The Tendency toward Masnavi in Turkey

The popularity of Persian language and books in Turkey, especially during the 17th century, has provided a suitable atmosphere for the emergence of Mowlana’s works, particularly Masnavi Maanavi in Persian. In Turkey, among Mowlana’s other works, Masnavi has achieved a special status and both Persian and non-Persian speakers have paid particular attention to it. Furthermore, many articles and books have been written on it. There seems to be a correlation between the fall/rise of the tendency toward Masnavi in Turkey and that of Persian language status there and hence the number of translated works and interpretations written on Masnavi seems to be strongly dependent on the presence and popularity of Persian language in Turkey. Accordingly, in the present study, based on the sources available, it is attempted to investigate the tendency toward Masnavi with regard to the status of Persian language in Turkey. The study hasbeen carried out with respect to “Masnavi Interpretation”, “Masnavi Translation”, and “Masnavi Reading”. The most important interpretations and translations of Masnavi are listed as well.