AMASYA 05

Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar · İKİNCİ BÂB · BİRİNCİ FASIL

Ahmed Efendi — A'mâ Hâfızzâde

Encyclopedia · History of Amasya, Volume 6, p. 212 • Edited by: Doç. Dr. Recep Orhan ÖZEL - Doç. Dr. Metin HAKVERDİOĞLU

Original Text (Ottoman Turkish)

Amasya’da “A’mâ Hâfız” demekle meşhûr Mehmed Efendi’nin mahdûmudur. Pederinin güzel sesiyle kazandığı servet-i [680] mühimmeye konup teayyün ederek hâciyân ve a’yân meclislerine a’zâ ve Canikli Hacı Ali Paşa’ya intisâb ederek sâhib-i nüfûz oldu.

1193’de Caniklilerin firârında bir müddet menkûb olup 1195’de i’âde-i ikbâl edib meclis-i a’yân a’zâsı olduğu halde 1198’de vefât etdi. Halk arasında “Köroğlu” demekle meşhûr, nâfizü’l-kelim ve hânedân idi.

Our Research Article Editor: Mevlüt Erdem Öztürk

In Modern English

He was the son of Mehmed Efendi, known in Amasya as "A'mâ Hâfız" (the Blind Hâfız). Having inherited the considerable wealth his father had gained by his beautiful voice, he came to the fore, became a member of the councils of pilgrims and notables, and gained influence by attaching himself to Canikli Hacı Ali Pasha.

In 1193 [1779], during the flight of the Canikli family, he was sent into exile for a time; in 1195 [1781] he regained his standing and, while still a member of the council of notables, died in 1198 [1783-84]. He was the head of a noble family, influential, known among the people as "Köroğlu".

Notes and Research

Old Words in the Text

  • a'mâ: blind, one who cannot see
  • servet-i mühimme: considerable wealth
  • ta'ayyün: coming to the fore
  • intisâb: attachment, entering someone's patronage
  • menkûb: sent into exile, struck by calamity
  • firâr: flight
  • i'âde-i ikbâl: regaining one's standing
  • nâfizü'l-kelim: one whose word carries weight

The Rise and Fall of the Canikli Family

The life of Hâfız Ahmed Efendi rises and falls with the fortune of the Canikli family in Amasya. The sanjak of Amasya had been given to Canikli Hacı Ali Pasha as a life-tenure grant (mâlikâne) in 1772. The pasha and his elder son Battal Hüseyin Bey could not hold out against Çapanoğlu Mustafa Bey and fled to Crimea in 1779; the Canikli family was pardoned in September 1781, and the sanjak of Amasya was given again to Mikdad Ahmed Pasha. Hüsameddin's record that "in 1193, at the Canikli flight, he was exiled for a time, and in 1195 he regained his standing" matches these two dates exactly: the exile is tied to the fall of the Canikli family, and the return to their coming back with the pardon.

Apart from his father's being known as "A'mâ Hâfız" and gaining wealth by his beautiful voice, the text gives no detail. The reason for the nickname "Köroğlu" is also not stated in the record; no information on Ahmed Efendi and his family was found in other sources.

Bibliography

Volume 6 contents