Ahmet Câmî-i Rûmî [a] also known as Câmî-i Mısrî [b] was an Ottoman official, poet and translator who flourished in the 16th century.
Almost nothing is known about Câmî-i Rûmî apart from his career. [1] Not even the dates and places of his birth and death are known. [1] He served as a soldier in the royal Ottoman court in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul, Turkey) before being appointed treasurer in the Egypt Eyalet under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent ( r. 1520–1566). While in Egypt, four of his sons died during a plague. Câmî-i Rûmî was subsequently sent to Mecca for three years, where he oversaw the renovation of the Ka'aba ( c. 1551-55). [1]
Thereafter, he returned to Constantinople, where he received promotion before leaving for Egypt once again. During his second stay in Egypt he translated Husayn Kashifi's Rawżat ol-šohadāʾ from Persian into Turkish for Sultan Suleiman. [1] He entitled his translation the Sa'adat-nama; he used simple language, but embellished it with poems of Turkish and Persian poets. [1] He received recognition for the quality of his translation, and was subsequently appointed governor of a sanjak in Egypt. He continued serving as governor under Sultan Murad III ( r. 1574–1595). [1]
Osman G. Özgüdenli notes that Câmî-i Rûmî's writings were never collected in a divan. [1] However, he adds that some of his poems are found in tazkeras and anthologies. There are many extant manuscripts of Câmî-i Rûmî's translation. The oldest (dated 1578) is stored at the Topkapı Palace Library. [1]
Ahmet Câmî-i Rûmî [a] also known as Câmî-i Mısrî [b] was an Ottoman official, poet and translator who flourished in the 16th century.
Almost nothing is known about Câmî-i Rûmî apart from his career. [1] Not even the dates and places of his birth and death are known. [1] He served as a soldier in the royal Ottoman court in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul, Turkey) before being appointed treasurer in the Egypt Eyalet under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent ( r. 1520–1566). While in Egypt, four of his sons died during a plague. Câmî-i Rûmî was subsequently sent to Mecca for three years, where he oversaw the renovation of the Ka'aba ( c. 1551-55). [1]
Thereafter, he returned to Constantinople, where he received promotion before leaving for Egypt once again. During his second stay in Egypt he translated Husayn Kashifi's Rawżat ol-šohadāʾ from Persian into Turkish for Sultan Suleiman. [1] He entitled his translation the Sa'adat-nama; he used simple language, but embellished it with poems of Turkish and Persian poets. [1] He received recognition for the quality of his translation, and was subsequently appointed governor of a sanjak in Egypt. He continued serving as governor under Sultan Murad III ( r. 1574–1595). [1]
Osman G. Özgüdenli notes that Câmî-i Rûmî's writings were never collected in a divan. [1] However, he adds that some of his poems are found in tazkeras and anthologies. There are many extant manuscripts of Câmî-i Rûmî's translation. The oldest (dated 1578) is stored at the Topkapı Palace Library. [1]