INTRODUCTION (16) (Mukaddime)

In Modern English

27- "Kadı Madrasa": Although it is written in the records that it was in the Fethiye Quarter, near the mosque, since it is no longer there its site could not be known. Since this madrasa had masonry on its four sides but its rooms and inside of wood, it could not withstand natural disasters and vanished. Its first building was completed in 900 [1494-95] by the kazasker of Anatolia "Molla Beylikzâde Molla Vildân Mehmed Çelebi," and its waqfs were arranged in 911 [1505-06] by "Abdurrahmân Efendi," one of the sons of the judges. The "Kadı Hamamı" in this quarter was also endowed by the said judge. The madrasa was repaired again in 945 [1538-39] by "Seydî Paşa," of his line, and in 1031 [1621-22] by the preacher of the Sultâniye "Hacı Mustafa Efendi."

This madrasa was counted at the forty degree in the grading of madrasas; scholars such as "Bâlî Beyzâde Abdurrahmân Çelebi," "Nîksârî Emîr Sinan Efendi" and "Senâdî Efendi" served as professors here in the tenth hijri century. In 1061 [1650-51] "Kara Muhyiddîn Efendi," one of the well-known scholars, after him "Hocazâde Abdurrahmân Efendi," in 1099 [1687-88] "Hasan Efendi," then "Hacı Efendizâde Ömer Efendi," and after him "Eyrekli Hacı Hasan Efendi" became professor in 1121 [1709-10]; when this last professor died in 1149 [1736-37], the madrasa could not be protected by those who came after him and vanished after the year 1163 [1749-50]. "Kara Muhyiddîn Efendi" and "Hacı Hasan Efendi" had expanded the madrasa's waqfs and added to the waqf some rented roofed buildings. All of them have been lost.

28- "Kapancızâde Madrasa": It is in the Devehane Quarter, at the northwest end of the Kağnı Pazarı, on the highway and opposite the "Sultan Bayezid School." It was built in 1258 [1842-43] by the Amasyan "Kapancızâde Hacı Hüseyin Zekî Efendi," one of the secretaries of the Imperial Divan, and its waqfs were arranged. This madrasa is a wooden building; it was built, large and in a very beautiful manner, on land bought from "Hacı Bektaş Ağa" and exchanged, by the will of "Sultan Mahmud Han II," for the "Sultan Bayezid Woodyard," and endowed by the founder. Its door, when it was built, was on the east side; above it were a large lecture hall, and inside it water.

Since in time it came to the verge of collapse and the endowed cash had also been lost, both repairing the madrasa and acquiring income-yielding property were thought of, and in 1308 [1890-91] its east and north sides were wholly demolished and it was rebuilt completely, with fourteen shops below and rooms above. But in 1325 [1907-08] it burned entirely; together with its endowed plot, such a lofty work was converted by testimony, without any sharia ground, into private property, that is, into income-yielding property that is not waqf.

To this madrasa, of well-known scholars first "İnepazarlı Seyyid Hacı İsmâ'îl Hakkı Efendi," and when he died in 1273 [1856-57] his sons the Efendis "Mustafa and Mehmed Nûrî," and after their deaths "Ahmed Efendi," son of "Mustafa Efendi," became professor.

29- "Kâşifiye Madrasa": It is in the Eski Kethüda Quarter, adjoining the west of the Çukur Kilise (Hollow Church), within the street remaining east of the Abdullatîf Efendi Library. "Kalaycı Halîl Ağazâde Hacı Ömer Ağa," one of the notables of Amasya and a former chief of the gardeners (bostancıbaşı), when dying in 1174 [1760-61] bequeathed that a madrasa be made from a third of his property and had chosen "Següköylüzâde Hacı Mehmed Kâşif Efendi," one of the well-known scholars, as executor. With the carrying out of the will, in 1175 [1761-62], through the executor's effort, the madrasa was built, a few shops were bought with the money left over from a third of the property and endowed, and the madrasa was called by the name "Kâşifiye."

