Balikesirli Râsih Ahmed Bey-Bülgatü'l-Ahbâb (text-language examination-dictionary)

Born in Balıkesir in the 17th century, Râsih Ahmed Bey was called Ahmed Bey because he was a member of one of the important families of Balıkesir, and was referred to as Râsih in the works of the period. From the information about the organizational structure of the palace he gave in his work, it is understood that the poet was in the palace and served in the state service. It is said that the place of death is Tekirdağ based on some sources and memorandums; however, his grave is in the Zağanos Pasha family cemetery in Balıkesir. Râsih, who is often confused with Râsih of Sofia in Tezkires, became famous for his "Üstüne" redif ghazal, and this fame has reached today. Bülgatü'l-Ahbâb, which is the subject of our study, is a copyrighted work written in prose and occasionally in verse style, which mentions a wide variety of subjects. The work, which we guess written in the first half of the 18th century, includes various subjects such as the palace organization, Ottoman subjects, manners, eating and drinking manners, speaking manners, folk tales, folk beliefs, legends, horror stories (genie, witch, Kallikantzaros, Wednesday Woman, vampire, etc.), religious rites, winemaking, tobacco, Anatolian dialects, and house entertainments. The couplets of Râsih and other poets in the text also give this work a magazine feature. Since it is the most readable copy among the existing copies of Bülgatü'l-Ahbâb in terms of copyist errors, the work registered at Istanbul University Rare Works Library as number TY01491 was selected. In some places, IUNEK TY3284 copy was applied to correct the mistakes. After transcription the text, language features were given, dictionary-index and custom names index was created.