Qol Ghali

Qul Ghali (Volga Türki: قل علی; , ; ; ; – 1236) was a famous Muslim Volga Bulgarian poet. His most famous poem is Qissa-i Yusuf (قصه یوسف; Tale of Yusuf), written in the Volga Turki language, which is mutually intelligible with the modern Tatar, Bashkir and Chuvash languages.

Biography According to historian Ravil Bukharaev, Ghali was likely born into a cleric family in Volga Bulgaria. He studied in the Khwarezmean madrassah. Ghali also resided or studied in various areas around Volga Bulgaria and possibly traveled to Iran, Syria and other parts of the Middle East.

Works Qissa-i Yusuf (قصه یوسف, also transliterated Qïssa-yï Yusuf), also known as the Yosïfnamä, was inspired by Qur'anic stories of Joseph. The poem is devoted to the struggle against evil and for human happiness. The poem played a major role in the Muslim Volga Bulgarian culture and later the Bashkir and Tatar culture. More than 200 manuscripts have been found among the Bashkirs and Tatars. According to Agnès Kefeli, "from its publication to the end of the nineteenth century, this epic remained a 'best seller' on the Silk Road from Russia to China"; among nineteenth-century Tatar Muslim women, "when a girl got married, the custom was to wrap Qul ‘Ali’s book of Joseph in an embroidered towel and place it at the bottom of her wedding chest". The poem was prepared for publishing for the first time by the poet Utız İmäni and printed in 1839 by Räxmätulla Ämirxanov. and translated into English.

Qul Ghali award The Qul Ghali International Award is named after Qul Ghali. It is awarded to recognize excellence in literature and poetry. The award was established in 1992.