This madrasa too was of wood and, being on the verge of collapse, was renewed in 1244 [1828-29] by "Ak Hasanzâde Hacı Hasan Ağa"; then, again on the verge of collapse, it was repaired anew in 1304 [1886-87] by "Ayşe Hanım," the benevolent wife of the vizier "Şefik Paşa." To this madrasa "Següköylüzâde Hacı Hâfız Osmân Efendi," one of the relatives of the city's mufti "Hacı Kâşif Mehmed Efendi," first became professor in 1175; when he died in 1191 [1777-78] his brother "Hâfız Mehmed Efendi"; at his death in 1213 [1798-99] "Canikli Seyyid Hasan Efendi," one of the jurists; then "Saçlı Damadı Mengülcüzâde Seyyid Ebûbekir Efendi"; at his death in 1255 [1839-40] his nephew "Seyyid Ali Efendi" became professor. In 1298 [1880-81] "Arhavili Osmân Remzî Efendi," one of the scholars and teacher of the Rüşdiye School, strove as professor for the madrasa's repair.

30- "Küçük Ağa Madrasa": It is in the Şamlılar Quarter, a separate section in front of the Ayâs Ağa Mosque, enclosing the north and west sides of the mosque. It was built in 900 [1494-95] by "Ayâs Ağa," famous as "Küçük Kapı Ağası," and its waqfs were arranged. This large madrasa, very sound and with stone around it, because it ranked at the fifty degree in the grading of madrasas, is also famous by the names "Ayâs Ağa Madrasa" and "Medrese-i Ayâsiye" and has been kept in good condition until now.

To this madrasa first "Şamlızâde Tâceddîn İbrâhim Efendi," one of the scholars, then "Emîr Kulu Şemseddîn Ahmed Efendi" became professor, and after his passing to Istanbul in 918 [1512-13] very many scholars, serving here as professors, reached the rank of mevleviyet (judgeship). In 1086 [1675-76] "Pîrî Efendizâde Hâfız Hüseyin Efendi," one of the scholars; in between "Hâfız Ali Efendi"; in 1101 [1689-90], with the vacating of "Hâfız Hüseyin Efendi's" post, "İbrâhim Efendi," then "Ömer Efendi"; in 1113 [1701-02] "Ali Efendi" became professor and trustee; but in 1114 [1702-03] "Ali Efendi" remained trustee and "Şeyh Mehmed Efendi" became professor. In 1129 [1716-17] "Abdullah Efendi," and in 1132 [1719-20] "Çorumlu Hâfız Seyyid Mehmed Efendi," one of the scholars, became professor.

In 1143 [1730-31], at the death of "Seyyid Hacı Mehmed Efendi," his son "Seyyid Ahmed Sa'îd Efendi" took half of the share and "Seyyid Ali Efendi," one of the great scholars, the other half; in 1144 [1731-32], when "Seyyid Ahmed Sa'îd Efendi" left it, "Müftüzâde Seyyid Hâfız Ebûbekir Efendi," and in 1145 [1732-33], at his death, the said "Seyyid Ali Efendi" alone became professor to the other half too. When he died in 1173 [1759-60], "Şerîfzâde Seyyid Hacı Mustafa Efendi," one of the scholars; when he died in 1190 [1776-77], to one half his son "Seyyid Mehmed Emîn Efendi," to the other half "Şeyhzâde Seyyid Abdullah Vecîh Efendi"; in 1195 [1780-81], when "Seyyid Mehmed Emîn Efendi" left it, the said "Seyyid Abdullah Vecîh Efendi" became sole professor. As in the "Büyük Ağa" professorship, his children and grandchildren too benefited from the teaching share.

31- "Mehmed Paşa Madrasa": It is a separate section in the courtyard of the Mehmed Paşa Mosque, enclosing its north and east sides. It was built in 900 [1494-95] by "Hızır Paşazâde Mehmed Paşa" in masonry and soundly, and its waqfs were arranged; its rooms are beautiful and rather broad. It is of the sixty degree in the grading of madrasas, and the great scholars who served as professors in this madrasa and reached the rank of mevleviyet are many.

