CHELEBI, EVLIYA

(c. 1611-1685)

   Evliya Chelebi was an Ottoman traveler and author who wrote the Seyahatname, or Book of Travels, one of the most useful sources on the social, political, economic, and cultural life of the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century. In 1655 and 1656, he traveled to many different parts of Kurdistan (in particular Bitlis) and took extensive notes on almost everything he saw.