Who was Mustak Baba, known as the Nostradamus of Turks?

The annals of the heavens are as ancient as the history of humankind itself. As humans developed their relationships with the physical objects surrounding them within their world, their understanding of the value ascribed to these objects and the elements that composed them deepened.

Over time, humans’ relationships with their environment broadened, leading them to seek meaning in the heavens as well. As thoughts about the existence of humanity emerged, some people began to claim that the secret of this existence was hidden behind the veil of the celestial spheres. With the growing number of adherents to this idea, people began to observe the celestial bodies to find answers to questions about existence and to obtain some knowledge about the future.

Those who exaggerated the observation of the heavens were sometimes exiled or killed by certain authorities on the grounds that they were corrupting society. However, some of them gained great fame during their lifetimes and achieved immortality after their deaths thanks to the prophecies they made based on the information they obtained by observing the heavens. Nostradamus and Mustak Baba are two famous examples of this.

Who was Nostradamus?

Michel de Nostradame, better known as Nostradamus, was born in the 15th century to a family of Jewish descent. His grandfather, Pierre de Nostradame, an Avignon merchant, converted to Christianity (or was forced to). Nostradamus’ father, Jaume de Nostradame, was a notary who settled in Saint-Rémy de Provence and had nine children. Michel was his most notable son.

Although little is known about his early education, it’s clear that both his maternal and paternal grandfathers, who served King René as scholars and physicists, played a significant role in his upbringing. Michel acquired a vast knowledge of various subjects from his grandfathers, especially Kabbalah, which he learned from his Jewish ancestors. In 1529, he enrolled in the Montpellier Medical School, founded in the 12th century. This school taught the theories of ancient Greek physicians as well as Ibn Sina. To receive a good education during the Renaissance, one had to know Greek and Latin, Hebrew and Arabic to study the holy scriptures. Michel skillfully used these languages in his poetry to make his prophecies difficult to understand. He referred to mythological narratives and ancient religions to emphasize events, addressing only those who possessed this knowledge.

People have been trying to interpret and understand Nostradamus ever since his death. At the beginning of his career, he traveled as a physician, gaining experience. It was common for scholars and doctors to travel during the Renaissance. Epidemics like the plague often forced them to do so. Nostradamus tried to follow this tradition. He even found a cure for the plague and traveled from city to city to treat people. He would not leave a city until the plague had gone. In one of his books, he began with beauty recipes for women and then continued with recipes for medicinal jams. Renaissance physicians believed that healing was a partnership between nature and the heavens and that the positions of the stars influenced the human body. They even believed that the timing of taking medication was determined by the stars.

Therefore, physicians were also expected to be good astrologers. It was common for doctors in the Renaissance to create almanacs containing annual star charts and advice. Nostradamus also wrote almanacs, including his prophecies within them. His success as a doctor quickly elevated him, and his treatment methods made him famous. In 1534, he was invited to the city of Agen by the famous Renaissance scholar Jules Cesar Scalinger and settled there. After losing his wife and children to the plague three years later, he began to travel again to forget his sorrow. It is said that he traveled constantly, even to Italy and Egypt. He is said to have discovered his prophetic abilities during these aimless journeys. During one of these journeys, he knelt before a priest and said, “I greet you, holy man,” and predicted that this person would become a great man. This man later became Pope Sixtus V.

The great flood in France in 1544 and the subsequent outbreak of the plague brought him back. He worked tirelessly in the city of Aix and gained great respect. In 1547, he moved to Salon de Provence and married a wealthy widow, Anne Ponsarde Gemel. They had three children. Nostradamus died of gout at the age of 66 in 1566. The house where he lived until his death was converted into a museum by the city council.

The Prophecies of Nostradamus

Nostradamus attempted to foretell the future using quatrains, which he arranged into groups of one hundred, hence the name “centuries.” While doing so, he was careful to explain his methods and to distance himself from occult practices. For instance, in the first quatrain, beginning with “Seated at night, working in secret, by candlelight only,” the words employed evoke occult imagery, yet Nostradamus intentionally obfuscated his meaning by blending ancient Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and Arabic. Using the Latin word “secretum” to signify “secret,” he crafted an aura of mystery around his work. It’s known that he labored in a small room on the top floor of his house, which is now a museum.

Nostradamus emphasized the deliberately obscure nature of his prophecies, arguing that some events were simply too complex for contemporary understanding and that it was best for ordinary people to remain uninformed. He attributed the fulfillment of these prophecies to divine providence. While he rejected the title of prophet, claiming that prophets possessed an innate ability to foresee distant events, Nostradamus maintained that his predictions were based on his own methods and the study of the stars.