To this madrasa the following well-known scholars came as professors: to the post vacated by the death of "Çelebizâde Ömer Efendi" in 1095 [1684], "Çorumlu Seyyid Hâfız Mehmed Efendi," famous for his lessons open to all; in 1143 [1730-31], on his death, "Diyarbakırlı İsmâ'îl Efendi," who took advantage of his son's being in the Hejaz; in 1144 [1731-32], with his son's return, "Seyyid Hacı Ahmed Sa'îd Efendi," one of the scholars and emîr professors; in 1179 [1765-66] his son "Seyyid Abdurrahîm Efendi"; in 1197 [1782-83], at his death, his sons the Efendis "Seyyid Mustafa, Hâfız Hasan, Mehmed"; in 1209 [1794-95], with their dismissal, the fetva emini of Amasya "Ömer Efendi"; in 1213 [1798-99] "Karahisârî Ahmed Efendi," after him "Hâfız Mehmed Efendi," and then, with the dismissal of both, at the beginning of the year 1214 [1799-1800] "Ömer Efendi" became professor for the second time. At his death in 1220 [1805-06] his sons the Efendis "Seyyid Ali and Sâbit," then "Uzun Müftüzâde Seyyid Mustafa and Sâlih" came to hold the right to teach, but in 1247 [1831-32] all were dismissed and "Mörekli Hasan Efendi," one of the great scholars, became professor. At his death his son "İsmâ'îl Efendi" took over the right to teach, and his son "Hâfız Ahmed Efendi," having gained competence, became professor in 1318 [1900-01].

32- "Mehmed Bey Madrasa": It is southwest of the Mehmed Paşa Mosque, on the road; it was built of wood in 1308 [1890-91] by "Kurd Beyzâde Mehmed Bey," one of the grandsons of the said vizier and one of the famous benefactors, and the shops beneath it were also endowed and set aside to this madrasa. The said madrasa consists of five beautiful rooms; "Dîvân Efendisizâde Hâfız Mehmed Nûrî Efendi," head of the scholars of readings among his relatives, became the first professor.

33- "Mes'ûdiye Madrasa": Although it is written in history books such as the "Behcetü't-Tevârîh" and "El-Aylemü'z-Zâhir" that it was built within the "Simre Town" that "Seljuk Sultan Mes'ûd" had built in Amasya, as a result of serious correspondence and research made, no work that would point to this madrasa could be found in the old settlements called "Simre" within and outside Amasya. Although the great Seljuk building seen in the cemetery in the "Simre of Amasya," that is, at the north end of the "Üçler Quarter," is thought to be a madrasa, it is understood from the carved inscription seen on its side columns that it is the tomb of "Sultan Mes'ûd."

34- "Narlı Bahçe Madrasa": It was on the west side of the cemetery seen in front of the Şehzadeler Tomb, on the road. It was a wooden building with eleven rooms, a lecture hall and a large garden; since its garden was famous as "Narlı Bahçe" (Pomegranate Garden), this madrasa and the cemetery around it came to be called "Narlı Bahçe Madrasa" and "Narlı Bahçe Cemetery." This madrasa was built in 1167 [1753-54] by the city kethüda "Türedizâde Hacı Hâfız Süleyman Ağa," one of the notables of Amasya, who arranged its waqfs. It is also called the "Süleymaniye Madrasa."

To this madrasa first "Hâfız Abdullah Efendi," one of the scholars; at his death in 1189 [1775-76] "Elbistânî İbrâhim Efendi"; in 1200 [1785-86] "Hâfız Mehmed Efendi"; in 1205 [1790-91] "Erzincânî Evliyâ İbrâhim Efendi"; in 1211 [1796-97] "Seyyid Hasan Efendi"; in 1227 [1812] "Mecidözülü Seyyid Ahmed Efendi"; after him "İskilipli Hüseyin Efendi," and then his son "Hâfız Mehmed Efendi" became professor. At this time, in 1281 [1864-65], when the mutasarrıf of Amasya "Ziyâ Paşa" was laying out the highway, since the road came right over this madrasa, he had the madrasa, already on the verge of collapse, demolished and took more than half of it into the road, giving the other half to the professor "Hâfız Mehmed Efendi"; and he had a house built on it.

35- "Ya'kûb Paşa Madrasa": It is the Çilehane Lodge near His Excellency Pîr İlyâs; it was built by the said "Ya'kûb Paşa" in 815 [1412-13] to be a Çilehane, that is, a Halvetî lodge.

This madrasa is on the right and left of the mosque, and its rooms are small and of masonry. On its east side, north of the rooms, there is a broad sheikh's room. It is written in its waqf deed that there is a çilehane in this room and that this room is the sheikh's room.

This lodge was administered by a sheikh until 1031 [1621-22]; but to end a dispute over the sheikhship lasting about ten years between the preacher of the "Ya'kûb Paşa Mosque," "Şeyh Hüsâmeddîn Efendi," and the scholar "Şeyh Abdî Efendi," the sheikh's room, the lodge and the çilehane too were counted a madrasa, the lodge sheikhship was given to "Hüsâmeddîn Efendi" and the "Ya'kûb Paşa" professorship to "Şeyh Abdî Efendi."

