Baki

Bâḳî (باقى) was the pen name (Ottoman Turkish: مخلص mahlas) of the Ottoman Turkish poet Mahmud Abdülbâkî (محمود عبدالباقى) (1526 – 1600). Considered one of the greatest contributors to Turkish literature, Bâkî came to be known as Sultânüş-şuarâ (سلطان الشعرا), or "Sultan of poets".

Life Sokulluzade Hasan Pasha, here in 1590 escorting the hostage Safavid Prince Haydar Mirza into Istanbul. Divan of Mahmud Abd al-Baki (1590-95)

Bâkî was born to a poor family in Constantinople, his father being a muezzin at the Fatih Mosque. Originally, his family apprenticed him to a harness-maker, but he would often skip work to attend classes at a nearby medrese (Islamic school). Because of this, his family eventually allowed him to formally attend school. Bâkî was a good student, and he attended the lectures of many of the famous lecturers of the time. It was during his school years that his interest in and talent for poetry began to take shape, helped largely by the established poet Zâtî (ذاتی) (1471–1548). After completing school, he worked for some time as a teacher, but later, as his poetic fame began to grow, he was granted a number of different positions—generally as a kadı (ﻗﺎضی), or Islamic judge—in the Ottoman bureaucracy. Bâkî died in Istanbul in the year 1600.