Şêx Şemsedînê Exlatî or Xelwetî (, born in

Ahlat Ahlat (; ) is a town in Turkey's Bitlis Province in Eastern Anatolia Region. It is the seat of Ahlat District.Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

, and

Sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

of the Xelwetî

Sufi order A ''tariqa'' () is a religious order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking , which translates as "ultimate truth". A tariqa has a (guide) who plays the r ...

. He wrote in

Kurmanji Kurmanji (, ), also termed Northern Kurdish, is the northernmost of the Kurdish languages, spoken predominantly in southeast Turkey, northwest and northeast Iran, northern Iraq, northern Syria and the Caucasus and Khorasan regions. It is the ...

. Despite not being as well known as his contemporaries

Melayê Cizîrî Melayê Cizîrî (, also Sheikh Ahmad Jaziri; – ), born Ahmad Nîşanî, was a Kurdish poet who laid the foundations for Kurdish poetry. Biography Born in Cizre of Bohtan around year 1570, Cizîrî was a Sufi who spoke Kurdish, Arabic and ...

and

Feqiyê Teyran Feqiyê Teyran (born Mir Mihemed, "Novice of Fowls", 1590–1660) was a Kurds, Kurdish poet who wrote in Kurmanji. He is best known for his work Zembîlfiroş, and is also credited for writing the first literary account of the Battle of Dimdim wh ...

, his place in

Kurdish literature Kurdish literature ( or ) is literature written in the Kurdish languages. Literary Kurdish works have been written in each of the six main Kurdish languages: Zaza language, Zaza, Gorani language, Gorani, Kurmanji, Sorani, Laki language, Laki and S ...

has been deemed important.

Biography

Exlatî was born in

Ahlat Ahlat (; ) is a town in Turkey's Bitlis Province in Eastern Anatolia Region. It is the seat of Ahlat District.Bitlis Bitlis ( or ; ) is a city in southeastern Turkey. It is the seat of Bitlis District and Bitlis Province.Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

family which adhered to the

Naqshbandi Naqshbandi (Persian: نقشبندیه) is a major Sufi order within Sunni Islam, named after its 14th-century founder, Baha' al-Din Naqshband. Practitioners, known as Naqshbandis, trace their spiritual lineage (silsila) directly to the Prophet ...

order of

Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

. He studied in the Ahlat but also travelled around to study under the guidance of teachers as well. Due to the Ottoman–Safavid War, he settled among the Doskî tribe in the northern part of the Oremar mountain, but in 1620, he moved to

Amadiya Amedi or Amadiye (; ; ) is a town in the Duhok Governorate of Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It is built on a mesa in the broader Great Zab river valley. Amedi is known for its celebrations of Newroz. Etymology According to ibn al-Athir, the Ar ...

Bahdinan The Bahdinan (or Badinan) was one of the most powerful and enduring Kurdish emirates. It was founded by ''Baha-al-Din'' originally from '' Şemzînan'' area in Hakkari in sometime between 13th or 14th century CE. The capital of this emirate was ...

with his brother. In Amadiya, he met the local ruler Sîdî Xan from the Ertuşî tribe, who asked him to settle in Birîfkanî to spread his

beliefs after he became aware of his knowledge on religion. Sîdî Xan gave Xelatî seven homes who agreed to settle in the village. In Birfîkanî, Exlatî began spreading his religious

beliefs which would be known as Xelwetî until his death in 1674. He died in Birîfkani, having lived a modest life. He had five sons.

Poetry

Exlatî wrote in a complex

, filled with 'closed' expressions. His main topics were

Sufi metaphysics In Islamic philosophy, Sufi metaphysics is centered on the concept of or . Two main Sufi philosophies prevail on this topic. Wahdat al-wujūd literally means "the Unity of Existence" or "the Unity of Being." , meaning "existence" or "presen ...

, rural life and nature.

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Exlati, Sex Semsedine 1558 births 1674 deaths Kurdish poets People from Ahlat Kurdish Sufis Kurdish Sufi religious leaders 16th-century Kurdish people 17th-century Kurdish people