Later, added to the row of madrasas, it was counted at the forty degree and given to scholars who give lessons open to all. In 1099 [1687-88] "İsmâ'îl Efendi," one of the scholars; in 1107 [1695-96], when it was taken from his hand, his son "Halîl Efendi"; in 1120 [1708-09] his son "Hâfız Mehmed Efendi"; in 1121 [1709-10] "Ebûbekir Efendi," one of the scholars, then "Müftüzâde Seyyid Ebûbekir Efendi"; in 1161 [1748], with the post being taken from his hand, the famous muhaddis among the scholars "Uzun Müderris Süleyman Efendi"; in 1193 [1779], at his death, the post was divided in two, and to one half his son "Seyyid Mustafa Efendi," to the other half "Gümüşhaneli Seyyid Ebûbekir Efendi," one of the scholars; in 1198 [1783-84] "Seyyid Süleyman Efendi"; in 1208 [1793-94], at the death of "Uzun Müderriszâde Seyyid Mustafa Efendi," his sons the Efendis "Seyyid Hâfız Abdullah and Hasan" became professors.

In 1207 [1792-93], with the taking of the post from "Seyyid Süleyman Efendi's" hand, the Efendis "Ahmed Efendizâde Mehmed and Ahmed" received the right to teach; in 1232 [1816-17], at the death of "Seyyid Hâfız Abdullah Efendi," his son, the famous scholar "Sarı Müderris Seyyid Mustafa Efendi," and in 1262 [1845-46], at the death of the Efendis "Mehmed and Ahmed," together with their brother "Seyyid Mehmed Efendi," became professor of "Ya'kûb Paşa." In 1273 [1856-57], at his death, his son "Seyyid Mehmed Tâhir Efendi" as partner, and at the death of his uncle "Seyyid Mehmed Efendi" in 1283 [1866-67] alone, became professor; when he died in 1291 [1874-75], his sons the Efendis "Mehmed Sâlim, Hasan Tahsîn, Ahmed Şevkî" took over the right to teach, but in 1315 [1897-98] they were dismissed and "Mecdîzâde Hâfız Mustafa Sâdık Efendi," one of the scholars, became professor.

36- "Yörgüç Paşa Madrasa": It is several stone rooms inside and in front of the mosque; it was built by the said pasha. It is written in its waqf deed that these rooms were in fact built as a madrasa; it was esteemed at the sixty degree and counted among the first-class madrasas. Later, because of the multitude of scholars and madrasa students, the trustee "Yörgüç Paşazâde Mustafa Bey" in 1044 [1634-35] had a wooden madrasa containing twelve rooms built on the east side of the mosque's courtyard; this madrasa fell into ruin around 1271 [1854-55] and remained in the form of a garden. Through the ninth and tenth hijri centuries a great number of learned men came as professors to this madrasa, and it was given to great scholars. In 1112 [1700-01] "Hıfzîzâde Hacı Hâfız Ali Efendi," one of the great scholars; in 1136 [1723-24] "Hacı Ali Efendi," one of the scholars, famous as "Kürd Hâfız"; in 1148 [1735-36] his son, one of the great learned men, "Hacı Hâfız Abdurrahmân Efendi"; in 1173 [1759-60], at his death, "Hâfız Osmân Efendi"; in 1192 [1778] "Çorumlu Hacı Osmân Muhlis Efendi"; in 1212 [1797-98], at his death, "Çayköylü Hacı Ahmed Hâkî Efendi," one of the great scholars; in 1221 [1806-07], at his death, "Ürgübîzâde Seyyid Kâşif Mehmed Efendi," one of the scholars; in 1233 [1817-18] his son "Seyyid Abdürrezzâk Efendi"; in 1258 [1842-43], at his death, the Efendis "Hâkî Efendizâde Mehmed and Mustafa" became professors. In 1280 [1863-64], at the deaths of "Mehmed Efendi" and then of "Hacı Mustafa Efendi," their children came to hold the teaching duty, of whom "Kahveci Mehmed Ârif" is still in this post.

