In Turkey, he is considered their own, but Crimean Tatars agree – he was born in Crimea. Ashik Umer is a prominent representative of the medieval literature of the entire Turkic world. Little is known about his life, but there are many tales and legends. In his mature years, he left Crimea and wandered for many years through different countries, wrote poems and recited them to his own music, playing the saz. His literary legacy comprises a full 1500 works – that is what we know. And Ashik Umer passed away in his native Kezlev in 1707.
Based on materials from V. Vozgrin, «History of the Crimean Tatars,» and E. Shem’i-zade.
