ABSTRACT

Şemsettin Sami is a well-known figure in Turkish culture and literature, especially for his very important works in the fields of language and lexicography. However, he has a lot of unknown aspects which played second fiddle to this welldeserved reputation. Playwriting is one of them.Ş. Sami, as he engaged in the other genres of literature, didn’t neglected the drama and wrote several plays. His play Besa yahut Ahde Vefa which published in 1292 AH, is one of his first writing experiences in this genre.

Besa yahut Ahde Vefa is a drama which was written according to an apprehension that had been a trend under name of national theatre in ‘Tanzimat’ era. In other words, the work, as it is highlighted by setting off in the title, is a play of custom. In the play the events occur around this custom and tradition called Besa that belongs to people of Albania which is the birthplace of Sami. Besa is a kind of oath and extremely important among Albanian customs.

In this article, the play Besa yahut Ahde Vefa is reviewed and discussed with regard to fiction which oriented to reflect the custom, and the approach of the author to aforementioned custom.