For the feeding of students and learning in Amasya, the securing of teachers' livelihood, and further the good hosting and feeding of the poor and guests who were in Amasya and who came from outside, sultans, viziers, emirs and notables formerly built imarethanes, that is, guesthouses. The main ones are these:

"Bâyezîd Paşa Imaret," "Yörgüç Paşa Imaret," "Sultan Bâyezîd Imaret," "Mehmed Paşa Imaret," "Hâtuniye Imaret." Since beside each of these imarets there was also a tabhane (guesthouse), in the present state there are in the city of Amasya five imarethanes and five tabhanes. Besides these, there were in Amasya very many ziyafethanes (hospitality houses), open to travelers, wayfarers and the poor. The main ones are these:

In the Mevlevihane the "Pervâne Bey Ziyâfethâne," the "Hacı Mahmûd Çelebi Ziyâfethâne," the "Ya'kûb Paşa Ziyâfethâne," the "Şeyh Cû'î Ziyâfethâne," the "Şeyh Hüsâmeddîn Kubâvî Ziyâfethâne," the "Ehlî Hâtun Ziyâfethâne," the "Hoca Sultân Ziyâfethâne," the "Ahî Darbhâne Ziyâfethâne," the "Hızır Paşa Ziyâfethâne," the "Yâkût Paşa Ziyâfethâne," the "Ahî Sa'deddîn Ziyâfethâne." The food of these eleven ziyafethanes was abundant, their cooks and bakers known, and their nakîbs (heads, supervisors) salaried. Besides these there were also private ziyafethanes. Until forty years ago all the houses of the notables and nobles in Amasya were like ziyafethanes.

So many religious buildings, learning institutions, works of civilization and Islamic works, proved by old documents, sharia registers, official records, land-title and waqf records, prove what great efforts our elders in Amasya showed toward the spread of learning, the diffusion of knowledge, the comforting of brothers and the easing of affairs, what great sacrifices they made, and that the notables and nobles endowed almost all their wealth to the exaltation of the Islamic nation.

If the dates of these charitable institutions are heeded, it is understood that from the conquest of Amasya to 800 [1397-98] the learning buildings increased gradually, until 1000 [1591-92] multiplied extraordinarily, stopped until 1115 [1703-04], increased slightly until 1215 [1800-01], began to decrease after that, and that this slowly advancing decline gained speed and ruined and spoiled the learning buildings and charitable institutions that came before it.

It is to prevent such ruin and to turn the spreading ignorance into knowledge that the Ministry of Public Education (Maarif-i Umûmiyye Nezareti, the Ministry of National Education) in Amasya demolished the "Alaca Yahyâ Madrasa" and had a great "Rüşdiye School" built in its place in 1281 [1864-65]; it was understood only in 1300 [1882-83] that one school was not enough for a great sanjak center, and three more "İbtidaî Schools" (primary schools) were opened. But since the "Rüşdiye School" burned in the fire of 1311 [1893-94], in 1315 [1897-98] an "İdâdî School" (high school) was opened on the site of the "Beyler Sarayı" and, after it, a "Girls' İbtidaî School" in place of the "Kürd School," and the old "Rüşdiye School" was made much use of. When in 1326 [1908] the constitutional life was established, at a moment of change undergone by public opinion around Amasya there was a distinct stir in everyone, and the notables of Amasya began to show anew their old generosity.

Thereupon "Zileli Hacı Hasan Efendi" had two schools built, one in the "Tatar Quarter," the other in the courtyard of the "Sultan Bâyezîd Mosque"; "Topçuzâde Halîl Efendi" and his brother a school in place of the old "Rüşdiye School"; the "Amasya Committee of Union and Progress Club" a school famous by the name "Ravza-i İttihâd" in the "Kazancı Quarter"; "Hatîbzâde Mehmed Emîn Efendi" a madrasa adjoining the "Burma Minare," in place of the "Mimarbaşı Hasan Efendi School"; and "Yumuk Osmânzâde Mehmed Hamdî Efendi" a great library in the courtyard of the "Sultan Bâyezîd Mosque," and they showed effort and care for the spread of knowledge.

The Ministry of Education also raised the "İdâdî School," which had earlier been opened as second class, to first class at the beginning of the year 1330 [1911-12], increased the three "İbtidaî Schools" to six, and, since one "Girls' School" was understood not to suffice, opened one more in the "Üçler Quarter."

