Mevlevi Dervishes Who Were Buried in The Lodge

Sheikhs and Dervishes buried in Galata Mevlevi Lodge are as follows:

• Nâyî Osman Dede
• Sheikh Galib
• Esrar Dede
• İbrahim Müteferrika
• Ankaravî İsmail Rüsûhî Efendi Hazretleri
• Vardakosta Seyid Ahmed Ağa
• Derviş Sun'ullah
• Derviş Uzleti
• Fasih Dede
• Moralızâde Leyla Hanım
• Derviş Ganem
• Şehla-Meyyal Mehmed Dede
• Derviş Mezaki
• Bakkalzade Ali Dede
• Taib Dede
• Humbaracı Ahmet Paşa
• Mehmed Sadık Dede
• Hâlet Sait Efendi
• Kudretullah Dede
• Kudretullah Dede’nin Eşi Emine Hanım
• Kudretullah Dede’nin Oğlu Ataullah Dede
• Selanik Mevlevîhânesi Postnişini Ubeydullah Dede
• İsa Dede
• Selim Dede
• Hüseyin Dede
• Mehmed Ruhi Dede

Nâyî Osman Dede

Nâyî Osman Dede was born in the Vefa neighbourhood of Istanbul. Nâyî Osman Dede, who was interested in Sufism, literature, and music, was initiated into Galata Mevlevi lodge sheikh Mesnevîhan Gavsî Ahmed Dede at a young age. He learned ta'lik style calligraphy, Persian, literature, and ney (reed flute) playing from Mesnevîhan Gavsî Ahmed Dede and was later appointed as neyzenbaşı (head of the ney players). After the death of Mesnevîhan Gavsî Ahmed Dede, he was appointed as sheikh, and a significant part of his period as sheikh coincided with the “Tulip Period” when the state officials took a close interest in science, art, literature, and music. Osman Dede, who was encouraged and patronized by Ahmed III Khan and Grand Vizier Damad Ibrâhim Pasha, died after thirty-three years in this position, and was buried in Gavsî Ahmed Dede's tomb in the courtyard of the Mevlevi lodge. ^[1]

In time the tomb was demolished and in 1944 Hasan Âli Yücel, the Deputy Minister of Education, had the tombstone constructed.

Sheikh Galib

Sheikh Galib was born in Istanbul in 1757. Sheikh Galib's grandfather Mehmed Efendi was also a member of the Mevlevi tariqa (sufi order). He was well-educated in sufi way, learned Arabic, was interested in poetry and became a famous poet at a young age. He first used the pseudonym Esad. When he saw that others were also using this pseudonym, he started to use the name Galib in his poems and became a dîvan owner at the age of 24. After a while, he entered ordeal in Konya Mevlâna Mevlevi lodge, but he could not complete his ordeal there and when he returned to Istanbul, he entered ordeal again in Yenikapı Mevlevi lodge and received the title of “dede”. In 1791, he became the sheikh of Galata Mevlevi lodge, and in 1792, he presented an ode for the repair of Galata Mevlevi lodge to the sovereign Selim III, who wrote poems with the pseudonym 'İlhâmî' and was also engaged in the art of calligraphy, whereupon the sultan fulfilled his wish and had the tekke repaired. The ruler's interest in the dervish lodge and Sheikh Galib continued with the construction of a fountain in the Mevlevi lodge in 1793 and a Mahfel-i Hümâyun in the sema hall in 1794, which was the section where the sultans prayed on Friday prayers, Eid prayers and on the nights of the special days; he also had the sema hall repaired again in 1795. ^[4] Sheikh Galib, who served as the sheikh of Galata Mevlevi lodge for 8 years, died in 1799 in Istanbul and was buried in his tomb in the Mevlevi lodge.

Esrar Dede

Esrar Dede was born in Istanbul in 1748 and his name was Mehmed. He was well-educated and learned Arabic, Persian, Greek, Latin, and Italian. He participated to Mevlevi tariqa during the period when Sheikh Galib was the sheikh of Galata Mevlevi lodge. Some sources claim that he entered ordeal before becoming a sheikh, completed his ordeal under his supervision, and became a high-ranked dede who guided the dervishes entering ordeal.^[5] He completed his life in the room reserved for him in Galata Mevlevi lodge.

