The Letter Sent by Râmi Mehmed Pasha to the Persian Shah

Abstract

Written in the style of artistic prose in Ottoman period literature and collected in a book, munşeat magazines are not only important in literary terms but also have historical source value. As a matter of fact, these works, which contain important source material for historical studies, are also important in terms of containing various official writings of political and administrative nature in Ottoman history and diplomacy. One of these documents, which can be regarded as a diplomatic document pointing to a specific period in terms of its content and style of organisation, was sent to the Persian Shah Hussein by Râmi Mehmed Pasha, a very intelligent and shrewd bureaucrat raised in the kalemiyye (scribal institution). This letter, which was written in a very complicated language, generally deals with the situation of some tribes in the regions far from the centre, especially around Basra, which had rebelled and created an environment of turmoil for a long time, and the restoration of security in the region by taking back the occupied places. The copy of the letter we are studying is in the Süleymaniye Ktp. Esad Efendi Collection nr. 3375 in the manuscript titled “Muʿâhedât and Münşeât and Mukarrerât” and is located between folios 99b-102b.

In this study, firstly, for a better understanding of Râmi Mehmed Efendi’s letter, which is important in terms of Ottoman-Iranian relations and has historical source value, the relations with Iran in the early eighteenth century and the situation around Basra will be briefly touched upon, then the mentioned letter will be evaluated and then its transcription will be given.