A transcribed copy of journal "Bibliotheque Nationale Turc 306" and the features of its contents according to MESTAP

Derived from the Arabic root "jem/cem," the term mecmua [English: journal, magazine] to a bound anthology containing various works as selected according to the taste of the compiler. Mecmuas can be classified and examined under three categories: verse, prose, and mixed verse-prose. Poetry or verse mecmuas can be further divided into so called mecmua-i kasaid, mecmua-i gazeliyat, divine/spiritual mecmuas, and nazire mecmuas, among others. There are also poetry mecumas that do not concentrate on a particular type or form of verse type at all—that are more general in nature. Among these is "Bibliotheque Nationale Turc 306." Although this particular mecmua contains a relatively high volume of ghazals, it also contains poetry written in the tahmis, müseddes, müfret, kıt'a, and rubai forms as well—almost all of which belonging to 15th, 16th, and 17th century poets, and most notably include Bâkî, Hâletî-i Gülşenî, and Necâtî. While there exists no biographical information about the history of complier/copyist of this mecmua, we nevertheless can assume that the poets featured were copied down in the 17th century. In this study, we have attempted both to provide transcribed versions of the Turkish poetry featured in aforementioned 133-page mecmua manuscript, and to examine that poetry within the framework of the Systematic Mecuma Classification Project (aka MESTAP). Keywords: Mecmua, MESTAP, Poetry Journal