Ümmü Gülsüm Hatun was a woman of Amasya in the mid-seventeenth century, remembered as a poet and an edîbe. The epithet "Şerîfe" marks her as a descendant of the Prophet. What is known of her rests on one short entry in Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn's Amasya Tarihi. No poem of hers has survived; even so, hers is the latest name among the women who wrote poetry in Amasya recorded by Hüsameddin.

Hüsameddin's Entry

The entry stands in the seventh volume of the Amasya Tarihi under the heading "Ümmü Gülsüm Hâtun-Şerîfe". The original text reads:

Amasya nakîbü'l-eşrâfı kâim-makâmı es-Seyyid Celâleddîn Mehmed Efendi'nin kerîmesi olup Emîr Paşa tekkesi mesâlihine nukûd vakfederek 1059'da vefât etdi. Bu da âlimât-ı nisâdan olup şâire, edîbe idi. "Şerîfe Ümmü Hâtun" denirdi.

In modern English: she was the daughter of Seyyid Celâleddîn Mehmed Efendi, deputy naqib al-ashraf of Amasya. She died in 1059 (1649-50) after endowing cash for the affairs of the Emîr Pasha Lodge. She too was one of the learned women, a poet and an edîbe, that is, a woman of letters. She was called "Şerîfe Ümmü Hatun".

The terms in the text can be explained briefly. The nakîbü'l-eşrâf is the official who keeps the records of the seyyids, the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, and represents them; kâim-makâm means deputy. Her father, then, was the deputy of the official at the head of Amasya's seyyids.

Life and Family

This is all the sources report: her father, Seyyid Celâleddîn Mehmed Efendi, was deputy naqib al-ashraf of Amasya. She endowed cash for the expenses of the Emîr Pasha Lodge and died in 1059 (1649-50). Her birth date, marriage, children, education and burial place are unknown.

No other source has been found with information on Seyyid Celâleddîn Mehmed Efendi, the Emîr Pasha Lodge or the endowment. An article listing the Halvetî lodges of Amasya does not mention a lodge of that name either (Özköse, 2018).

The Other Woman of the Same Name

On the same page Hüsameddin gives two different women under the heading "Ümmü Gülsüm". The earlier entry concerns the daughter of Pîr Sun'ullah Halvetî, the sheikh of the Saraçlar, and wife of Sheikh Zekeriyâ-yı Halvetî, called "Gülsün Ana" among the people. Hüsameddin describes her as a learned, pious and devout woman, says she died around 875 (1470-71) and was buried in the precinct of the Saraçhane Mosque. He does not call her a poet. Şerîfe Ümmü Gülsüm died about a century and a half later; the two should not be confused.

Her Poems Have Not Been Found

Hüsameddin says she was a poet, but quotes no couplet and names no work. Her verse has not turned up in the biographical anthologies or in the other sources examined. Nothing can therefore be said of her style, verse forms or pen name. No line attributed to her has been placed on this page.

Elsewhere on the Site

Hüsameddin's entry, with research notes, appears in the encyclopedia as Ümmü Gülsüm Hâtun-Şerîfe. For the other women poets of Amasya, see The Women Poets of Amasya.

Bibliography

Online sources