The Baki Project. Newbook Digital Texts.
Mahmud AbdulBaki (1526-1600) wrote poetry under the penname Baki (Bāḳī = the Enduring) during the reigns of 4 Ottoman sultans. As the acclaimed “Sultan of Poets” during the so-called “Golden Age” of Ottoman literature, Baki’s influence as a poet echoed down through the centuries. He was also a regular guest at the salons and private entertainments of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent (reigned 1520-1566) and a noted scholar and jurist who rose to become the Chief Magistrate of the European Provinces, the second highest canon law position in the Empire. Whether or not he was the “best” poet ever among the Ottomans is still argued today but very few would claim that he was not the most famous.