Saints and Tombs of Çanakkale

Muhyiddin Mehmed Dâğî (Mehmed-i Dâğî)

A Gelibolu (Gallipoli) Sufi of the Şâbâniyye branch of the Halvetî order; born in Gelibolu in 944/1537, son of the imam Pîr Ali Halîfe and grandson of Mevlânâ Köse Şemseddin, a sheikh of Bayezid II's era. He was trained by Alâeddin Efendi, a deputy sent to Gelibolu by Şâbân-ı Velî of Kastamonu; the historian Gelibolulu Âlî Mustafa Efendi records that after Alâeddin Efendi died, Şâbân-ı Velî spiritually completed his training by the Uwaysî path. Withdrawing from public attention to the village of Değirmendüzü (Burgaz) near Gelibolu, he died in 1030/1621 and was buried in the cemetery of his lodge on a hill outside the village.

Gazi Suleyman Pasha

Ottoman prince, eldest son of Orhan Bey; in Ottoman history he is known as the conqueror of Rumelia , and according to tradition he is the prince who began the first movement of conquest by landing on the Gallipoli peninsula. His date of birth is not known for certain. The first contemporary source in which his name appears is the Mekece endowment deed dated 724 (1324), where he is recorded among the witnesses as Süleyman b. Orhan . The title Paşa is found in the work of Ahmedi, regarded as the first Ottoman history; this title, which no other member of the dynasty used apart from his uncle Alaeddin Paşa, may be connected with his being the eldest prince among his brothers. There is no information in contemporary sources on his early years. Ottoman sources write that he played a part in the taking of İznik (1331) and that after the conquest of İzmit (1337) some places in that region were given him as a timar; the source notes that this cannot be verified, but that his presence at his father's side in the conquests of İznik and İzmit is highly probable. When the principality of Karesi was annexed, his father gave him its governorship; with his capture of Kapıdağ, Edincik and Lapseki the Bursa-Lapseki road became the route of passage to Rumelia. The firm information on his crossing to Rumelia is in the chronicle of the Byzantine emperor and historian Kantakouzenos, who was himself at the centre of events. Kantakouzenos had married his daughter Theodora to Orhan Bey in 1346 and asked his son-in-law for help against the Serbian tsar Stefan Dušan. Orhan Bey sent a cavalry force of 10.000 under his son Süleyman (749/1348). His second crossing was also at Kantakouzenos's request, but Orhan Bey recalled him (751/1350). On his third crossing in 753 (1352) he helped to relieve Edirne and, in the winter of 1352, routed the Serbian-Bulgarian forces on the Maritsa at Empythion; on this occasion he came to Edirne and met Kantakouzenos, and so was in a sense the first Ottoman bey to set foot in Edirne. During this campaign he took many places on the Gallipoli peninsula; the fortress of Çimbi (Tzympe) became an Ottoman military base, and Süleyman Paşa did not evacuate it despite Kantakouzenos's offer of 10.000 gold pieces. When a great earthquake devastated the Gallipoli coast on 2 March 1354 he received the news near Biga, crossed over at once and took control of the town, had Gallipoli rebuilt, and settled volunteers brought with their families from Karesi in the ruined towns. The emperor's offer of 40.000 gold pieces, four times the earlier compensation, was likewise refused. He then extended his Bolayır-based raiding towards the Marmara coast of Thrace and the Maritsa valley; raids on Malkara, Keşan and Tekirdağ began. During the crisis caused by the captivity of his brother Halil (1357) he fiercely resisted proposals to evacuate Gallipoli. According to Ottoman sources he died between Bolayır and Seydigazi while hunting, when his horse caught its foot in a hole and he fell. It is generally accepted that he died in the autumn of the year 758 (1357). It is said that Orhan Bey, deeply grieved at the news, came at once to Bolayır and had his son buried there. According to one report Süleyman Paşa had asked in his testament to be buried at Bolayır should he die, thinking that the gazis would thereby hold their ground there. Byzantine sources regard him as Orhan Bey's heir and the de facto manager of the affairs of state; Ottoman sources praise him as a raiding leader of courage and generosity. Of his sons, Melik Nasır drowned at sea, while İsmail and İshak continued raiding on the frontier; of his daughters, Sultan Hatun was married to Candaroğlu Süleyman Bey II, and Efendizade Hatun died at Akşehir. He built a masjid and a madrasa at İznik and a masjid at Bursa, and endowed them richly. His Circle of Influence — Some Ottoman sources state that the gazis of the Rumelian frontier regarded him, together with Gazi Umur Bey, as a great military and spiritual leader, and that his memory was kept alive in legends. In Oruç Bey's words: "Among the gazis, Süleyman and Umur are possessors of sainthood (velayet)." At his death the Ottoman frontier in Rumelia reached westward to between Keşan and İpsala, and on the Marmara coast to the south of Tekirdağ; Ferecik had been taken shortly before his death, and raids reached Didymoteicho. His Tomb and Complex — His endowment deed drawn up in the reign of Mehmed II and the endowment survey registers show that he built at Bolayır a complex consisting of a mosque, a zawiya, an imaret, a caravanserai and a tomb. Bolayır was the starting point for military units coming from Anatolia to join the conquests in Rumelia. Of the complex only the mosque and the tomb have survived. The square tomb, repaired in 956 (1549) according to its verse inscription, has a roof resting on an octagonal drum, an octagonal pyramid inside and dome-shaped outside, which is unusual in Ottoman architecture and bears traces of the Seljuk kümbet design. His grave, set on a platform, is surrounded by cast-brass railings in the Empire style from the second half of the XIX century. The original gold-embroidered turban of the cenotaph was moved first to the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts and then to the Topkapı Palace Museum. It is related that his horse, which died with him, is buried at his feet. Near the tomb lies the grave of Namık Kemal, whose remains were brought here from Chios in accordance with his will.

