Namaeh Farhangistan

Namaeh Farhangistan

Translation of Persian Works into Turkish during the Ottoman Empire

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Associate Professor of the Department of History, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/nf.2026.538871.1434
Abstract
The victory of the Seljuks in the Battle of Malazgerd (463 AH) shattered Byzantine resistance and began a period of migration and settlement of Turkmens in Asia Minor (Roman lands). The gradual settlement of armies and various groups of people paved the way for the penetration of the Iranian language and culture into Asia Minor, and the expansion of migration from Transoxiana, Khorasan, and other places to Asia Minor contributed to the cultural and linguistic diversity in this land. During the rule of the Seljuks of Rome and the principalities, numerous works were written in Persian, and with the formation of the Ottoman state, the Persian language continued to maintain its importance, as numerous works were written in this language. With the strengthening of the Turkish language, the writing of works in this language and the translation of Persian works into Turkish gradually became popular and widespread. Of course, the strengthening and consolidation of the Turkish language during the Ottoman period did not diminish the importance of the Persian language, but rather the attention paid to the translation of Persian works into Turkish increased to the point that various translators translated some of the enduring Persian works of different periods into Turkish several times. In this article, while referring to the position of the Persian language in the Ottoman period, the course of the translation of works in three different periods is examined and the reasons for the prevalence of translating Persian works into Turkish are explained. The findings of this study show the importance of the position of the Persian language in the Ottoman period. The abundance and diversity of works translated into Turkish are indicative of the interest of the Ottoman elite in translating Persian works into Turkish.
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Volume 24, Issue 5 - Serial Number 99
Nameh Farhangestan (Asia Minor Studies)
November and December 2025
Pages 5-24

  • Receive Date 11 August 2025
  • Revise Date 01 September 2025
  • Accept Date 03 November 2025