ʿAbdī Pāshā (Abdi Paşa) (1) (d. 1103/1692), a historiographer and Ottoman statesman, known as the nishānchī (seal-keeper). The exact date of his birth is not known, but he was born in Istanbul (Hammer, 3/2348) and named ʿAbd al-Raḥmān. He was brought up in the private royal quarters of the Ottoman court and rising rapidly through the ranks, became one of the close attendants of the Ottoman sultan, Muḥammad (Mehmet) IV (r. 1058–1099/1648–1687). Upon presenting his translation of the classical qaṣīda by Kaʿb b. Zuhayr in praise of the Prophet (a rhyming ode on the letter ‘Lām’, known as Lāmiyy…