Agazade Mehmed Hakiki Dede

The founder and first sheikh of the Gallipoli Mevlevîhâne. 🔴 This record rests on an indirect source : the figure has no independent encyclopaedia article; what follows is what the article on the mevlevîhâne he founded gives. He was the son of Kara Hasan Ağa, a janissary commander; the nisba Ağazâde comes from this. In the words of the source he renounced worldly possessions in his youth and became a disciple of Bostan Çelebi I at the Mevlânâ lodge in Konya, completing his retreat there. After serving many years in the sacred kitchen and receiving authorisation he returned to Gallipoli. He first gave Mesnevî lessons at the Ahî Devle lodge; he then established a proper Mevlevî convent at its present site. He continued as the leader of the convent until 1063 (1653). His Circle of Influence — Among those he trained is Neşâtî Ahmed Dede , the foremost representative of the Sebk-i Hindî style and sheikh of the Edirne Mevlevî lodge; it is recorded that Neşâtî drew great benefit from him. His Tomb and Complex — He was buried at the site of the mevlevîhâne; but the source records that the exact location of his grave became uncertain over time .

Ahmed Bican Efendi

A Turkish scholar, Sufi and translator; his principal renown rests on the Envârü'l-âşıkīn . He was the younger brother of Yazıcıoğlu Mehmed (d. 855/1451), the author of the Muhammediyye . Their father was Yazıcı Sâlih. He lived at Gallipoli. He received instruction from Hacı Bayrâm-ı Velî (d. 833/1430), the founder of the Bayramiyye order. He followed the Hanafî school and led a life of asceticism. It is related that the epithet Bîcan (lifeless) came from his being physically weakened by continuous fasting and spiritual discipline. He died after 870 (1466). His Poetry and Sufi Line — He used a flowing and intelligible prose addressed to ordinary people rather than to scholars. In his own words: "I wrote in Turkish so that everyone may benefit." He placed religious and mystical instruction above artistic refinement; thanks to this choice the Envârü'l-âşıkīn was read for centuries. His Works — 1. Envârü'l-âşıkīn (855/1451). A free Turkish translation of his brother's Arabic Megāribü'z-zamân . 2. Acâibü'l-mahlûkāt (857/1453). A condensed translation of Qazwīnī's work of cosmography. 3. Dürr-i Meknûn. A compilation in eighteen sections treating creation, prophecy and the hereafter. 4. Müntehâ. A Turkish rendering of Ibn al-'Arabī's Fusûs al-hikam by way of Mu'ayyad Jandī's commentary. 5. Şemsiyye (870/1466). A prose adaptation of his father's astrological poem. 6. Cevâhirnâme. His only known work in verse, on the medicinal properties of precious stones.

Yazıcıoğlu Mehmed Efendi

author of the Muhammediyye

An Ottoman mystic poet; the author of the Muhammediyye , read for centuries. His place of birth is not certain; it is thought to have been near Gallipoli. He received his first education from his father Yazıcı Sâlih and learned Arabic and Persian. He studied exegesis, hadith, jurisprudence and theology, and drew benefit from such teachers as the Egyptian scholar Molla Zeynüddin Arab and Haydar-ı Hafî. He entered the path of Sufism by attaching himself to Hacı Bayrâm-ı Velî . He lived in a retreat cell near the Namazgâh of Gallipoli and composed his works there. He died in 855 (1451). His Works — 1. Megāribü'z-zamân. Written in Arabic. 2. Muhammediyye. In Turkish, and his most famous work. 3. el-Müntehâ ale'l-Fusûs. His Tomb and Complex — His tomb is in the graveyard of the Yazıcıoğlu Mosque at Gallipoli.

Jahidi Ahmed Efendi

Jahidi Sultan

A Halvetî-Uşşâkī sheikh and mystic poet; the pîr of the Câhidiyye branch. He was born at Edirne. His real name was Ahmed and his pen name in poetry Câhidî. According to his own work Kitâbü'n-Nasîha he belonged to a family of Rumelian origin; his father's name was Muhammed. The sources conflict about his initiation into Sufism. Some count him a disciple of Cemâleddin Edirnevî; but this is chronologically impossible — Câhidî died in 1070 (1659), while Cemâleddin died in 1164 (1751). According to other records he received investiture from a Halvetî-Uşşâkī sheikh at Edirne. He established a lodge at Kilitbahir in Çanakkale and carried on the work of spiritual guidance there. He died in 1070 (1659); the word istirâhat was composed as the chronogram of his death. His Circle of Influence — After his death the branch bearing his name was carried on by his son Abdüllatif Efendi. The Câhidiyye was widespread in the eighteenth century at Çanakkale, Bursa and Edirne; the source records that the branch never reached Istanbul and had disappeared completely by the beginning of the twentieth century. His Poetry and Sufi Line — He wrote his poems in the syllabic metre and on the line of Yûnus Emre . A famous line of his inspired the title of the collection of essays published in 1986 by the contemporary writer Cahit Zarifoğlu. His Works — 1. Dîvan. It consists of about 100 mystical poems in the syllabic metre. 2. Kitâbü'n-Nasîha. A book of guidance containing general Sufi teachings and the etiquette of the order. His Tomb and Complex — His tomb is known among the people as Câhide Sultan and continues to be an important place of visitation.