Shakespeare, Ahmed-i Hani, Goethe

SHAKESPEARE, AHMED-I HANI, GOETHE

Dear readers!

The coronavirus is ravaging the world. We cannot yet see what lies ahead. We must be patient and adhere to quarantine conditions. Do not give credence to gossip and conspiracy theories. In such situations, two types of panic arise: First, suspicion of everything and everyone. Second, a fear that no solution can be found. I want you to absolutely believe this: Humanity will find a vaccine this year, sooner or later. Believe this, at least draw a line under the feeling of panic. The other depends entirely on your will and determination. I wish health and patience to all of you and your families.

INTRODUCTION

Dear readers!

Today, I invite you on a journey into the depths of the past. I know some of my readers may not be interested in literature and poetry, but what I have written will be about a subject far beyond literature and poetry. There are certain figures in history who have put into writing, with a universal emotion, what happened before them and the stories passed down by word of mouth. Their works heralded a new era, inspired humanity, kept the light of hope alive within us, and immortalized the human spirit.

Let us not forget that the highest stage a human can reach is self-knowledge. All three figures, through their writings, gave humanity the chance to know and confront themselves. Since humanity's existence on Earth, people have thought themselves perfect. But these THREE GIANT FIGURES are the ones who, in a literary sense, wrote about and brought to the fore the idea that every human can be both an angel and a devil. Subsequent centuries of psychoanalysis, psychology, and all scientific studies have proven this reality.

I want to introduce you to these THREE GIANT NAMES, whose literary works and worldviews almost overlap, both in terms of the periods they lived in and the subjects they addressed.

Before I continue my writing, I want to provide information about the names, national affiliations, and birth-death dates of these three figures:

Shakespeare: English 1564-1616

Ahmed-i Hani (Ehmedê Xanî): Kurdish 1650 – 1707 (Died in Bayezid)

Goethe: German 1749-1832

If you notice, Shakespeare appears first. He dies in 1616. 34 years later, Ahmed-i Hani is born. Ahmed-i Hani dies in 1707. 42 years later, Goethe is born. I especially want to draw your attention to the chain-like continuity between them. Goethe had the chance to read Shakespeare, but Ahmed-i Hani was unaware of Shakespeare's existence because his homeland was very far from England. There were no Arabic translations of Shakespeare either. This is proof of how original a writer Ahmed-i Hani was and that he had a level of thought and philosophical perspective on par with his contemporaries, without being influenced by anyone.

The most important characteristic of these three poets and philosophers is that during their time (17th and 18th centuries), humanity had left the dark Middle Ages behind and was entering a new era. A transformation from feudalism to capitalism was slowly taking place. The concept of the nation-state (national nationalism) was taking root all over the world, with language and identity nationalism coming to the fore. These three figures became the heralds of this new era, taking their place on the stage of history as the intellectual pioneers of this period through their poems, verse works, and plays.

BAYEZID PROVINCE AND IĞDIR

When I was writing my article titled "Mount Ararat Rebellion," one of my readers was disturbed: "What does the Mount Ararat Rebellion have to do with Iğdır? If you're going to write, write about Iğdır!"

At first glance, this proposition seemed reasonable and understandable. I remember answering my reader as follows: "65% of Mount Ararat, including its summit, is within the provincial borders of Iğdır. The events that took place here are part of Iğdır's history. I will address the effects of the Mount Ararat Rebellion in the Iğdır region in my later articles and demonstrate the importance of the Rebellion for Iğdır," I had written. And indeed, that is what happened.

Now, another reader from Iğdır might say: "What do Bayezid (Doğubayazıt) and Ahmed-i Hani have to do with Iğdır? Why was this article necessary?"

I want to answer as follows: Iğdır and Doğubayazıt have become increasingly intertwined, their spirits integrating, with each passing year over the last 100 years. My fellow citizens of Iğdır have a better chance to observe this reality. The historical and current events connecting Iğdır and Doğubayazıt are as follows:

Firstly; while the Civil War raged in Iğdır between 1917-1920, as stated in the memoirs of the late Hacı Ali Ekber Tufan, the Kurdish Hamidiye cavalry unit under the command of Bıro Heski Telli broke through the Armenian siege in the summer of 1919 and brought 3000 inhabitants living in Melekli to the Erhacı plain.

