir va-l khafiyyát
(_i.e._ O God who openest all difficult things and knowest all secret
and hidden things), and each time eat seven black grapes, and then
whatever he hears will remain fixed in his memory as if engraven
on stone. A most noted example of this was Hamdí Chelebí, son of
Ak-Shemsu-d-dín, who lived in the village of Turbahlí Góïnuk. He was
so foolish and forgetful, that if any one gave him the Selám he was
obliged to write the word Selám on a piece of paper and read it before
he could comprehend that he ought to answer ‘Ve aleïkum es-selám.’
No doctors could do him any good, so that at last he was completely
a prey to forgetfulness, till he went, by Ak-Shemsu-d-dín’s advice,
to Ayá Sófiyah, where, after saying the requisite prayers, and eating
the grapes as prescribed above, beneath the Golden Ball, he was so
completely cured of his stupidity, that he began immediately to compose
his poem of Yusuf and Zuleïkhá, which he finished in seven months;
after which he wrote his Kiyáfet-námeh (Treatise on Physiognomy), which
is known all over the world as a wonderful poem on the nature of the
Sons of Adam.
Fourteenth. The station of the cool window, on the south-east side
(Kibleh) of Ayá Sófiyah, on the inner side of the Imperial Gate, is a
window opening to the north, where fragrant breezes and songs of the
nightingales from the garden outside refresh the soul. It is there
that Ak-Shemsu-d-dín, immediately after the conquests, delivered his
Lectures on Joreïri’s Commentary on the Korán; and having prayed that
all students who pursued their studies there should be blessed with
success, that spot has ever since been a delightful place. It was there
also that our instructor, the Sheïkh of Sheïkhs, Evliyá Efendí, that
master of the art of reading the Korán, delivered his lectures on that
science to some thousands of hearers.
Fifteenth. The station of the Lord Jesus’s cradle, in a corner on the
eastern side of the upper gallery, is a hollow trough of reddish marble
like a cradle, where the Christian women used to place their children
when sick in order to obtain their recovery.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account