Very Good Turkish, Ottoman (1500-1928) Original manuscript autograph ijazatnama [i.e. License, or diploma for assent] signed by Ali Haydar Gürbüzler written for famous Turkish mevlevi poet Aasf Halet Çelebi, (1907-1958). 18x11,5 cm. In Ottoman script (Turkish with Arabic letters). 8 lines. It starts with "Huve". Dated November 20, 1928. A short qasida on verso signed by 'Mustafa'. Ali Haydar Gürbüzler, known as Ahiskali Ali Haydar Efendi [i.e. Ali Haydar Efendi of Meshketia], the Turkish lawyer, lecturer, professor, clergyman, the mystic is also the last sheikh of the Ismet Efendi Lodge located in the district of Çarsamba, Fatih, in Istanbul. Asaf Halet Çelebi [or, Asef], (1907-1958), was a Turkish mystical poet. Although not very widely known, due to his erudite and often foreign-influenced style, he is considered to be Turkey's first surrealist poet. In his youth Çelebi was still influenced by Ottoman court literature, but starting from 1937 he adopted Western poetic styles and techniques, such as free-form verse. In his poems one finds themes originating in the cultures of Persia and India. As a librarian, Çelebi had a lot of time and opportunity to read, and his readings stood at the base of his poetic work. An often recurring theme of his poems is philosophical ideas which he found, for instance, in Buddhism. From there he took names and terms with vast philosophical connotations, such as Siddhartha and Mara, which, for the non-initiated, created an obstacle in understanding his work, although he did provide explanations in his prose. "Edîb-i Rusen-zamir Asaf Halet bey efendi oglumuza, haz-i viran (?) imtihan(?)-i hayat ve mehatira(?) Mazhar-i ihtiram olduklari daima görülmelidir ki herkes sevke gelsin de onlarin ? olmaga çalissin. Saban (?) Asef Halet bey oglumuzun anane-i(?) ilm u feng(?), Siir ve edebiyat ve musikiye intisabini gördügümde kendisinin feyz ve kemalatinin azadiyatini (?) cenab-i feyyaz görmeden tezrii'(?) ve niyaz ile bu mahalli imza eylerim, fi 7 cemaziyelevvel? Sene 1347 - fi 20 tesrin-i sani sene 1928. El fakir el-hakir'ül-ibad Haydar [i.e. Naqshbandiyya shaykh -Hâlidî shaykh Haydar Efendi of Meshketia -Ahiskali Haydar Efendi)].".