Dünyada hükümdarlara ve beylere yurt olmuş
Yüzlerce ileri gelene ve vezire yurt olmuş
Binlerce şeyhe ve âlime yurt olmuş
Düşün ki Amasya asırlar boyunca neler geçirmiş

As the old and new works, learning buildings and others seen in Amasya today indicate, and as the recorded dates also bear witness, Amasya has become famous by being a homeland to the Pontic kings, then to several Byzantine emperors, and then to several Islamic sultans of the Danishmendid, Seljuk and Ottoman Turkish states.

It is known that two old dynasties that won fame in the "Pontic" kings who reigned in Amasya and in the "Byzantine" empire came out of Amasya; one is the "Phokas Dynasty," the other the "Komnenos Dynasty." Five emperors famous by the names "Phokas, Nikephoros" of the first dynasty and "Isaac, Alexios, John" of the second came out of Amasya.

Just as from the Danishmendid government Melik İzzeddîn Mehmed Gazi Bey, and from the Seljuk sultans the first and second Sultan Mes'ûd, and of the Ottoman sultans two glorious sultans such as Sultan Murad Han II and Sultan Selim Han I rose to fame and were born in Amasya, two rulers who founded states in Anatolia from among the rulers of the principalities period, Sultan Eretna Bey and Şâdgeldi Padişah, also came out of Amasya. Their emergence and life stories will be mentioned in the first and second parts.

Of the viziers of the Seljuk State who held the highest office, "Hüsâmü'd-Devle Hasan Gazi," "Mühezzebeddîn Alî," his son "Mu'îneddîn Süleyman Pervâne," his grandson "İzzeddîn Mehmed Pervâne," "Şemseddîn Mahmûd Tugrâ'î," his brother "Fahreddîn Alî," and of the viziers of the exalted "Ottoman" sultanate "Yahşî Beyzâde Bâyezîd Paşa," "Hoca Mehmed Paşa," "Cemâlîzâde Pîrî Mehmed Paşa," "Bayburtlu Ahmed Ağazâde Kara İbrâhim Paşa," "Rus Rıdvân Ağazâde Ahmed Paşa," "Zanalı Ca'fer Ağazâde Seyyid Ahmed Paşa," "Hatîbzâde Nâ'ilî Abdullah Paşa," "Şirvânîzâde Mehmed Rüşdî Paşa" are among the great statesmen of the "Seljuk" and "Ottoman" periods raised by Amasya.

"Evhadeddîn Mahmûd el-Kımârî," "Sadreddîn Mehmed et-Türkmânî," "İmâdeddîn Ömer el-Amâsî" and "Nizâmeddîn Abdülmelik er-Rûmî," who were chief judges (kadılkudât) in the Seljuk government period, and "Niğdelizâde Sofu Bâyezîd Çelebi," "Gümüşlüzâde Abdurrahmân Çelebi," "Efdalzâde Hamîdeddîn Mehmed Çelebi," "Cemâlîzâde Zenbilli Alî Efendi," "Kemâl Paşazâde Şemseddîn Ahmed Efendi," "Mü'eyyedzâde Abdulkâdir Şeyhî Efendi" and "Memikzâde Mustafa Efendi," who became şeyhülislam in the exalted "Ottoman" sultanate, are also among the great scholars who came out of Amasya.

Notes and Research

Old Words in the Text

• kârgîr: made of a durable material such as stone or brick (masonry)
• ahşâb: of wood
• nâ-mevcûd: not present, vanished
• evkâf: waqfs; the income sources that meet a building's expenses
• tanzîm: arranging; binding the revenues and operation of a waqf to rules
• tecdîd, ta'mîr, i'mâr: renewal, repair, bringing to a flourishing state
• müderris: teacher who gives lessons in a madrasa
• mutasarrıf-ı tedrîs: the person who holds the teaching duty and its income
• kasr-ı yed: a person's being dismissed, his hand being withdrawn from a post
• mahlûl: a post vacated by its holder's death or departure
• mütevellî: the person who administers a waqf
• vasiyy-i muhtâr: the executor chosen by the deceased himself, the person who will carry out the will
• sülüs-i mâl: a third of one's property; only this much of one's property can be bequeathed by will
• hucurât: cells, madrasa rooms
• mevleviyet: judgeship rank; the degree reached by scholars who rose from professorship to judgeship
• râdde: degree, step; the classes of madrasas named by their daily stipends such as "forty," "fifty," "sixty"
• imârethâne, tâbhâne, ziyâfethâne: soup kitchen feeding the poor and guests; guesthouse; a place of food and lodging open to travelers
• mekteb-i rüşdî, i'dâdî, ibtidâ'î: middle-school-level school; high-school-level school; primary school

The Present State of the Madrasas

An important part of the madrasas Hüsameddin describes in this section did not exist even in the author's own time and do not today. The site of the Kadı Madrasa was not known in the author's period. The Narlı Bahçe Madrasa, as noted in the text, was demolished when the mutasarrıf Ziya Paşa opened the highway; the Kapancızâde Madrasa was converted to private property after the fire of 1325 [1907-08]. In the sources we read there is no information that the Kadı, Narlı Bahçe and Kapancızâde madrasas have remains on their sites today.

