--- title: Mecmû’atü’t-Terâcim slug: mecmuatut-teracim-560e6 url: /detay/mecmuatut-teracim-560e6 type: article language: English entity: primary: Mecmû’atü’t-Terâcim type: article disambiguation: Mecmû’atü’t-Terâcim: 1134 Ottoman biographies by Ârif Hikmet Bey. Unique manuscript, invaluable historical resource. categories: - name: General Knowledge slug: genel-kultur url: /kategori/genel-kultur - name: Literature slug: edebiyat url: /kategori/edebiyat tags: - Tanzimat Period - Islamic Biography - Ottoman Biographies - Arif Hikmet Bey - MECMÛ’ATÜ’T-TERÂCİM - Arabic literature author: Büşranur Akpınar created_at: 2025-04-06T16:38:56.156783+03:00 updated_at: 2025-04-17T09:59:46.137978+03:00 --- # Mecmû’atü’t-Terâcim ## Article Content Mecmû’atü’t-Terâcim is a biography collection written by Şeyhülislâm Ârif Hikmet [Bey](/en/detay/bey-5/llms.txt) (d. 1262/1846), featuring the lives of 1134 poets, scholars, writers, and Sufis who lived in various periods. The title of the work, *Mecmû’atü’t-Terâcim*, corresponds to the year 1234 AH / 1819 CE, marking the date of its composition according to the abjad system. [^1]  The author, in this Arabic-language work, continues the classical Islamic biographical tradition while documenting many figures from the Ottoman scholarly and literary circles. ### **Content and Features of the Work** The biographies included in the collection are highly diverse in terms of scope. Some individuals are depicted in long, detailed, and well-sourced life stories, while others are mentioned by their names or just their death dates. This variation relates both to the accessibility of sources and the author’s personal interest and preferences. One noteworthy aspect of the work is the presence of blank spaces in certain folios. This suggests that the author [may](/en/detay/may-748395/llms.txt) have left space for future biographical entries or that the work was left incomplete.[^2]  The biographies typically include the person's name, title, nisbah (patronymic), place of birth, master or teacher relationships, death date, and sometimes the cause of death. Example 1: > *"Ibrâhîm el-Hüseynî el-ʿUşşâḳī el-Üsküdârî, Ḫalīfetü’ş-Şeyḫ Cemâleddīn en-Nakīb el-Edirnevī, passed away in Üsküdar on the second of Sha'bân in the year 1175, Thursday."*[^3]  Example 2: > *"Mirzâ Ümîd el-Buhârî passed away in 1188."*[^4]  The language and style of the work align with traditional Arabic biographical texts. However, the author's inclination toward poetry and his aesthetic taste also led him to incorporate literary expressions and appreciations.[^5]  ### **Manuscript Information and Copying** The only known manuscript of *Mecmû’atü’t-Terâcim* is registered in the Ali Emiri Collection of the Millet Library, no. 788. This manuscript was copied by Ali Emiri Efendi. The manuscript consists of 225 folios, and its page layout indicates a meticulous writing process. Some parts of the work also contain corrections and additions. The work [has](/en/detay/has-3/llms.txt) not yet been published in a [modern](/en/detay/modern-2/llms.txt) edition. ### **Author and the Place of the Work** Ârif Hikmet Bey was a prominent figure of the Tanzimat period, known not only for his role as Şeyhülislâm but also for his poetry, calligraphy, and the library he established in Medina.[^6]  A person with both classical education and [an](/en/detay/an-2/llms.txt) openness to Western thought, he introduces the scholarly and Sufi environment of his era through the biographical choices made in *Mecmû’atü’t-Terâcim*. The work follows in the footsteps of other Ottoman biographical collections such as *Şakaik*, *Sefînetü’r-Rüşd*, and *Hediyyetü’l-ʿÂrifîn*, but it stands out due to its Arabic language and its extensive scope. In modern biographical studies, such works serve as primary sources for literary history and cultural transmission. [^7] ## Academic Sources and References 1. Ârif Hikmet (1234). Mecmû’atü’t-Terâcim. Millet Kütüphanesi, Alî Emirî Bölümü, Nu. 788.Ârif Hikmet, Dîvân-ı Ârif Hikmet Beyefendi (nşr. Mehmed Zîver), İstanbul 1283.Aydın, Mahir (2013). Ahmet Ârif Hikmet Beyefendi: Bir Tanzimat Devri Şeyhülislamı. Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu Yayınları.Bilge, Mustafa L. (1991). “Ârif Hikmet Bey, Şeyhülislâm”. Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı İslâm Ansiklopedisi, C. III, İstanbul: TDV Yay., s. 365–366.Fatîn, Tezkire, s. 70–71.Fevziye Abdullah Tansel, “Ârif Hikmet Bey”, İslâm Ansiklopedisi, I, 564–568.Gibb, Elias John Wilkinson. A History of Ottoman Poetry (HOP), C. IV, s. 350–355.Harputlu İbrâhim Efendi, ed-Dürrü’l-muntaẓam fî menâḳıbı ʿÂrifi’l-Ḥikem, Ârif Hikmet Kütüphanesi, nr. 3847, s. 85.İbnülemin Mahmud Kemal, Son Asır Türk Şairleri, s. 636–646.İlmiyye Salnâmesi, s. 590.İsmail Cerrahoğlu, “Şeyhülislâm Ârif Hikmet ve Medine-i Münevvere’de Kurduğu Kütüphane”, Ankara Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, XXX (1988), s. 111.Kemikli, Bilal (2003). Şâir Şeyhülislam Ârif Hikmet Beyefendi: Hayatı – Eserleri – Şiirleri. Ankara: MEB Yayınları.Kesik, Beyhan. "Mecmû’atü’t-Terâcim (Hikmet)". Türk Edebiyatı Eserler Sözlüğü. http://tees.yesevi.edu.tr/madde-detay/mecmu-atu-t-teracim-hikmetMantran, R., “ʿĀrif Hikmet Bey”, Encyclopaedia of Islam (EI²), İngilizce, I, 630.Osmanlı Müellifleri, II, 327 vd.Şehâbeddin Mahmûd el-Âlûsî, ʿÂrif Ḥikmet: Ḥayâtühû ve meʾâs̱irüh ev Şehiyyü’n-naġam fî tercemeti Şeyḫi’l-İslâm ʿÂrifi’l-ḥikem (nşr. Muhammed el-Îdü’l-Hatrâvî), Dımaşk–Beyrut 1403/1983.Şem‘dânîzâde, Mürî’t-tevârîh (haz. Enver Aktepe), C. III, s. 40, 46.Vâsıf, Târih (haz. Ahmet Cevdet Paşa – Ziya Yılmazer), s. 237, 256–257.Yusuf Sağlam, Şeyhülislâm Ârif Hikmet Bey’in Arapça Divanı Tercümesi (mezuniyet tezi, 1947), İstanbul Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Türkoloji Seminer Kitaplığı, nr. 1468. ## Citations [^1]: (Kemikli 2003: 51) [^2]: (Kemikli 2003: 51) [^3]: (Millet Ktp., Ali Emiri, nr. 788, vr. 7b) [^4]: (Ârif Hikmet 1234: 13) [^5]: (Bilge 1991: 366; Kemikli 2003: 42) [^6]: (Tansel, “Ârif Hikmet Bey”, İA, I, 564–568; Cerrahoğlu 1988: 111) [^7]: (Aydın 2013: 110 vd.; Gibb, HOP IV: 350–355)