Amasya’da Sultân Bâyezîd evkâfı kâtibi Kâsım Efendi evlâdından el-Hâc Abdullah Efendi bin Ahmed Efendi bin Abdülbârî Efendi bin kâtib-i masrâf-ı şehriyârî el-Hâc Mustafa Efendi bin Ahmed Efendi bin kâtib-i evkâf-ı Sultânîyye Kâsım Efendi’nin mahdûmudur.
Amasya’da amcası “Köse Hattât” demekle meşhûr Kâtib Masrafzâde Mehmed Emin Efendi’den hutût-ı mütenevvi’ayı ahz ve Payaslı el-Hâc Mehmed Efendi’den tahsîl-i ulûm ederek her ikisinden de mücâz ve ders-i âm ve Sultân Bâyezîd evkâfına kâtib oldu.
1233’de Akifzâde es-Seyyid Mehmed Îydî Efendi’nin ref’inden Sultân Bâyezîd Medresesi müderrisi olarak a’yân-ı ulemâdan oldu. 1244 senesinde meclis a’zâsından iken vefât etdi. Meşâhîr-i ulemâdan bir hattât-ı meşhûr idi. Mahdûmu es-Seyyid el-Hâc Mustafa Rifat Efendi 1308’de ve bunun mahdûmu bâlâ-ricâlinden es-Seyyid Ahmed Sâlim Bey 1349’da vefât etdi.
In Modern English
He was the son of Hacı Abdullah Efendi bin Ahmed Efendi bin Abdülbari Efendi bin Hacı Mustafa Efendi, clerk of the sovereign's expenditure, bin Ahmed Efendi bin Kâsım Efendi, clerk of the sultanic waqfs, a descendant of Kâsım Efendi, clerk of the Sultan Bayezid waqfs in Amasya.
In Amasya he learned the various scripts from his uncle Kâtib Masrafzade Mehmed Emin Efendi, known as "Köse Hattat" ("the Beardless Calligrapher"), and acquired learning from Hacı Mehmed Efendi of Payas. He received a license from both, gave public lectures and became clerk of the Sultan Bayezid waqfs.
In 1233 [1817-18], when Akifzade Seyyid Mehmed Îydî Efendi left his post, he became professor of the Sultan Bayezid Madrasa and was counted among the leading scholars. In 1244 [1828-29], while a member of the council, he died. He was one of the well-known scholars and a famous calligrapher. His son Seyyid Hacı Mustafa Rifat Efendi died in 1308 [1890-91], and the latter's son, Seyyid Ahmed Salim Bey, one of the prominent men, in 1349 [1930-31].
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- evkâf kâtibi: official in charge of the writing and accounts of the waqfs
- kâtib-i masrâf-ı şehriyârî: clerk for the written business of the sovereign's expenditure
- hutût-ı mütenevvi'a: various scripts
- ahz: taking, learning
- mücâz: licensed
- ders-i âm: a professor who gives public lectures
- ref': leaving one's place, departure from office
- a'yân-ı ulemâ: the leading scholars
- meşâhîr-i ulemâ: well-known scholars
- bâlâ-ricâl: literally "tall"; what is meant here cannot be determined with certainty from the text, so it is rendered as "one of the prominent men"
A Family of Clerks and Calligraphers
The text shows that the clerkship of the Sultan Bayezid waqfs in Amasya continued within one family. Hüsameddin lists the line of descent back seven generations, its first link being Kâsım Efendi. Ahmed Kâmil Efendi is both a calligrapher and a professor: he learned writing from his uncle and learning from another teacher, and came to the madrasa chair and to council membership as one and the same man. The combination of these two fields may be seen as a usual pattern in the Amasya of the period.
The Sultan Bayezid Madrasa is part of the complex; its professorship was reserved for the muftis of Amasya, and in time the building has also been used as the Provincial Public Library. No source other than Hüsameddin could be found on any work or panel written by Ahmed Kâmil Efendi; the same holds for his uncle Mehmed Emin Efendi, nicknamed "Köse Hattat". No information on these persons was found in other sources.
Bibliography
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 6, p. 225–226. amasya.bel.tr