Burhanettin, Gazi Ahmet

(also Burhanettin Sivasi). Born Jan. 8, 1345, in Kayseri; died 1398. Poet, scientist, and statesman who wrote in Azerbaijani, Persian, and Turkish.

Burhanettin studied in Egypt and Iraq. During the years 1365 to 1380 he was first the kadi (religious judge) and later the ruler of Sivas, in Turkey, holding the title of sultan. His verse divan, preserved in a single copy in the British Museum (London; facsimile in Istanbul, 1943), consists of 1, 500 ghazals, 20 quatrains (rubai), and 119 tuyugs, or short mystical erotic verses. The influence of mysticism does not overshadow the major aspect of his verses, which is living human thoughts and feelings. The severe spirit of a poet-warrior and Burhanettin’s sincerity are felt in his poetry. The verses are written primarily according to the rules of aruz. Burhanettin was the author of works on Muslim jurisprudence.