One of the madrasas that remain standing is the Küçük Ağa (Ayas Ağa) Madrasa. In the cultural inventory the madrasa is recorded in the Şamlar Quarter, between Zübeyde Hanım Street and Türbedar Street; its builder is given as Kapıağası Ayas Ağa and its date of construction as 1495. The building is a classical Ottoman madrasa of U plan: behind arcades with brick arches resting on cylindrical columns with plain capitals are lined madrasa rooms covered with barrel vaults, each room with a hearth and a cupboard. The somewhat larger barrel-vaulted section at the east end is the sıbyan mektebi, that is, the children's school. It has an inscription and a waqf deed; in 2007 the General Directorate of Foundations took it up for repair. The year 900 [1494-95] Hüsameddin gives agrees with this record; the author's saying "kept in good condition until now" for the madrasa also agrees with the building's still standing today. In the Amasya Governorship's descriptive text, on the other hand, it is said that the complex was first built by the Danishmendid Melik Gazi, that it was repaired in 1495 when it fell, and the repairer's name appears as "Hüseyin Ağa." This account conflicts with the book's "Ayas Ağa" and does not agree with the record in the cultural inventory either. Here the sources differ from one another; since the inventory record states that an inscription and waqf deed exist, it has here been taken as the basis together with the book's information.

The building referred to in the text as "Büyük Ağa" is the Büyük Ağa (Hüseyniye) Madrasa; according to the governorship's text it was built in 1488 by Hüseyin Ağa, kapı ağası of Bayezid II, and the octagonal plan scheme seen in Seljuk funerary monuments was applied for the first time in this madrasa. The expression "like the Büyük Ağa professorship" in the book indicates that the teaching duty of the two madrasas ran by the same procedure.

The Mehmed Paşa Madrasa and Its Surroundings

For the Mehmed Paşa Complex, present information differs to some extent from the date Hüsameddin gives. According to the encyclopedia entry, the complex's founder is Hızır Paşazâde Mehmed Paşa (d. 900/1495), vizier of Bayezid II and lala of Prince Ahmed. It is understood from the two-line Arabic inscription over the mosque's entrance door that its construction was completed in Muharram of the year 891 (January 1486). Hüsameddin, however, writes that the madrasa was built in 900; this year corresponds to Mehmed Paşa's date of death. The inscription therefore shows that at least the mosque part of the complex was ready in 1486; the madrasa's having been built at a separate date is also possible, but from the sources we have read this cannot be said definitely.

The complex consisted of a mosque, madrasa, imaret, tomb, tabhane, lodge, fountain and burial ground. To the present day have survived the mosque, side sections likely to have been the tabhane, and the tomb. The madrasa and imaret, which should have stood at the edge of the şadırvan courtyard, were lost by fire; there is therefore no information on their architecture. Hüsameddin's description for the madrasa, "encloses the north and east sides," is valuable for understanding today the place of these vanished buildings. According to the same encyclopedia entry, in front of the tomb's door is the grave of Mehmed Paşa, and beside it are the graves of his father Hızır Paşa and of Habib Karamânî. The lodge south of the mosque, on the road, is likewise counted, relying on Hüsameddin's information, as built in 890 [1485] in the name of the Halvetî sheikh Habib Karamânî.

The Yörgüç Paşa Complex

The Yörgüç Paşa complex appears in the sources as built in 1430 in the Gökmedrese Quarter; it consisted of a mosque, madrasa, bathhouse, han, tomb and imaret. It is noted that it was the first Ottoman complex built some forty years after Amasya's passing to Ottoman administration and the first complex built on the river bank in the city. Of the complex only the mosque and the tomb west of the entrance iwan have survived to today; in the tomb are the sarcophagi of Yörgüç Paşa, his son Yunus Bey, and his daughters Hündi Hatun and Sitti Hatun. Because it is on the Yeşilırmak bank, the building was damaged by floods, its inside almost wholly renewed; the mosque, damaged in the 1939 Erzincan earthquake, was repaired in 1946. Of the buildings Hüsameddin describes for the madrasa, that is, the stone rooms inside and in front of the mosque and the twelve-room wooden madrasa that Yörgüç Paşazâde Mustafa Bey added in 1044 [1634-35], there is no trace today; the author himself also notes that this second building fell into ruin around 1271 [1854-55] and remained in the form of a garden.

