Yunus Emre (1238-1320)

One of the greatest and the deepest poets of the Turkish folk literature. Yunus Emre is a great poet who managed to turn the Anatolian dialect into a language of literature and who succeeded in reciting poetry and chanting hymns in pure Turkish. He has written about issues which looked extremely complex.

Written in a pure and easily understood Turkish, some of his poems, which seem to be over simple at first glance, carry a deep meaning and have a certain quality which grips the reader and excites him, weaving a special magic. Yunus, in most of his poems declares his great love for the God. He has felt the elusive excitement of the love of God and also made others feel it. (more…)

There is no certain information about his life. He was born in the village of Banaz of Sivas. His real name is Haydar. He created his original language benefiting from the oral literature, without being affected by the Classical School of Poetry. (more…)

He was born in the early 1940s. He has been continuing the tradition of folk poetry. He is one of the folk poets of our time, who is asking the reasons and results of the public problems and who handles nearly every social subject in his poems in an informing manner. (more…)

16th century “KÖROĞLU”

The first information about Köroğlu depends on the Book of Travels of Evliya Çelebi. According to the book of travel, there is one Köroğlu, a poet who became famous by playing çöğür (a popular instrument played with a plectrum) and by singing in the Corps of Janisseries, and one Köroğlu who waylaid in the mountains.

It is deemed that Köroğlu lived in the 16th century and he is accepted as an epic hero famous for his equality, justice and personality supporting the poor people. (more…)

17th century ” Karacaoğlan”

Turkish folk poet. He has been a leading folk poet in Turkish folk poetry with his universe established with effective language and emotions It is thought that he was born in 1606, died in 1679 or 1689. There exists no certain knowledge about his life. According to the studies and researches made so far he lived in 17th century. Various suggestions have been made on the city where he was from. Some claim that he was born in Varsak (Farsak) village of Bahçe, a District near Kozan mountain. While Barak Turkmens of Gaziantep claim that he lived with their clan, the Çavuşlu Turkmens living in Kilis, Musabeyli town, claim that he lived with their clan. Karakeçili clan living in Western Anatolia assumes that the poet was from their clan. According to another rumour, he was from Gökçe village of Feke District. In villages of Silifke, Mut,Gülnar people claim that he was from their villages. According to another rumour he was from Belgrade. What is elicited from those rumours and claims is that he was born in Çukurova and lived with the Turkmen clans in the same region. (more…)

ERZURUMLU EMRAH (19th-20th cent.)

It is said that he was born in the Tanbura village that is between Erzurum and Pavi. The information about his life depends on the rumors and poems of the folk. There is no certain date of his death. Fuad Köprülü accepts it as 1854. (more…)

It is deemed that Ercişli Emrah lived in the first half of the 12th century and was born in Ergans, which is a Karakoyunlu village of Erciş castle. He is the son of Minstrel Ahmet who is the saz player of Miroğlu, the head of Erciş castle.

He fell in love with Miroğlu’s daughter Selvihan and traveled the western parts of Iran and Azerbaijan with his lover and has told the events he have seen with a clear Turkish. (more…)

He was born in Şahneler village of Çağa (Reşadiye) district near Gerede. His real name is İbrahim and his pseudonym is Lütfi. He has earned his life by playing saz and telling poems in minstrel coffeehouses. It is said that Dertli has joined the Halveti sect first and then tended to Bektashism. Dertli died in 1846 in Ankara. (more…)

Âşık Veysel (1894-1973)

The Friends Still Remember You

His life

“I came to this world in three hundred and ten”

Veysel Şatıroğlu was born in 1894 in Sivrialan Village of Sivas, District of Şarkışla. The story of how he was born is somehow similar to that of almost every child in Anatolian villages. But it is interesting and extraordinary for the ones to have a different point of view especially today. To tell the story, his mother Gülizar started having labor pains on her way to Ayıpınar pastures nearby Sivrialan where she was going to milk the sheep, and she gave birth to Veysel just over there. She cut the umbilical cord herself, wrapped the new born with a piece of clothing and went back to the village on foot. (more…)