Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi Tomb
About the Person:
- Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi is one of the leading figures of the Ottoman Sufi tradition and the founder of the Jelveti Order.
- Being one of the great scholars and mystics of his time, Hüdayi studied in many parts of Anatolia and completed his mysticism journey by becoming a follower of the Halveti (Khalwati) sheikh Üftade.
- The dervish lodge he founded in Üsküdar became a center of science and knowledge; many sheikhs, judges, pashas and even sultans attended his talks.
- He was also the teacher and mentor of the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I. Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi tomb is one of the spiritual focuses of Ottoman-Turkish architecture.
About the Tomb:
Construction Year: 1628
Ordered by: Unknown
Architect: Unknown
Prominent Features:
- The tomb is positioned as a building adjacent to the mosque; there is a glass section (camekan) at the entrance.
- The tomb, which was damaged by lightning striking the mosque’s minaret in the 1910s, was restored in 1918.
- There are two different inscriptions written in Taliq script at the entrance: one is located on the entrance door of the tomb, the other is located on the door frame.
- In the glass case, there is the old shrine room where mentally ill patients were treated with inculcation.
- Inside the tomb, there is a sofa with a well, a traditional lectern, an inkwell, a Venetian chandelier, a well with a copper bucket and a room where accounting documents are kept.
- It is believed that the water of the well is holy and is connected to the Zamzam Water.
- The tomb is accompanied by a poetic plaque that begins with the words, “Enter with decency, my dear, the tomb of the most pure Hüdayi.”
- The interior of the tomb attracts attention with its elegant ceiling decorations, carpets and spiritual atmosphere.
