Who said he was blind Veysel
Veysel saw with his heart
Loop by loop, embroidery embroidery
Veysel knitted love with saz

Our famous poet, whose real name is Veysel Şatıroğlu, was born in 1894 in the village of Sivrialan, in the Şarkışla district of Sivas. Veysel, who lost his two sisters from smallpox, also caught this disease when he was 7 years old. He lost his left eye from smallpox and his right eye in a sadly accident. His father gave him a saz (an instrument) by hoping his son would forget his troubles even a little bit. After that day, he gave himself to the saz; he begun to play and sing the works of Pir Sultan Abdal and Karacaoğlan. His saz became his eyes. He traveled Anatolia from village to village, playing and singing. Meeting Ahmet Kutsi Tecer on the Folk Poets’ Festival was the first step of a big change in his life. His fame spread to the whole country with the publication of the poem he wrote for Atatürk in the newspaper. He tried to pay off his debt to his country by teaching saz at the Village Institutes, one of Turkey’s enlightenment projects. When Âşık Veysel, who is the embodiment of the concepts of peace, tolerance and love, walked into eternity on 21 March 1973, his fame and works have already exceeded the borders of the country. Âşık Veysel, was influential in the upbringing of many poets; and dozens of his works such as “Dostlar Beni Hatırlasın (Friends Remember Me)”, “Uzun İnce Bir Yoldayım (I’m on a Long Thin Road)”, “Kara Toprak (Black Earth)” are sung by many artists.

#letfriendsrememberus