‘Abdullāh Bosnawī: One letter and a note

Abstract

In this paper the author in the context of historical circumstances of the Ottoman Empire in the first half of the 17th century, and particularly in light of biography of ‘Abdullāh Bosnawī (d. 1054/1646) examined two hitherto unpublished short texts: one personal letter dispatched to Koca Mūsā-pasha (d. 1057/1647) and a short note relevant to Bosnawī’s second journey towards Mecca via Cairo. The author based on textual evidence unequivocally iden-tified both agents of the correspondence, shedding new light of the life and character of vizier Mūsā-pasha, his spiritual aspirations and close ties with Bosnawī. On the basis of the letter which is the subject-matter of this paper, as well as his waqfnama, it is possible to conclude that vizier Mūsā-pasha exposed clear Sufi leanings with Akbari coloring which is attested by the vocabulary that Bosnawī used in addressing him in his letter.
The Ottoman text of both the letter and the note is given with a Bosnian translation and befitting philological explanatory notes necessary for the proper understanding of those texts in their relevant historical context. Both texts testify that Bosnawī and Mūsā-pasha, equally of Bosnian extraction in the wide geographical scope of the Empire and while pursuing divergent careers with the Empire maintained close relations and correspondence.
Regardless of their brevity, both texts are primary sources that contain valu-able details about Bosnawī’s and Mūsā’s life and as such clearly deserve our attention and appropriate scientific treatment.