Mehmed Vusuli Efendi Burial Area
The district of Eyüp Sultan, which is one of the first settlements outside the land, sea and estuary walls of Istanbul1 , is known by the name of Abu Eyyûb Halid b. Zeyd b. Küleyb al-Ansârî (d. 49/669)2 , the Companion who hosted the Islamic Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) when he migrated from Mecca to Medina. This name was shortened and became Eyüp Sultan.
Located in Eyüpsultan district, Nişancı neighbourhood, Feshane Street, the cemetery is located on plot 19, block 65, parcel 12. As mentioned in the 1934 Istanbul City Guide, the old name of the neighbourhood is Cezeri Kasım.
ABOUT MOLLA ÇELEBİ, MEHMED VUSULİ EFENDI BURIAL AREA
The foundation of Molla Çelebi Tekke built by Mehmed Vusuli Efendi was registered in 1584. It is presumed that the treasury located to the north of the Mehmed Vusuli Efendi Tomb, which is located next to this tekke, was established after this date.8 No stones from the 16th century were found in the treasury. When the head stones and foot stones are counted one by one, there are 26 stones. It could not be determined whether some of the footstones belonged to the head stone erected at the foot of the head stone, but the possibility that they belonged to the same person was found to be strong due to their proximity and style. This situation is found in the graves numbered 12, 17 and 19. In the 19 graves; there are 3 graves that cannot be identified to whom they belong. These are respectively; a sarcophagus (mt6) which has no stones and is thought to belong to the 17th century, an uninscribed grave (mt1) with a pedestal consisting of four independent stones and a headstone (mt18) whose inscription cannot be read completely because the identity parts are broken. The oldest dated stone in the treasury -except for the buried stones and unidentified ones- is the tombstone belonging to Sheikh İbrahim Efendi (mt19) dated 1720-21. The tombstone belonging to Cemile Hanım (mt14) dated to 1916-17 is the latest dated stone. Except for the unidentified sarcophagus belonging to the Molla Çelebi Tekke built by Mehmed Vusuli Efendi, which can be dated to the 17th century with its style, all of the stones are dated between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 20th century. There is no information about a burial belonging to earlier dates in the treasury. However, when the list of tekke sheikhs9 and the inscriptions on the gravestones are compared, it is seen that there are graves numbered mt3, mt5, mt11, mt15, mt17, mt19. When the stones are compared with another study10 , it can be determined that there are graves numbered mt3, mt5, mt9, mt12, mt19. There is no clear information about where the sheikhs or disciples were buried during the period between the 16th century, when the Tekke was founded and then the treasury began to form, and 1720, which is the oldest tombstone. It could not be determined whether there was an older burial under the existing stones. It is understood that the stones, which are understood to have been raised afterwards and fastened with cement mortar, are seen under the mt12, mt13 stones, which are understood to be the base. Only by excavation it will be possible to determine whether there was a burial before 1720. Considering the preservation of the current situation and the tired and worn condition of the stones, it will be possible to recommend an excavation as a result of serious investigations.
Year:
2020Location:
Eyüpsultan, İstanbul, TürkiyeEMPLOYER:
TMKVABOUT:
GUIDETYPE OF WORK:
RESTORATION PROJECT AND CONSTRUCTIONContributors:
Mehmet Sefa Akbaba, Mahmut Esad Karaaslan, İbrahimetem Karaköse, Ubeydullah Çilesizoğlu, Vahit Şekerci