Seyh Galip

Seyh Galib, also known as Galib Dede, was born in Istanbul. His father was a government official with some connection to the Mevlevi Sufi order, the order of "whirling dervishes" founded by Rumi.

Galib attempted to combine a government career with the interior life of a Sufi, but he eventually turned his focus wholeheartedly to the spiritual life, becoming the sheikh of the Mevlevi order in the Galata district of Istanbul.

By this time he was already famous for his poetry, known even to Sultan Selim III, who was a patron of poets. Galib composed a divan (collection) of his poetry and a poetic allegory called "Beauty and Love." He is considered to be the last of the great classical Ottoman poets.