Amasya a’yânından el-Hâc Mustafa Ağa bin Ahmed Ağa bin Yakasıtelli Ali Ağa’nın oğludur. Ceddi sadr-ı esbak Nasuh Paşa ağalarından “Yakasıtelli” ve “telli” demekle meşhûr Dergâh-ı âlî kapıcıbaşılarından Ali Ağa’dır. Buna “kafası telli” [626] ve “yakası yelli” denirdi.
Hacı Ahmed Ağa, Amasya’da Üçler Mahallesi’nde ikâmet ve iltizâmât ile ta’ayyün edib Meclis-i a’yân ve hâciyân azâsı defa’âtle şehir kethüdâsı oldu. 1153’de vefât etdi. “Yeşilli” demekle meşhûr, hânedân, sahî bir zât idi. Oğulları el-Hâc Mustafa, Bektaş Ağalara “Yeşillizâdeler” denirdi. Üçler kabristânında yol üzerinde medfûndur. Seng-i mezârı vardır. Hacı Mustafa Ağazâde, es-Seyyid el-Hâc Hasan Ağa ve Hacı Bektaş Ağazâde, el-Hâc Hasan Ağa ricâldendir.
In Modern English
He was the son of Hacı Mustafa Ağa, of the ayan of Amasya; Mustafa Ağa was the son of Ahmed Ağa, who was the son of Yakasıtelli Ali Ağa. His grandfather was Ali Ağa, one of the ağas of the former grand vizier Nasuh Pasha and one of the kapıcıbaşıs of the Palace, known as "Yakasıtelli" or "telli". He was called "kafası telli" and "yakası yelli".
Hacı Ahmed Ağa lived in the Üçler quarter of Amasya, rose to prominence through iltizams (the farming of tax revenues), became a member of the councils of ayan and pilgrims, and was city steward many times. He died in 1153 [1740-41]. Known as "Yeşilli", he was a generous man from a noble family. His sons Hacı Mustafa and Bektaş Ağas were called the "Yeşillizâdes". He is buried beside the road in the Üçler Cemetery; there is a gravestone. Seyyid Hacı Hasan Ağa, son of Hacı Mustafa Ağa, and Hacı Hasan Ağa, son of Hacı Bektaş Ağa, are also among the men of state and ayan.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- ceddi: his grandfather, ancestor
- sadr-ı esbak: former grand vizier
- Dergâh-ı âlî kapıcıbaşısı: head of the gatekeepers of the sultan's palace
- ikâmet: residing
- iltizâmât: the leasing of the state's tax revenues to private persons for a set sum
- ta'ayyün etmek: to come to the fore, to become known
- defa'âtle: many times
- kethüdâ: steward, administrative assistant
- hânedân: noble, long-established family
- sahî: generous
- seng-i mezâr: gravestone
- ricâl: men of state and society, notables
Nicknames and Lineage
The notable side of the entry is its nicknames. The family is called "Yakasıtelli" after Ali Ağa, regarded as its founder; Hüsameddin relays that this nickname was said among the people in the form "kafası telli, yakası yelli". What the saying means is not explained in the text, and no other source confirming it was found. For Ahmed Ağa another nickname, "Yeşilli", is used, and it led to his sons being called "Yeşillizâde". Thus two generations of the same family are known by two different nicknames.
The text does not say which grand vizier the Nasuh Pasha to whom Ali Ağa is said to have belonged was; since several statesmen are named Nasuh Pasha in the sources, no definite person is indicated here. No other record was found of Yakasıtelli Ali Ağa's service as palace kapıcıbaşı either.
The Üçler Quarter and Its Cemetery
Ahmed Ağa's living in the Üçler quarter and being buried there make up the local side of the entry. Üçler is a quarter of Amasya still known by the same name today. The phrase "beside the road" for the burial suggests that the grave was in a visible place at that time; no information was found on whether the gravestone is preserved today.
Ahmed Ağa's standing in the city rests on iltizam business and council membership. Since iltizam means undertaking tax revenues, it can be said that the family's wealth and weight in the city were formed in this way; but the text gives no further detail. That the two Hasan Ağas of the grandson generation are counted among the "ricâl" points to the family keeping its position in the next generation.
Bibliography
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 195–195. amasya.bel.tr