Rüya Tâbirnamesi (Uyku, Rüya, Kâbus)

Dreams and the interpretation of dreams have occupied a central place throughout human history. The nature (mahiyyah) of dreams, their formation, and the interpretation (taʿbīr) of what is seen in dreams have been the subject of significant works written in both the East and the West. One such work is the present book prepared by Avanzâde Mehmet Süleyman (d. 1922).

The author arranged the book in two parts. In the first part, he provides detailed information on sleep, dreams (ruʾyā), and nightmares. These discussions are compiled primarily from the works of Eastern authorities—most notably Ibn Sīrīn and al-Nābulusī—as well as from Western authors such as Émile Maximilien Paul Littré.

In the second part of the work, the interpretations of what is seen in dreams are presented alphabetically under 1,258 entries. The book is enriched with material drawn from both Eastern and Western sources on dream interpretation, addressing topics such as dreams, sleep, nightmares, and hypnotism. In this respect, it goes beyond the traditional taʿbīrnāmes prepared merely in dictionary form and stands out as a significant reference work in the field of dream interpretation.