Secondly; in November 1920, when the final preparations for the attack on Iğdır were being made, the Hamidiye Regiments stationed in Bayezid province entered the lands of Sürmeli simultaneously with the army of Kazım Karabekir Pasha.

Thirdly; when Iğdır was incorporated into the borders of the Grand National Assembly, it was attached to the Bayezid Sanjak, and Bayezid Deputy Governor Numan Efendi (Dündarzade) became Iğdır's first temporary District Governor.

Fourthly; today, the families known as "Şeyhler" in Iğdır have come and settled in Iğdır from Doğubayazıt since the 1920s. Understanding the Şeyhler, who are an integral part of Iğdır's politics and social life, means, in a sense, understanding Doğubayazıt.

Fifthly; the mother of the late Hüsnü Bingöl, who left his mark on Iğdır's history, was from the village of Karaşeyh in Doğubayazıt.

Sixthly; high school graduates from Doğubayazıt prefer Iğdır University.

Seventhly; Kurdish tribes went to the Aladağ plateaus via Doğubayazıt for many years. There was a natural fusion between the tribes on both sides.

Eighthly; people from Doğubayazıt prefer Iğdır Airport over Ağrı Airport.

Ninthly; since Iğdır was first connected to the Bayezid Sanjak (1920) and then to Ağrı, until 1955, arrivals to Iğdır from other provinces were made via Kars-Doğubayazıt, that is, through the Çille pass. The Erzurum road was opened later.

Tenthly: Mecit Hun and Cezmi Öztekin tried to ensure the integrity between the two cities by publishing the first issues of the newspaper Şarkın Dili (1953) in Iğdır and the last issues in Ağrı.

The name of Bayezid Province was changed to Doğubayazıt during the Mount Ararat Rebellion years (1927), Ağrı became a province, and this time Iğdır was attached to Ağrı. Iğdır and Tuzluca separated from Ağrı in 1936 and became a district of Kars. As you can see, the histories of Iğdır and Doğubayazıt have intertwined over the last 100 years, sharing, in a sense, the same difficulties. Nowadays, an increasing number of businessmen of Doğubayazıt origin are investing in Iğdır instead of Ağrı, and integrating with the local people of Iğdır. In such a process, I especially wish that my fellow citizens of Iğdır get acquainted with the name Ahmed-i Hani and that this important Kurdish figure becomes a cultural bridge between the peoples of the region. Doğubayazıt and Iğdır must work hand in hand to solve the logistical problems that will arise in the future, both because Mount Ararat is open to tourism and because they are provinces and districts engaged in border trade. In a sense, the destinies of Doğubayazıt and Iğdır have now integrated, and they are forced to move towards the same goal together. This closeness is deepening to such an extent that Doğubayazıt is more like a district of Iğdır than of Ağrı. Iğdır was connected to Bayezid province in 1920; now the reverse situation might occur.

SHAKESPEARE

Let's start with Shakespeare, the English poet, playwright, and, in this sense, philosopher, whose every word carries deep philosophical content, among these three important figures. In a sense, Shakespeare created the English language, giving it a perfect form.

Shakespeare was a prolific writer. He wrote Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth, which are considered the best products of the English language. He gave new content to historical events that occurred before him. He was not just a simple poet or playwright. With every sentence, he caused the birth of the nation-state idea in the soul of England. He was forgotten for a long time after his death. His value was understood in the 20th century. Thousands of research and critical articles were published about him. He became famous for his tragedies. Here, my reader might ask, "What is a tragedy?": A tragedy is a type of literary genre that takes its subject from legends or historical events and ends with sorrowful conclusions. Today, Shakespeare has earned the title of England's national poet. The universal and philosophical content of his writings is so profound that the popularity of his books largely continues. Universal human values such as goodness, evil, jealousy, revenge, sacrifice, love, and romanticism gain integrity in Shakespeare's works. In short, Shakespeare is, in a sense, the first representative and herald of English nationalism and the nation-state idea. His value is immortal.

