Mahirî Dede Life and Poems: Mehmet Mahir Özkolaçık [b. 1887-d. 1952]

Mahirî Dede Hayatı ve Şiirleri: Mehmet Mahir Özkolaçık [d. 1887-ö. 1952]

Abstract

This study deals with the life and poems of Mehmet Mahir Özkolaçık, one of the last period pir’s of the Koluaçık Hacım Sultan ocak. Mehmet Mahir Özkolaçık was born in Malatya Yazıhan Karaca Village in 1887 and died in 1952. He lived in the last period of the Ottoman Empire and the first years of the Turkish Republic. Since he was a member of the Hacım Sultan ocak, he tried to carry out the service of the ocak. The Hacım Sultan ocak is connected to the Hacı Bektaş Veli Lodge. For this reason, Mehmet Mahir Özkolaçik has had close work and friendship with the children of Hacı Bektaş Veli. Mehmet Mahir Özkolaçık used the pseudonyms Mahir, Mahirî and Kul Mahir in his poems. His poems, read by him and his entourage, have been preserved in scattered form in many places. Every day, Mehmet Mahir Özkolaçık's poems are disappearing. However, most of his poems are recorded in the notebooks held by the members of the Hacım Sultan ocak. The notebooks are written down by Mehmet Mahir Özkolaçık and are the copy of the author. His poems, which are included in this study, have been selected from these three notebooks. All the poems are written in syllabic meter. Among the subjects of the poems, the love of Ehlibeyt was intensely processed. In addition, Mehmet Mahir Özkolaçık, especially the Çelebis, with whom he is in contact, has been the subject of his poems. He also talked about the period in which he lived and the difficulties he faced. With this study, besides giving brief information about Mehmet Mahir Özkolaçık's life some of his poems were published for the first time.

Keywords: Mehmet Mahir, Hacım Sultan Ocak, Hacı Bektaş Veli, Poetry, Conk.