The legend about Yusuf and Zulaikha for centuries was one of the most commonly used and favorite themes in the East, especially in Turkic literature. The life story of Prophet Joseph, as told in Torah (Genesis, 37-50) and the 12th surah of the Holy Qur`an, served as the inspiration for this theme. With time, the original version of this parable, given in the sacred books, underwent changes. However, the main motifs were preserved and reflected in literary works. It is known that since the XIII century in the literature of the Turkic-speaking peoples, there have been more than fifty works of “Yusuf and Zulaikha” written in verse or prose. One of them is “Yusuf and Zulaikha” of the 15th century poet Akshamsaddin-zadeh Hamdullah Hamdi.

This article provides a brief overview of the life and work of Hamdullah Hamdi and examines the primary sources of his poem “Yusuf and Zulaikha”. The results of the research indicate that in creating this work, Hamdullah Hamdi drew upon the Torah, the Quran, and hadiths, as well as extensively utilized the similarly titled poem by Abdurrahman Jami. The article also compares Hamdullah Hamdi’s “Yusuf and Zulaikha” with Jami’s work, highlighting their similarities and differences. It was established that the poet not only adopted the style and narrative structure of Jami’s poem but also extensively incorporated phrases and expressions from it. As noted in several biographical sources, Hamdullah Hamdi’s work can be considered an adapted translation of Jami’s poem with certain additions.