İbrahim Müteferrika

It is rumored that he was born between 1670-1674 in Romania. In 1692, he was captured by the Ottoman Empire as a prisoner during the Second Siege of Vienna and later converted to Islam. He grasped state administration in a short time and became müteferrika, a person who served the sultan and viziers in the Ottoman Empire. He became famous for his printing and wrote the book Risale-i Islamiye. It is noteworthy that the books printed in this printing house were related to history, geography, language, and military service. İbrahim Müteferrika enriched most of the books he printed by adding annotations, explanations, notes, and maps, and he also obtained a fatwa for the printing of non-religious books.[6] His grave in Aynalıkavak was buried next to Humbaracıbaşı Ahmet Paşa in the hâmûşân section of the Mevlevi lodge by the Turkish Turing and Automobile Institution in 1942.^[7]

Ankaravî Ismail Rüsûhî Efendi

Ismail Rüsûhî Efendi, whose real name was Ismail bin Ahmed, was called Ankaravî because he was born in Ankara. Although his exact date of birth is unknown, it is rumored that he was born in the mid-1600s. He learned Arabic and Persian and wrote works in these languages. He was participated in the Bayrami tariqa and rose to the position of sheikh, and in the meantime, he received a spiritual certificate from the Khalwati tariqa. While he was continuing his mission as a Bayramî sheikh, he had some health troubles with his eyes, met Bostan Çelebi, one of the sheikhs of the Mevlevi lodge in Konya, where he went for treatment, and with his encouragement, he entered the Mevlevi order.^[8] When he went to Istanbul, he became the sheikh of Galata Mevlevi Lodge and remained in this position for 20 years. His tomb is in the garden of Galata Mevlevi lodge.

Vardakosta Seyid Ahmed Ağa

Seyid Ahmed Aga, a composer, lived between 1724 and 1794 and was a member of Galata Mevlevi lodge. On the right side of the tomb of Ankaravi, Mustafa Reşid Efendi, the father of Sheikh Galib, and Derviş Ganem are buried. [9] In the Ottoman Empire, he was popularly known by the nickname vardakosta, which was used for strong and powerful human.

Derviş Sun'ullah

His real name was Sun'ullah and he was born in Ereğli, which is why he used the pseudonym Sun'î. His date of birth is not known. He spent his youth traveling and then entered the Galata Mevlevi Lodge and became the caliph of Sultan Divanî. He fulfilled the etiquette of the order in the Mevlevîhân and progressed in the dervish lodge in a short time. He was known as Dervish Sun'ullah in the dervish lodge and died in 1592.[11] He is buried at the foot of a tree just behind the tomb of Ankaravi.

Derviş Uzleti

Derviş Uzleti is from Istanbul and his real name is Mehmet. After serving in the Janissary Quarry for a while, he joined the dhikr circle of Arzi Dede, the Sheikh of Galata Mevlevi lodge, and became a true and noble follower of Mevlevi order. His fame spread as Değirmencizade. He is a powerful Mevlevi poet. He died in 1668 and is buried in the cemetery.

Fasih Dede

Fasih Dede, who was a statesman, scholar, poet, and whose real name was Ahmed, became a Muslim during the conquest of Albania by Fatih Sultan Mehmed Khan and participated in Galata Mevlevi lodge when Gavsi Ahmed Dede was the sheik. Here he entered ordeal and received the title of 'dede'. He has several works in Turkish and Persian.

Moralizade Leyla Hanım

Leyla Hanım, the daughter of Kazasker Moralızâde Hâmid Efendi, was a famous divan poet of the 19th century and is buried in the garden of Galata Mevlevi lodge.

REFERENCES

- Dervişoğlu V. Ş. (2019) Fetih Sonrası İstanbul’da Mevlevî’liğin Tarihsel Süreci: Yenikapı Ve Galata Mevlevîhânesi Örnekleri, 32-35

-Erdoğan M. Mevlevi Kuruluşları Arasında İstanbul Mevlevihaneleri

- Uzluk Ş. (1943), Mevlâna’nın Ressamları, Konya Halkevi Aylık Kültür Dergisi, s. 23-36

- https://istanbultarihi.ist/173-galata-mevlevihanesi Safi Arpaguş Erişim Tarihi: 05.05.2022

- http://muze.semazen.net/content.php?id=00154 Erişim Tarihi: 05.05.2022

- https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/galata-mevlevihanesi M. Baha Tanman Erişim Tarihi: 05.05.2022

- https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/osman-dede-nayi Süleyman Ergüner Erişim Tarihi: 05.05.2022

- https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/seyh-galib M. Muhsin Kalkışım Erişim Tarihi: 06.05.2022

- https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/esrar-dede Hasan Aksoy Erişim Tarihi: 06.05.2022

- https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/ibrahim-muteferrika Erhan Afyoncu Erişim Tarihi: 06.05.2022

- https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/ankaravi-ismail-rusuhi Erhan Yetik Erişim Tarihi: 06.05.2022

- https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/ahmed-aga-vardakosta Nuri Özcan Erişim Tarihi: 10.05.2022

- http://teis.yesevi.edu.tr/madde-detay/suni-dervis-sunullah-dede Abdulkadir Erkal Erişim: Tarihi 10.05.2022

-http://www.kulturvarliklari.gov.tr/yazdir?A702E736908704E50E4BB8F5C205ABE7 Erişim Tarihi:10.05.2022