Abstract:

The Turkish Islamic literature is quite rich in terms of both its form and content. The source of this wealth includes many elements that were introduced to it after accepting Islam, such as the Arabic and Persian literature or culture. Geographical elements and the names of geographical locations, along with religious-sufistic elements, assume a significant place among these sources. As the Ottoman Empire ruled over three continents, geographical information and the names of geographical locations were often used in literary works, not only in poetry but also in prose, and they are still used today. Geographical place names, which poets use to make what they want to tell their audience more memorable and their intended message more powerful, appear in poetry in terms of their various aspects, such as the distance of places from each other, the unique characteristics of continents, regions or cities, along with issues, people or underground resources that are prominent in such places. In addition, poets used the names of many geographical locations in their poetry for six centuries, based on such major events as expeditions, conquests, besides commercial and political relations of the Ottoman Empire with other states. Baba Raḥīm Mashrab, whose real name is ʿAbd al-Raḥīm, is often known by various pseudonyms, such as Mashrab, Raḥīm Baba, Baba Raḥīm and Dīvāna Mashrab. He is one of the Sūfi poets who lived in the Chagatai Turkish period of Turkistān literature. The period in which he lived, the first half of the 17th century and the early 18th century (1640-1711 A.D.), is known as "the Period of Decline and Collapse" by some language history researchers or as "the Post-Classical Period" by others. During this period, which could be described as the latest period of Chagatai Turkish, poets wrote poems under the influence of ʿAlī Shīr Nawāʾī, who is often considered as the father of Chagatai Turkish. It is possible to say that Baba Raḥīm Mashrab was also influenced by ʿAlī Shīr Nawāʾī. However, he differed from ʿAlī Shīr Nawāʾī not only because Mashrab had a unique style and recited his poems in a state of ecstasy, but also because he had a distinctive lifestyle which was offered by his ṣūfī character and brought him widespread fame among people; he was more famous than his contemporaries. This study consists of an introduction, followed by sections addressing Baba Raḥīm Mashrab's life and providing an analysis of the geographical place names identified in the poems in his, and it ends with a conclusion. The introduction provides the reader with some concise information about the focus of the study. Following this section, general information about Mashrab's life is provided, and the main focus of the article is introduced. The names of geographical locations identified in Baba Raḥīm Mashrab's poetry are explained in broad terms, and poetry samples are provided. The analysis revealed that Baba Raḥīm Mashrab frequently used the names of geographical locations in the region where he lived, which is called " Turkistān " in his poetry. The poet’s emotional state was directly or indirectly affected by the events that he personally experienced in such places as Nemengān, Balkh, Badakhshān, Tashkent, along with their general characteristics or names and the events that happened there. His poetry also captured such elements. In addition to the names of geographical locations in Turkistān, Mashrab also used the names of geographical locations in the Arab region, which has religious significance, and although less frequently, he included those from the Anatolian region. The conclusion discusses the findings of the study.

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