In 1555, he published his first collection of prophecies, known as the “Centuries.” Initially focused on the impending threats to France and Europe, he later expanded his predictions to encompass Asia and even extended them as far as the year 3797. His complete works comprised three full centuries and 54 additional quatrains. Subsequent editions, published between 1557 and 1558, increased the number of centuries to 10, leading to the term “millenary.” Since then, there have been over 170 editions translated into nearly every language.

While residing in Salon-de-Provence, Nostradamus was visited by Queen Catherine de Medici, who appointed him the royal astrologer. However, he faced jealousy from other astrologers and clergy, who accused him of false prophecy and frightening people with his predictions. Both Protestants and Catholics leveled accusations against him.

We learn about Nostradamus’ physical appearance from the account of his secretary, a young medical student who began working for him three years before his death. Later, Nostradamus’ son, César, created oil paintings of his father, striving to preserve his image. In his book, the secretary wrote: “He told me one day that I would be the secretary of an important man. I didn’t know then that he was referring to himself. He was no ordinary man. He had a strong and healthy body, a broad forehead, and a straight nose. His gray eyes were gentle but could flash with anger. Until his final days, his cheeks were rosy and healthy. He had a long, thick beard, a clear and sharp mind, thought deeply, spoke little, worked hard, and slept no more than four or five hours. He was a devout Catholic.”

Nostradamus’ Prophecies: Turks and the Siege of Vienna

In his book “Letters to King Henry II of France,” author Jean Charles de Fontbrune claims that Nostradamus clearly identified the enemies of Christ in his prophecies, addressing them directly to the devoutly Catholic king. He frequently mentioned “barbarians from the Altai Mountains” as enemies of Christ. Undoubtedly, he was referring to the Turks.

Nostradamus’ prophecies seem to foreshadow the unsuccessful siege of Vienna in 1683 by the Ottoman commander Kara Mustafa Pasha, as well as the Russo-Turkish War and the subsequent Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699, which marked the beginning of the decline of the Ottoman Empire. According to Nostradamus, the Ottomans would lose territories including the Vienna Basin, the Morea Peninsula and Hungary. Indeed, historical events confirm that the Ottoman Empire began to lose these territories following the defeat in Vienna.

Some authors argue that Nostradamus warned King Henry II of future calamities, specifically predicting significant changes for France in 1792 and 1999. These predictions are seen as foreshadowing the French Revolution and the establishment of the Republic. In another quatrain, Nostradamus is said to have foretold the escape and subsequent execution of Louis XVI following the French Revolution. Some interpretations even suggest that Nostradamus predicted Napoleon’s rise to power, the First World War, and even the rise of Hitler, whom he allegedly referred to as “Hisler.” The alleged discovery of the name “Hisler” written behind a cupboard in his mother’s house has fueled speculation about Nostradamus’ prophetic abilities.

Mustak Baba and his prophecies

Mustak Baba was born in Bitlis in 1759. After losing his father, Molla Ibrahim Efendi, at a young age, he was raised by his grandfather, Haci Suleyman Hoca. His birth name was Muhammed Mustafa, but he adopted the pen name Mustak, by which he became famous. Mustak Baba received his early education from his grandfather, who was a scholar well-versed in Arabic, Persian and Hebrew.

Mustak Baba began his formal education at a madrasa but soon grew disillusioned and ran away. His grandfather then sent him to Haci Mahmud Hoca (Sems-i Bitlisi). Later in life, Mustak Baba was influenced by spiritual guides such as Uryan Baba and Haci Hasan-ı Sirvani. He particularly admired Sirvani, who introduced him to the Kadiri Sufi order. Müştak Baba gained fame as a Kadiri in Istanbul and even served as the deputy head of the Selami Mustafa Efendi Tekke in Eyup.

A significant portion of Mustak Baba’s life was spent traveling. He visited various places, including Baghdad, Erzurum, Ankara, Ayas, Istanbul, Kirklareli, Tekirdag and even parts of Europe.

What made Mustak Baba famous, earning him the title of “Türkiye’s Nostradamus,” was his prediction in an 1823 poem that Ankara would become the capital a century later. Unlike Nostradamus, who relied on celestial observations, Mustak Baba used a system known as “ebced.” Ebced assigns numerical values to the letters of the Arabic alphabet.

Using this system, poets could embed dates within their verses. This practice was common in Islamic and Ottoman societies, particularly in the inscriptions of buildings like mosques and madrasas. Mustak Baba employed this method to predict future events. During a visit to Ankara, he composed a poem in which he predicted, using ebced, that Ankara would become the capital a century later. This prediction came true in 1923. Like Nostradamus, Mustak Baba is said to have known the date of his own death, which he revealed in a poem written before his demise.