Ror a few years, whichever topic I diverge into, I come across an interesting situation. I always encounter the same name, no matter which field of Turkish thought and art history I reach out to: Mustafa Âli. I was initially studying the proposals and advisory texts presented to the sultan. It did not quite surprise me to come by Mustafa Âli's "Nushatü's-Selatin" (Advice to Sultans). What could be more natural than Mustafa Âli putting his ideas forward to redeem the deteriorating order, just like many smart, talented, experienced and slightly discontented writers occupying prominent places within the Ottoman bureaucracy were doing? Frankly, among well-known writers such as Koçi Bey, Katip Çelebi and Naima, Mustafa Âli had not particularly struck me as a writer of nasihatnames (advisory texts submitted to the sultans and viziers). Then I thought about taking a look at Ottoman historians, who were shining with both their narratives and analyses, who offered ideas that could be deemed sociological. As an amateur reader of history, I could not say that my attentiveness involves an above average rigor. I could simply say that I was "just looking." Among the grand and acclaimed historians was once again Mustafa Âli. Âli's chronicle titled "Kühnü'l-Ahbar" (The Essence of History) is, in a sense, a history storage room. It is a world of riches. The creation of man and the history of the prophets, the history of Islam, the history of the ancient Turks and the Moghuls and finally Ottoman history are among the most important parts of the voluminous book. It is as if we are face to face with an Ottoman Ibn Khaldun.Golden treasuryWhen I came across the master again while studying diwan poetry in the meantime, "that's it," I said. "Kühnü'l-Ahbar" has two more parts that are just as important as the historical ones. Biographies of scholars and poets, excerpts from their works and brief analyses, apparently, constituted the final part of this major chronicle. We have called it a history storage room, but it has now turned into a warehouse.I am an amateur when it comes to history and sociology, but I do know my way around poetry. While looking at the biography section of the "Kühnü'l-Ahbar," I noticed that the very origin of the majority of the ideas on Ottoman poetry that we have at our disposal today is none other than Mustafa Âli. This realization also left an impression on me relating to the genius of Mustafa Âli. Just think of a writer who is equipped with enough knowledge to write a major chronicle; but he also seriously gets poetry. Mustafa Âli himself is no great poet, that is for sure. But it is also for sure that he knows enough poetry to solidly analyze the poets of his nation.History and poetry, in fact, rarely coexist within a single person. In the Greek-Roman world and in Europe, their successor, history and poetry are considered to be on the two opposite ends of knowledge. Even though we do not have such a sharp distinction, it would not be wrong to say that our historians are not equipped enough with imagination, that they know about poetry above a certain level. Our poets and poetry critics occasionally display interest in history; but this is more in the general sense, and is limited to the interesting ideas they bring forward related to the historical figures. As a writer [with a sense of responsibility towards/pledging allegiance to] both poetry and history, Mustafa Âli should be considered a prodigy, even if just for that.Life stories of artisansI came across Âli's advanced level of knowledge, cultivation and reasoning while studying the arts of Islam, especially the art of calligraphy. This man, who was refined to the point of critiquing the works of scholars and poets, is at the same time the owner of the most important historical record on the Ottoman-Islamic art: "Menakıb-ı Hünerveran" (Life Stories of Artists and Artisans). This book is a solid biography of calligraphers, painters and bookbinders. In terms of the aesthetic history of the art of calligraphy, which is not yet fully illuminated and has patches of gaps and blurs - although important works have been produced on it, especially abroad - the "Menakıb" is a classic resource no researcher can deny.Even if one leaves his biography aside and focuses on the character of his works, it becomes apparent just what a flourishing man of science, art and thought Mustafa Âli of Gelibolu was. This could also be taken as an indicator of other things. We have constantly been told that there is no critique in the Ottomans. If it wasn't for Mustafa Âli, this idle talk could have been mistaken for the truth. The Ottomans do have a genre of critique of their own disposition and within this genre, Mustafa Âli, with his genius that is capable of artistic, political and economical analyses, holds a prominent place.Bureaucrat, critic, historianBy the way, it is not like Mustafa Âli is not read and left aside. He is almost at the heart of the state. "Almost," for he has usually taken on important duties outside Istanbul. He worked as a scribe first to the sons of Suleyman the Magnificent, and then to a great commander like Lala Mustafa Paşa; fulfilled the duty of treasurer at Aleppo, Erzurum, Baghdad and Sivas and finally became the governor of Jeddah. His life, which began on May 1541, comes to an end in Jeddah in the year of 1600.Those who write his biography usually talk of the master's passion. Since he was a good writer alongside being an adept financier, I think it is natural that he would expect duties of more significance at the center. Viewing it as a passion in particular might not be completely right. In any case, he himself, complaining of not getting the promotions he anticipates, mentions somewhere that this was not the case before the deterioration of the stately order; everyone would be treated according to their talents and would attain the positions they deserved.Even though this is not completely correct, either, it is extremely clear that if Mustafa Âli had appeared not in the 16th century's melange of flamboyance and misery, but during the times of Murat II or Fatih (the Conqueror), he could have had a more vivid career. But this assumption too has its weaknesses. We see that Ottoman writers possess a brighter knowledge and cultivation throughout centuries, meaning if he was born a century earlier, Mustafa Âli might not have been the master writer he was, who knew both about politics and economy.The early modern "çelebi"Another way of thinking is that because Mustafa Âli did not specialize or professionalize in any style, this harmed his fortune. Even though he does know about poetry, he is not inclined to it as much as the great poets are. He has not restricted himself to being a financier. Despite writing advisory texts and chronicles, it cannot be said that he has made an occupation out of it.To us, Mustafa Âli is one of the members of, or even one of the first examples of, a "çelebi generation" that could be deemed unsatisfied, and which has a peaking talent for analysis. Like Katip Çelebi and Evliya Çelebi, Mustafa Âli, too, can be seen as a victim of the clash between father and son, the conflict between elderly bureaucrats and young scholars. His life was also relatively short, just like that of Katip Çelebi. He did not even live to see 60. He did not grow old. With his bright ideas and insatiable passion, he remained forever young within the Ottoman transformation from progress and advance to static order and fortification.