Amasya’da Gök Medrese nakîbi ders-i âm Hâce Mehmed Efendi’nin [676] mahdûmudur. 1137’de pederinin vefâtı ile nakîb olup tahsîl-i ulûm ederek Halfet Gâzi mu’îdi ve ders-i âm oldu. Sonra Torumtay Câmii kürsî şeyhi olup hayli müddet tezkîr ü ibâdetle iştigâl etdi.
1195’de vazîfe-i nekâbeti dâmâdı olan es-Seyyid Ali Efendi bin Mustafa Efendi’ye kasr-ı yed edib senesinde vefât etdi. Âlim, vâ’iz bir pîr-i muhterem idi. Mahdûmu es-Seyyid Hâfız Abdurrahman Efendi de mu’îd-i Halfet ve Torumtay Câmii vâ’izi olup dâmâdı es-Seyyid Ali Efendi 1205’de ve mahdûmu es-Seyyid Abdurrahman Efendi de 1220 senesi şevvâlinde vefât etdi.
In Modern English
He was the son of Hâce Mehmed Efendi, naqib (nakîb) of the Gök Madrasa in Amasya and professor of general lectures. When his father died in 1137 [1724-25] he became naqib; he pursued learning and became assistant (muîd) at the Halfet Gazi Madrasa and a teacher of general lectures. Later he became chair preacher (kürsü şeyhi) at the Torumtay Mosque and was occupied for a long time with preaching and worship.
In 1195 [1781] he left the office of naqib to his son-in-law es-Seyyid Ali Efendi, son of Mustafa Efendi, and died the same year. He was a scholar, a preacher, a respected old man. His son es-Seyyid Hâfız Abdurrahman Efendi was also assistant at Halfet and preacher at the Torumtay Mosque; his son-in-law es-Seyyid Ali Efendi died in 1205 [1790-91], and his son es-Seyyid Abdurrahman Efendi died in Şevval 1220 [1805].
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- nakîb: official who watched over order and the students in a madrasa
- ders-i âm: one who gives public lessons, teacher of general lectures
- mu'îd: assistant of the professor, assistant who has lessons repeated
- kürsî şeyhi: official who gives lessons and sermons from the chair in a mosque
- tezkîr: giving advice, preaching
- kasr-ı yed etmek: to withdraw, to leave a post
- vazîfe-i nekâbet: the duty of naqib
- dâmâd: son-in-law
- pîr-i muhterem: respected old man
The Gök Madrasa and the Torumtay Mosque
The Gök Madrasa mentioned in the text was built in 1267 by Seyfeddin Torumtay, governor of Amasya; it is accepted that it took this name from the blue-glazed bricks on the drum of its octagonal tomb. The building was used both as a mosque and as a madrasa. The Torumtay Tomb opposite it is reported to have been built in 1278; the children and grandchildren of Seyfeddin Torumtay lie in the tomb as well as Torumtay himself. That Hâfız Ahmed Efendi took over the post of his father, the naqib of the Gök Madrasa, and later became chair preacher at the Torumtay Mosque shows the place of this building in the learned life of Amasya; the chain of posts in the text reflects a family tradition handed down among father, son-in-law, and sons.
Halfet Gazi is the Halîfet Gazi Madrasa, popularly pronounced Hilfet Gazi; according to its inscription it was built in 1209-10, the parts that collapsed after the earthquake of 1647 were repaired, and in 1888 it was completely repaired by the mufti of Amasya, Hacı Osman Hilmi Efendi. According to Hüsameddin's record, Ahmed Efendi served as assistant in this madrasa. No information on Ahmed Efendi himself or his family was found in other sources.
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, pp. 211–211. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies
Official sources
- Amasya Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, "Gök Medrese Camii" and "Torumtay Türbesi" information pages. https://amasya.ktb.gov.tr