Idris Bitlisi and the prevalence of historiography in the ottoman empire: A Look at his most important work Hasht Bihisht.

Abstract

Idris Bitlisi was an historian and statesman of Kurdish and Iranian descent in the Ottoman Empire. This article introduces the influence of Bitlisi work on the historiography in the territory of the Ottoman Empire. Bitlisi was commissioned to write the history of the Ottoman family from the reign of Osman (1310 AD) to Bayazid II (1502 AD) which was entitled Hasht Bihisht (Eight Heavens) and was written in Persian. This era is considered the Golden Period in Ottoman historiography. By creating this work, Bitlisi transferred the methods of Iranian writing of history to the Anatolian regions. In all his works, the Persian language and literature and the crystallization of Iranian culture and civilization can be seen. Bitlisi's writings, especially Hasht Bihisht, can be seen as a more explicit statement of the political and cultural situation of the Ottoman sultans and their interest in history.