Many sources claim that he was born in 1208, while others suggest 1308. He was born in the town of Khorto (Sivrihisar), but lived in Akshehir , which was considered a province of the Sultanate of Konya. At the madrasa in Konya, where he studied, he was distinguished for his quick wit.
Molla Nasreddin's father Abdulla Efendi was an imam. His father died when Nasreddin was studying in madrasa. After his father's death it was difficult for him to stay in the village.
In 1237, Khoja Nasreddin came to Akshehir and started working as a regional theologian. While working in this position, he was addressed as "Nasreddin Khoja". He went down in history under this name.
The earliest written references to anecdotes about Molla Nasreddin appear in Saltukname, a work about the life of Sarı Saltuk. His words and tales became famous not only in Anatolia but also among Turks living in China.
Molla Nasreddin owned a donkey named “Bozoğlan,” and in some illustrations, his donkey appears alongside him.
During the princely years of Sultan Cem, son of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, an order was given to compile and record Nasreddin’s anecdotes in book form. This task was entrusted to the renowned scholar Abulkhayr Rumi. Over the course of seven years, anecdotes circulating among the people were collected, and in 1480 they were published as a book. One of the works about him bears the title Haza Terceme-i Nasraddin Efendi Rahme. This manuscript is currently preserved in the British Museum in London.
Molla Nasreddin married a woman from Akşehir. According to tradition, they had two daughters, Fatma Hatun and Dürri Melek. He died in Akşehir in 1284 (according to some sources, in 1384). Over his grave, a magnificent mausoleum was built with a dome resting on six pillars.
Among many Turkic peoples, journals and newspapers have been published in his name. Notably, Azerbaijani playwright Jalil Mammadguluzadeh published the satirical magazine Molla Nasreddin (1906–1920). Other examples include Hoca Nasreddin (1908), Nasreddin Hoca (1914–1920, 1929), Yeni Nasreddin Hoca (1936), and Yeni Hoca Nasreddin (1940).