Evliya Çelebi
[4] In his book, Evliya Çelebi traces his paternal genealogy back to Ahmad Yasawi, the earliest known Turkic poet and an early Sufi mystic.[7] His journal-writing began in Istanbul, with the taking of notes on buildings, markets, customs and culture, and in 1640 it was augmented with accounts of his travels beyond the confines of the city."[16] Evliya Çelebi, who traveled around Anatolia and the Balkans in the 17th century, mentioned the northeast of Bulgaria as the Uz (Oğuz) region, and that a Turkish speaking Muslim society named Çıtak consisting of medium-sized, cheerful and strong people lived in Silistra, and also known as the "Dobruca Çitakları" in Dobruja.[17] In 1660 Çelebi went to Kosovo and referred to the central part of the region as Arnavud (آرناوود) and noted that in Vushtrri its inhabitants were speakers of Albanian or Turkish and few spoke Bosnian.[18] Çelebi referred to the "mountains of Peja" as being in Arnavudluk (آرناوودلق) and considered the Ibar river that converged in Mitrovica as forming Kosovo's border with Bosnia.He visited Tirana, Lezha, Shkodra and Bushat in 1662, Delvina, Gjirokastra, Tepelena, Skrapar, Përmet, Berat, Kanina, Vlora, Bashtova, Durrës, Kavaja, Peqin, Elbasan, and Pogradec in 1670.Evliya Çelebi remarked on the impact of Cossack raids from Azak upon the territories of the Crimean Khanate, destroying trade routes and severely depopulating the regions.By the time of Çelebi's arrival, many of the towns visited were affected by the Cossacks, and the only place in Crimea he reported as safe was the Ottoman fortress at Arabat.[34] Although many of the descriptions in the Seyahatnâme were written in an exaggerated manner or were plainly inventive fiction or third-source misinterpretation, his notes remain a useful guide to the culture and lifestyles of the 17th century Ottoman Empire.The longest single English translation was published in 1834 by Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall, an Austrian orientalist: it may be found under the name "Evliya Efendi."
ConstantinopleOttoman EmpireIstanbulTurkeySeyahatnâmeOttoman TurkishOttomantravelogueÇelebihonorificKütahyaOttoman courtAbkhazianMehmed IVMelek Ahmed PashaAhmad YasawiGulshanikhanqahrecite the Quran from memoryMurad IVKhalwatidervishNative AmericansRotterdamViennaGermanPersianIndo-European languagesChaniaCandia campaignCroatiaDalmatiaSlavoniaMeđimurjeBanijahistoriographicethnographicCircassiaThe Old BridgeMostarOttoman Bosniacelebrated bridgeSilistraDobrujaTatarsVlachsBulgariansVushtrriAlbanianTurkishBosnianTetovoPrizrenIbar riverMitrovicaBosniaSitnicaAlbaniaTiranaShkodraBushatDelvinaGjirokastraTepelenaSkraparPërmetKaninaDurrësKavajaElbasanPogradecParthenonSafavidCossackCrimean KhanateCrimeaArabatslave tradeStephan Hanna StephanPalestine Department of AntiquitiespilgrimageJoseph von Hammer-PurgstallAnatoliaRobert Dankofflanguages of the CaucasusTsakonianArabian horsesCaucasusAzerbaijanArmeniaRumeliaKurdistanRussiaBalkansHungaryfourth Austro-Turkish WarAustriaGreeceSkopjeNorth MacedoniaOrhan PamukThe White CastleSlovakJuraj ČervenákHezârfen Ahmed ÇelebiLagâri Hasan ÇelebiUNESCOLycian spring minnowFreyhofray-finned fishCyprinidaeAhmad ibn FadlanKâtip ÇelebiEvliya Çelebi WayTurkish literatureBruinessen, MartinDankoff, RobertSimon Sebag MontefioreFarmer, Henry GeorgeLewis, BernardSpeake, JenniferSerb National CouncilElsie, RobertHolt, Frank L.Saudi Aramco WorldSaudi Aramco