AMASYA 05

Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar · İKİNCİ BÂB · BİRİNCİ FASIL

Ahî Ali Çelebi, Mevlânâ Alâeddîn

Encyclopedia · History of Amasya, Volume 7, p. 267 • Edited by: Prof. Dr. Safi ARPAGUŞ- Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hakkı TURABİ

Original Text (Ottoman Turkish)

Amasyalıdır. Kibâr-ı fuzalâdan Mevlânâ Hüsâmeddîn Hasan Çelebizâde Mevlânâ Fazlullah Çelebi mahdûmudur. Halk arasında “Huylu Oğlu” demekle meşhûrdur. Zamanı fuzalâsından tahsîl-i ulûm ederek ders-i âm, müderris, kadı olup 865 hudûdunda vefât etdi. Meşâhîr-i ulemâdan idi. Mahdûmları Fatih Sultân devrinde reîsülküttâb olan Amasyalı Pîr Ahmed Çelebi erkân-ı devletten idi.

Our Research Article Editor: Mevlüt Erdem Öztürk

In Modern English

He is from Amasya. He is the son of Mevlânâ Fazlullah Çelebi, son of the great scholar Mevlânâ Hüsâmeddîn Hasan Çelebi. Among the people he is known as "Huylu Oğlu." He studied with the scholars of his time and gave public lectures; he became a müderris and a kadı and died around 865 [1460-61]. He was among the famous scholars. Among his sons, Pîr Ahmed Çelebi of Amasya, who was reîsülküttâb (head of the divan scribes) in the time of Mehmed the Conqueror, was one of the notables of the state.

Notes and Research

Old Words in the Text

  • kibâr-ı fuzalâ: great scholars
  • mahdûm: son
  • tahsîl-i ulûm: acquiring learning
  • ders-i âm: one who gives public lectures, one authorized to teach
  • müderris: madrasa professor
  • hudûd: around, approximately
  • meşâhîr-i ulemâ: famous scholars
  • reîsülküttâb: head of the divan scribes
  • erkân-ı devlet: the notables of the state

The Office of Reîsülküttâb

The entry says that Pîr Ahmed Çelebi, one of the sons of Ahî Ali Çelebi, was reîsülküttâb in the time of Mehmed the Conqueror. The reîsülküttâb was the head of the scribes who handled the correspondence of the Imperial Council (Dîvân-ı Hümâyun) other than financial matters, and he worked under the nişancı. The earliest information on the institution is found in Mehmed the Conqueror's Organizational Code (Teşkilât Kanunnâmesi); on this basis the institution is accepted to have existed before his time. However, some researchers argue that this code was composed at a late date or that the sections on the reîsülküttâb were added later. Because the clear application of these provisions is seen only in sixteenth-century sources, doubt remains. There is a record that the office existed at the latest in the time of Selim the Grim (1515). Hüsameddin's statement "reîsülküttâb in the time of the Conqueror" can therefore be assessed only together with its source. No source was found confirming that Pîr Ahmed Çelebi was in fact appointed to this office. Our searches found no record of his life either.

Another Scholar with the Same Name

In the entry on Ahî Yûsuf Çelebi in the same volume, mention is made of "İmâm-ı Sultânî Mevlânâ Alâeddîn Ali Çelebi of Amasya," who was sent as envoy to Egypt in 893 [1487-88]. This entry, on the other hand, writes that Mevlânâ Alâeddîn Ahî Ali Çelebi died around 865. A gap of about thirty years shows that these two were different people. These two Amasya scholars, who share a name and a hometown, should not be confused with each other.

The Nickname "Huylu Oğlu"

The text does not explain the reason for the nickname "Huylu Oğlu." We found no source showing where the nickname came from, so no comment is offered on it. In addition, although the original text says "mahdûmları" (his sons), only the name of Pîr Ahmed Çelebi is given; there is no record about the other sons.

The Situation in Other Sources

No information was found in other sources on Ahî Ali Çelebi, his father Fazlullah Çelebi, his grandfather Hüsâmeddîn Hasan Çelebi, or his son Pîr Ahmed Çelebi. For this reason the information in the entry rests, for now, on Hüsameddin's single record.

Bibliography

Volume 7 contents