The alexander romance tradition: Ahmedi, his sources, and the reception of his sources in the 15th-16th century

Official URL: http://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b2290267_ (Table of Contents)

From Antiquity to modernity, Alexander lived his second life as a legendary hero in the Alexander Romances composed around the third century CE that quickly promulgated all over the world and its languages from East to West. Alexander the Great is discussed in several cultures including Muslim literature, both Arabic and Persian. One of the most important representation of the Alexander Romance is in 10th century, Firdawsi’s Shahnama that presents some details about Alexander the Great. In the Ottoman Empire, one the earliest accounts are found in Ahmedi’s work, İskendername. Ahmedi was the greatest poet of the late fourteenth century and also of Turkish Divan Literature and one of the crucial representations of Alexander Romance tradition. This thesis is firstly to investigate the scholar Ahmedi and his source of information on Alexander the Great. Briefly, what was the reason for Ahmedi Alexander Romance tradition appearance in the Islamic world? Secondly, in the fourteenth century Ahmedi authored the first İskendername, which later became a tradition and there are receptions of the Ahmedi’s İskendername by Ahmed-i Rıdvan and Figani. In 16th century these works were written and presented and one of the parts of this thesis is investigates the translation issue of these texts. Following the Ahmedi’s tradition did they receive Ahmedi’s İskendername roughly or did they adhere to some other Persian version?