Interestingly, we will see a similar situation with Ahmed-i Hani and Goethe. The graves of these three important figures left a mystical and religious impression on those who came after them.

On Shakespeare's grave, it reads:

Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear,

To dig the dust enclosed here.

Blest be the man that spares these stones,

And cursed be he that moves my bones.

For this reason, Shakespeare's grave was never touched for many years and was treated as that of a Saint. After a long period, Shakespeare was recognized as a master with a multifaceted universal perspective, a thinker who approached humanity as a whole with its good and bad aspects, and also the best writer of the English language. As the first genius to transfer philosophy to literature and adapt literature to politics, he earned a respected place in the world of literature.

AHMED-I HANI (Êhmedê Xanî)

Ahmed-i Hani is a Kurdish (Kurmanji) poet, writer, astronomer, and philosopher. He was born in Hakkâri. He settled in Bayezid province. He taught the Kurmanji language. In this sense, just as Shakespeare is considered the father of the English language, Ahmed-i Hani is considered the founder and father of the Kurmanji language. He was very proficient in Persian and Arabic. In 1692, he wrote his work titled Mem û Zîn. This is not just a love story, but like Shakespeare, it addresses universal human values such as goodness, evil, jealousy, revenge, sacrifice, love, and romanticism, and gives integrity to the Kurdish spirit. Ahmed-i Hani sowed the first seeds of the nation-state idea among Kurds.

Before coming to Bayezid, Ahmed-i Hani studied in the madrasas of Ahlat and Bitlis. He continued his madrasa (university) education in Botan and Mesopotamia. He also spent many years as a student in the madrasas of Baghdad, Damascus, Aleppo, and Iran. In Syrian madrasas, he learned ancient Greek philosophy, and in Mesopotamian and Iranian madrasas, he learned Islamic philosophy, astronomy, poetry, and art techniques. Ahmed-i Hani then went to Egypt. He sought out renowned scholars everywhere, and after obtaining his diploma from them to further his knowledge and science, he returned to Bayezid and began teaching at the Muradiye madrasa. Just as Shakespeare took up subjects that had become verbal legends in the past and revived them in his works, Ahmed-i Hani, influenced by the epic of Memê Alan, which was part of oral culture, wrote his famous verse work titled Mem û Zîn. Contrary to popular belief, Ahmed-i Hani was not just a mullah who received religious education. He was directly influenced by great figures such as Farabi, Plato, Aristotle, Ali Hariri, Ferdowsi, and Omar Khayyam. Since Ahmed-i Hani put the Kurmanji language into writing, just as Shakespeare is considered the father of English, he is considered the father of Kurmanji in this sense. He even wrote a book for children called Nûbihara Biçukan (Spring of the Little Ones).

Ahmed-i Hani openly expressed his political aspirations and thoughts in his works. Unfortunately, in his time, Kurdish intellectual life was quite backward. Ahmed-i Hani laid the foundations of the nation-state idea, but these views, far ahead of his time, did not find a response and were ignored. He wrote the first Kurmanji book on astronomy and geography. He wrote the first Kurmanji work on philosophy. He became an inspiration for all Kurdish scholars who came after him.

After his death, Ahmed-i Hani, like Shakespeare, was treated as a Saint. His true personality was ignored. Today, the local people still visit Ahmed-i Hani's tomb and pray for their wishes to come true. It is believed that Ahmed-i Hani was an ordinary religious teacher or a saintly mullah who read no other book than the Holy Quran. Of course, this has nothing to do with reality.

Far from the industrial revolution and capitalist production in Europe, Ahmed-i Hani, who lived in Bayezid province within a tribal and feudal structure, foresaw the quest for a nation-state with his genius and conveyed the message of a new era to all humanity from the summit of Mount Ararat. Ahmed-i Hani's misfortune was the absence of Kurdish intellectuals around him capable of understanding his spirit and human analysis. And sadly, Ahmed-i Hani's loneliness continues to this day.

