Ahmad Rasim (Turkish writer, 1864–1932)

Ahmad Rasim (1864–1932) was a Turkish writer, journalist and historian, born in Istanbul and writer of about 140 works. His 'City Letters' describe old Istanbul, and he was a deputy for Istanbul from 1927.

The Encyclopaedia of Islam (2nd ed.), article signed W. Björkman, describes Ahmad Rasim as a Turkish writer born in 1864 at Sarıgüzel or Sarıgez, a quarter of Fatih in Istanbul, and died on 21 September 1932 on the island of Heybeliada, where he was buried. He lost his father, Baha al-Din, a member of the Mentesh-oghlu family from Cyprus, and was brought up by his mother. He attended the Dar al-Shafaka school in Istanbul, where he was drawn to art and literature and decided to become a writer; he remained loyal to the press of the Sublime Porte road through all later political changes. He began as a journalist, and his articles were collected as Makalat ve Muhabbetat (1909) and 'Omr-i edebi (1899–1903). ¹

His novels include Meyl-i dil (1890), Tedarik-i hayat (1891), the patriotic novels Mashak-i hayat, Ashk and 'Asker-oghlu, and the lyrical Kitabe-yi gham. He wrote history, including Istibdaddan hakimiyyet-i milliyyeye (on the period from Selim II to Murad V) and a general 'Othmanli tarikhi; his Shehir mektublari (1912–13) gives a vivid picture of old Istanbul life. He wrote on Shinasi and produced school books, model letters, translations of western works, and sixty-five songs. He made an article in 1924 on the relics of the Prophet ﷺ and proposed a museum for them. He was a deputy for Istanbul from 1927, but his health failed in his last years. ²