Khasta Qasim (, : 1684–1760) – was an

Iranian Azerbaijani Iranian Azerbaijanis (; ) are the largest ethnic minority of Iran. They are primarily found in and are native to the Iranian Azerbaijan region including provinces of (East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, West Azerbaijan)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 ...

Azerbaijani literature Azerbaijani literature (, ) is written in Azerbaijani, a Turkic language, which is the official state language of the Republic of Azerbaijan, where the North Azerbaijani variety is spoken. It is also natively spoken in Iran, where the Sout ...

. Khasta Qasim was one of the best Azerbaijani-language poets; he was also a mystic, ''

ashik An ashik (; ) or ashugh (; ka, :ka:აშუღი, აშუღი) is traditionally a List of oral repositories, singer-poet and bard who accompanies his song—be it a dastan (traditional epic story, also known as ''Azeri hikaye, hikaye' ...

'', and philosopher in the era of

Afsharid Iran The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly referred to as Afsharid Iran or the Afsharid Empire, was an Iranian empire established by the Turkoman (ethnonym), Turkoman Afshar tribe in Iran's north-eastern province of Khorasan Province, Khorasan, est ...

(18th century), popularly known as ''Dada'' and ''Gasim''. Khasta Gasim was born about 1680 in the village of Tikmedash, near

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

in one of the most educated families in

, which is evident from the preserved poetic heritage of the

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 ...

. In the 17th century, such forms of

folk art Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative art, decorative. The makers of folk art a ...

, as Ashik poetry and art were widely distributed not only in Tabriz, but also in the surrounding area. Since childhood, Gasim was interested in poetry. He learned the Arabic and Persian languages and mastered the arts of poetry, philosophy, history, Islam, and astronomy. Gasim also studied the literary heritage of

Fuzûlî Muhammad bin Suleyman (, ; 1483–1556), better known by his pen name Fuzuli (, ), was a 16th-century poet who composed works in his native Azerbaijani language, Azerbaijani, as well as Persian language, Persian and Arabic. He is regarded as on ...

, and thought of himself as his descendant. Gasim studied the experience of previous masters such as

Dede Korkut The ''Book of Dede Korkut'' or ''Book of Korkut Ata'' (, ; ; ) is the most famous among the dastans or epic stories of the Oghuz Turks. The stories carry morals and values significant to the social lifestyle of the nomadic Turkic peoples and t ...

, Shirvanly mall Gasim, Gharib, Ashiq Qurbani,

Ashik Abbas Tufarqanlı Abbas Tufarqanlı or Abbas Divarganli, or Abbas of Tufargan (, , ), was a 17th-century Azerbaijani ashik. He is regarded as one of the most prominent of all times. Abbas Tufarqanlı was born in late 16th century in Azarshahr, a town near Tabriz ...

, creating poetry, and took part in polishing and improving the linguistic and stylistic delivery of the

Epic of Koroghlu The ''Epic of Koroghlu'' (; ; ; ) is a heroic legend prominent in the oral traditions of the Turkic peoples, mainly the Oghuz Turks. The legend typically describes a hero who seeks to avenge a wrong. It was often put to music and played at sp ...

. In connection with the invasion in 1734 the troops of

Nadir Shah Nader Shah Afshar (; 6 August 1698 or 22 October 1688 – 20 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian history, ruling as shah of Iran (Persia) from 1736 to 1747, when he was a ...

and the conquest of Tabriz, many poets and their families were evicted. Khasta Gasim permanently settled in

Shamakhi Shamakhi (, ) is a city in Azerbaijan and the administrative centre of the Shamakhi District. The city's estimated population was 31,704. It is famous for its traditional dancers, the Shamakhi Dancers, and also for perhaps giving its name to th ...

and thereafter lived in

Shirvan Shirvan (from ; ; Tat: ''Şirvan'') is a historical region in the eastern Caucasus, as known in both pre-Islamic Sasanian and Islamic times. Today, the region is an industrially and agriculturally developed part of the Republic of Azerbaijan ...

. Also, for some time he lived at the court of one of the

Shirvan Khanate Shirvan Khanate () was a Caucasian khanate under Iranian suzerainty, which controlled the Shirvan region from 1761 to 1820. Background Under the Safavid dynasty of Iran, Shirvan was a leading silk manufacturer and its principal city, Shamakhi, ...

- Garakhan. During a trip to

Derbent Derbent, also historically known as Darband, or Derbend, is the southernmost city in Russia. It is situated along the southeastern coast of the Dagestan, Republic of Dagestan, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucas ...

, Dede Gasim met Ashug Lezgi Ahmed. It is well known among poets held a contest where both sides exchanged poems, riddles ("deyishme").

Notes

Tikmədaşlı Xəstə Qasım
in «Mədəniyyət»

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

25.07.2012 * Kara Namazov, candidate of philological sciences. Azerbaijan ashik poetry. Khasta Gasim. - Baku: Yazichi, 1984. - 40 {{DEFAULTSORT:Qasim, Khasta 1684 births People from East Azerbaijan province 1760 deaths 17th-century Iranian poets Azerbaijani-language poets 18th-century writers from Safavid Iran People from Afsharid Iran Iranian Muslim mystics 18th-century Iranian poets