Mythological & Legendary Figures Codexery

Nasreddin

A folk hero of humorous tales across the Muslim world.

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Nasreddin is a folk character appearing in thousands of humorous and satirical stories across the Muslim world, often depicted as a wise fool or the butt of a joke.[1][2] His historicity remains unconfirmed, though a tombstone in Akşehir, Turkey, is sometimes cited as archaeological evidence.[1][3]

Quick Facts

Field
  • Folklore
  • humour
  • pedagogy

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

Many sources place Nasreddin's birthplace in Hortu Village, Sivrihisar, Turkey, in the 13th century, with his death in Akşehir or Konya around 1275/6 or 1285/6 CE.[4] The Azerbaijani satirical magazine Molla Nasraddin, founded by Jalil Mammadguluzadeh, was published from 1906 to 1931 in Tiflis, Tabriz, and Baku.[5][6] In 2020, seven countries jointly submitted Nasreddin tales for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage listing.[7] Al-Jahiz, writing in the 9th century, is the earliest known author to mention the character Juha, the Arabic version of Nasreddin.[8][9]

Juha began as a distinct figure in Arabic folklore, and his stories merged with those of Nasreddin during the 19th century when translations from Arabic into Turkish and Persian were made.[10] The periodical, founded by Jalil Mammadguluzadeh, targeted social issues like inequality and corruption, and its impact was felt in both Azerbaijani and Iranian literary traditions.[5]

What the cited sources add

Garibova's article quotes an early 1906 issue of Molla Nasraddin criticizing Muslim newspapers for praising khans and hajis.[6] Wesselski's collection describes a tradition that Nasreddin served as a jester to Timur, who spared the city of Jenischehir to hear his tales.[11] Javadi further notes that a 1940 collection of 539 stories, illustrated and edited by Moḥammad Ramażāni, became the foundation for all subsequent collections published in Iran.[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Nasreddin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: , , , , , / ALA-LC: , {{langx|ur| }} / ALA-LC: , , , ,; Hunziker, "Myth, Symbol, and Ritual: Elucidatory Paths to the Fantastic Unreality", University of Bucharest, 2019, p. 357–361 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Nasreddin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Javadi, "MOLLA NASREDDIN i. THE PERSON"; "Akşehir Belediyesi - Nasreddin Hoca Şenliği", aksehir.bel.tr (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Nasreddin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Encyclopedia of Humor Studies", SAGE Publications, 2014, p. 108–111 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Nasreddin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Başgöz, "Studies in Turkish Folklore in Honor of Pertev N. Boratav", Indiana University, 1978; Perry, "New Perspectives on Safavid Iran: Empire and Society", Taylor & Francis, 2011, p. 92; Perry, "New Perspectives on Safavid Iran: Empire and Society", Taylor & Francis, 2011, p. 92; "Nasreddin Hoca", Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism; Fiorentini, "Storie di Nasreddin", Libreria Editrice Psiche, 2004; "Aksehir's International Nasreddin Hodja Festival and Aviation Festival – Turkish Daily News 27 Jun 2005" (we also read that sou en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Nasreddin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Molla Nasraddin – The Magazine: Laughter that Pricked the Conscience of a Nation by Jala Garibova. Azerbaijan International. Vol. 4:3 (Autumn 1996), pp. 22-23; Molla Nasraddin, an entry from the Great Soviet Encyclopaedia by A.Sharif. Baku.ru; Molla Nasraddin and Jalil Mammadguluzadeh by Ebrahim Nabavi. BBC Persian. 6 July 2006 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Molla Nasraddin – The Magazine: Laughter that Pricked the Conscience of a Nation by Jala Garibova. Azerbaijan International. Vol. 4:3 (Autumn 1996), pp. 22-23. facts only, no text reused. azer.com
  7. Wikipedia, "Nasreddin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Turkey submits four cultural values to UNESCO", Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Nasreddin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: الذهبي ميزان الاعتدال (المجلد 1)، ص 326 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Javadi, "MOLLA NASREDDIN i. THE PERSON". facts only, no text reused. iranicaonline.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Nasreddin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia", Taylor & Francis, 2006, p. 426; "The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales", Greenwood Press, 2008, p. 661 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Der Hodscha Nasreddin, Albert Wesselski, sidenote to story 201. facts only, no text reused. gutenberg.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Nasreddin (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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