Yunus Emre

Yûnus Emre
يونس امره
Statue of Yûnus Emre in Karaman, Turkey
Personal
Born	1238 Sarıköy near Sivrihisar,[1][2] Sultanate of Rum, now Turkey
Died	1320 Yunusemre (formerly Saru), Ottoman Beylik, now Turkey
Religion	Islam
Era	[13th - 14th Centuries]
Known for	Sufism, Diwan in Old Anatolian Turkish
Muslim leader
Period in office	13th and 14th century
Influenced by Tapduk Emre, Rumi, Ahmed Yesevi, Haji Bektash Veli, Ahi Evren, Sarı Saltık

Yunus Emre (Turkish pronunciation: [juːˈnus emˈɾe]) also known as Derviş Yûnus (Yûnus the Dervish) (1238–1320) (Old Anatolian Turkish: يونس امره) was a Turkish folk poet and Sufi who greatly influenced Turkish culture. The UNESCO General Conference unanimously passed a resolution declaring 1991, the 750th anniversary of the poet's birth, International Yunus Emre Year.^[3]

Biography

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Yunus Emre has exercised immense influence on new formed Turkish literature, which was a combination of Persian and Arabic languages from his own day until the present, because Yunus Emre is, after Ahmed Yesevi and Sultan Walad, one of the first known poets to have composed works in the spoken Old Anatolian Turkish of his own age and region rather than in only Persian or Arabic. His diction remains very close to the popular speech of the people in Central and Western Anatolia. This is also the language of a number of anonymous folk-poets, folk-songs, fairy tales, riddles (Hayran), and proverbs.

Like the Oghuz Book of Dede Korkut, an older and anonymous Central Asian epic, the Persian folklore that inspired Yunus Emre in his occasional use of Hayran as a poetic device had been handed down orally to him and his contemporaries. This strictly oral tradition continued for a long while.^[4] Following the Mongolian invasion of Anatolia, facilitated by the Sultanate of Rûm's defeat at the 1243 Battle of Köse Dağ, Islamic mystic literature thrived in Anatolia; Yunus Emre became one of its most distinguished poets. He remains a popular figure in a number of countries, stretching from Azerbaijan to the Balkans, with seven different and widely dispersed localities disputing the privilege of having his tomb within their boundaries. Yunus Emre's most important book is Risaletu’n Nushiyye.^[5][opinion]

Yunus is the Arabic rooted name for Jonah.

His poems, written in the tradition of Anatolian folk poetry, mainly concern divine love as well as human destiny:

and a poem about Muhammad, Ali, Hasan and Husayn:

In popular culture

Yunus Emre was the focus of Yunus Emre: Askin Yolculugu, a two-season 44-episode fictional drama based on his life, premiering in 2015 on Turkish National Television (TRT), created by Mehmet Bozdağ, and starring Gökhan Atalay as Yunus Emre. Yunus Emre has also been the focus of a film and a song; his representations in popular culture include:

• Yunus Emre: Askin Yolculugu - A two-season 44-episode fictional drama based on the life of Yunus Emre, premiering in 2015 on Turkish National Television (TRT).
• Yunus Emre: Aşkın Sesi - A 2014 Turkish film based on Yunus Emre's life starring Devrim Evin in the lead role.
• Adımız Miskindir Bizim - A 1973 psychedelic folk-rock song by Mazhar ve Fuat, with lyrics belongs to Yunus Emre.
• Yûnus Emre Divânı 1^[8] - A 2021 album based on four poems: Şükür Şükür Ol Çalab'a, Hak'dan Gelen Şerbeti, Cânlar Cânını Buldum and Biz Dünyadan Gider Olduk by Yunus Emre was produced by the group An'dan İçeri, with music from Turkish composer Tuncay Korkmaz.

Gallery

• 
  Reverse of the 200-lira banknote (2009)^[9][10]
• 
  Detail of the Yunus Emre Fountain in the Türkenschanzpark [de], Vienna, Austria
• 
  Yunus Emre Memorial, Karaman, Turkey
• 
  Yunus Emre Statue in Büyükçekmece, Istanbul, Turkey

See also

• Sufism
• Turkish folk literature
• Karacaoğlan
• Anthologies
• Yunus Emre Institute

References

Sources

• Ambros, Edith G. (2002). "Yunus Emre". In Bearman, P. J.; Bianquis, Th.; Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E. & Heinrichs, W. P. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume XI: W–Z. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 349–350. ISBN 978-90-04-12756-2.
• Güzel, Hasan Celâl; Oğuz, Cem; Karatay, Osman, eds. (2002). The Turks: Middle ages. Vol. 2. Yeni Türkiye.
• Tatcı, Mustafa (2013). "YÛNUS EMRE". TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, Vol. 43 (Vekâlet – Yûsî) (in Turkish). Istanbul: Turkiye Diyanet Foundation, Centre for Islamic Studies. pp. 600–606. ISBN 978-975-389-754-9.

External links

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