The Lists of Professors and the End of the Madrasas

The names of professors that Hüsameddin lists at length in this section show that the madrasas of Amasya continued not only as buildings but as families giving lessons. That professorship passed from father to son from beginning to end is noteworthy: in the Ya'kûb Paşa Madrasa the line of Uzun Müderris Süleyman Efendi, in the Mehmed Paşa Madrasa the line of Ömer Efendi and of Mörekli Hasan Efendi, and in the Küçük Ağa Madrasa the line of Seyyid Abdullah Vecîh Efendi continued their duty and income. The text refers to this situation directly: it is written of Küçük Ağa that the share passed "exactly as in the Büyük Ağa professorship to children and grandchildren." This suggests that the teaching duty in time became hereditary like a kind of waqf income.

According to a new DergiPark article based on the Meşîhat archive, in the nineteenth century many madrasas in Amasya such as Halifet Gazi, Kâşifiye, Bekir Paşa, Kapancızâde and Benderli were repaired anew and put into service. The same article lists, among the madrasas giving education in Amasya in the twentieth century, Yörgüç Paşa, Küçük Ağa (Ayas Ağa), Kâşifiye, Kapancızâde, Mehmed Bey and Ya'kûb Paşa. Most of these names are the same as the madrasas Hüsameddin lists in this section. The article also records that during Evliya Çelebi's visit to Amasya there were 10 madrasas and 200 sıbyan schools, and notes that in the Ottoman period the number of madrasas in the city exceeded 40.

Points to Which the Reader's Attention Should Be Drawn

The Mes'ûdiye Madrasa is the building Hüsameddin treats in this section only as a "madrasa whose existence could not be proved." The author says plainly that, although it is written in the history books that a madrasa was built in Simre by Seljuk Sultan Mes'ûd, he could not find any trace pointing to it in the settlements named Simre in Amasya. He notes that the building thought to be a madrasa is, according to the inscription on its side columns, the tomb of Sultan Mes'ûd. The author has plainly written that he looked on the spot for the information he read in books and did not find it.

The second half of the text tells of the course over time of the number of madrasas and of the new schools that began at the end of the nineteenth century. According to Hüsameddin, learning buildings multiplied slowly from the conquest to 800 [1397-98], quickly until 1000 [1591-92], stopped in 1115 [1703-04], increased little until 1215 [1800-01], and then decreased. This periodization is the author's own assessment; no study confirming or refuting it was found in other sources.

The text ends with the list of emperors, sultans, viziers, judges and şeyhülislams said to have come out of Amasya. The author himself reports that their life stories will be mentioned in the first and second parts (bâb-ı evvel and sânî). On the claim that the Byzantine emperors were of Amasyan origin and their linking to the Phokas and Komnenos dynasties, no confirmation concerning this item was found in other sources; this information is given in the form the author relays it. The footnote added to the text reports that the effort of the Amasya deputy Fâzıl Ârif Efendi was effective in the raising of the "İdâdî School" to first class.

Bibliography

Primary sources

• Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 1, p. 303–318. amasya.bel.tr

Academic studies

• "Mehmed Paşa Külliyesi", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/mehmed-pasa-kulliyesi
• Hasan Telli, "Meşîhat Arşivine Göre Amasya Müderrisleri", Kocatepe İslami İlimler Dergisi 7/2 (2024), p. 732–758, https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/4052168

Official sources

• Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı, Kültür Portalı, "Ayas Ağa (Küçük Ağa) Medresesi" inventory record, https://kulturportali.gov.tr/turkiye/amasya/kulturenvanteri/ayas-aga-kucuk-aga-medresesi
• Amasya Valiliği, "Medreseler", http://www.amasya.gov.tr/medreseler

Books

• "Yörgüç Paşa Camii", Turizm Ansiklopedisi, https://turkiyeturizmansiklopedisi.com/yorguc-pasa-camii