Origins of the Ottoman Dynasty
A Philological Exploration of Its Earliest Account
By (author) Kemal Silay
Publication date:
11 June 2024Publisher
Anthem PressDimensions:
229x153mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9781839992209
Ahmedi’s History of the Kings of the Ottoman Lineage and Their Holy Raid(s) against the Infidels is the foundation text for the study of the rise of the Ottoman State. Virtually, every scholarly work dealing with the subject refers to his versified account of the early Ottomans. Even though it encompasses only a limited period of the Ottoman dynastic history, its importance derives from the fact that it is the oldest annalistic account of Ottoman history that has come down to us. Because the earliest Ottomans left no accounts of themselves, Ahmedi’s work became the key source—though almost always without a proper reading of the text—for subsequent theories regarding the social and political structure of the early Ottoman State.
“Professor Kemal Silay’s Origins of the Ottoman Dynasty is a philological tour de force and the culmination of his twenty-some years of painstaking work. We now finally have an authoritative book providing us with an excellent interpretation and impeccable critical edition and index verborum of the oldest versified Ottoman history. Silay is the leading Ottomanist focusing mostly on philology and literature. He is not a historian by training, but what impressed me the most in this book is that he is indeed following very carefully what Ottoman historians around the globe are publishing. I recommend this fascinating book to anyone who teaches Ottoman history at the college level.”— Professor Mehmet Akif Erdoğru, Ege University