Some political parties try to profit from Ahmed-i Hani, giving his name to parks, libraries here and there, and even some businessmen give it to Vocational Schools to legitimize their wealth, but since all these maneuvers are political and economic, the public cannot gain knowledge of Ahmed-i Hani's philosophical thought and the depth of his literary genius. What is important is to keep Ahmed-i Hani alive in our hearts and to understand him by doing justice to his writings. We are currently very far from this reality. I have not yet encountered a Kurdish intellectual who can recite a section of Ahmed-i Hani's verse work from memory, but religious teachers who have received madrasa education recite Ahmed-i Hani from memory without knowing the historical and universal meaning of what was written.

Unfortunately, because Ahmed-i Hani is introduced as a Sunni mullah, Zaza Alevis and Kurmanji Alevis keep their distance from Ahmed-i Hani. However, Ahmed-i Hani, like Shakespeare and Goethe, is a universal genius. He is a humanist figure beyond religions and races. However, currently, Ahmed-i Hani is treated as a figure important only to Kurmanji Sunnis. Everyone can benefit from the ideas of Ahmed-i Hani, who possesses universal values like Shakespeare and Goethe, and these messages can be a chance to create a common culture and a sense of mutual understanding in the region.

For many years, Ahmed-i Hani's works were left to the mercy of madrasa teachers. Kurdish intellectuals did not write a single word about his personality and works. If Mehmet Emin Bozarslan, who was also a religious teacher, had not translated Ahmed-i Hani into Latin script and Turkish in 1968, we would still not know about this great figure today, and we would assume him to be one of the ordinary Kurdish sheikhs or mullahs. Ahmed-i Hani's tomb is still considered a religious pilgrimage site, where people make wishes and then slaughter lambs on the hillside to eat kebabs.

I want to conclude my words with this poem, which expresses his belief in science and the nation-state in the century he lived:

If we were in unity and solidarity

If we had agreed and formed our alliance

Completely the Romans, Arabs, and Persians

All of them would have been our servants

Then we would complete religion and state

We would gain both knowledge and wisdom

Words would be sifted and refined

Those with perfection would be identified.

GOETHE

Goethe, of German origin, engaged in multifaceted works as a literary figure, poet, dramatist, politician, painter, and natural scientist. From 1790 onwards, just like Shakespeare and Ahmed-i Hani, he delved into oral culture, writing down the story of Dr. Faust, who had lived in the city of Staufen long ago and whose story had become a verbal legend, giving it a new spirit. Just like Shakespeare and Ahmed-i Hani, he was forgotten after his death but years later his value was understood and he was generally accepted as the father and founder of German literature and language. Just like Ahmed-i Hani, he was involved in politics for a while and served as the Duke's private advisor. Although he did not approve of the French Revolution, his writings later contributed to the emergence of the Germans as a nation-state. Goethe began to learn Arabic and Persian, completed the Quran, and had the opportunity to read the Persian poet Hafiz. Goethe was overlooked for a short time after his death. In later years, famous thinkers such as Hegel, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Jung, and literary figures like Thomas Mann, developed a strong sympathy for Goethe. Goethe regained importance. So much so that between 1932 and 1948, dozens of books were published about Goethe in Germany, and he was accepted as the master of the German language. His grave, like those of Shakespeare and Ahmed-i Hani, was initially treated as a saint's shrine. By the way, for those interested, I would like to add a note: Tesla, considered one of the greatest inventors of all time, knew Goethe's famous work Faust by heart. According to his own statement, whenever he recited this work from memory, inventions flowed into his mind like a waterfall.

A relationship between the German bourgeoisie and Goethe's works became increasingly concrete in the early 20th century. He gained a respected place in the German labor movement as a valuable poet of freedom.

CONCLUSION

Today, while the works and personality of Shakespeare and Goethe are prominent in the world, the opposite situation is experienced with Ahmed-i Hani's works. His works are ignored or confined to a narrow region, and his tomb is turned into a religious pilgrimage site by being considered a saint. It is time to put an end to this. Just as every Iranian home has a work by Hafiz, the same value should be given to Ahmed-i Hani.

Unfortunately, the name Ahmed-i Hani is generally known (as a saint) only in Doğubayazıt and the surrounding region; he has not yet achieved national or international fame as a philosopher and literary figure. I hope that soon Ahmed-i Hani, the father of the Kurmanji language and the first advocate of the nation-state idea, will attain the true value he deserves in history.