ZATI, Suleyman.

£3,500 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

Divân-ı Zâtî ("Diwan of Zati"); [together with] Sawanih al-nawadir fi ma'rifat al-anasir ("Rare thoughts about knowledge of the elements"). First edition. Scarce, with only 11 locations on WorldCat. A lavishly produced copy of the first edition of these works by Suleyman Zati, clearly specially produced for presentation, since the printers have deliberately omitted the opening title device and a new design has been hand painted in its place. The attractive binding bears the seal of the reigning Sultan at the time of publication, Abdulmajid I. Zati was a Sufi Ottoman poet from Gallipoli, who was a follower of the famous Ismail Hakki, "a celebrated Ottoman scholar and poet and one of the most prolific of mystical writers" (Encyclopaedia of Islam). This book contains two of his works printed together. The first is a diwan of mystical poetry celebrating the power of God's love, whilst maintaining a healthy disdain for the pleasures of this world. The second is a verse treatise on Sufism, containing his theories on the four elements (Earth, Water, Air, Fire) and advice on the spiritual knowledge of the self. Zati died in Kesan in 1738, where he is buried.

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