Numan Halil Dede Tomb
About the Person:
- Numan Halil Dede entered the Mevlevi path by completing his çile (spiritual retreat) at the Mevlana Lodge in Konya in 1787. After serving as the 20th postnişin of the Galata Mevlevi Lodge, he aimed to establish a Mevlevihane on the Anatolian side of Istanbul.
- He converted his house in Üsküdar into a semâhâne (whirling hall) and between 1791–93 built the Üsküdar Mevlevihane.
- He held the post for approximately nine years, transforming the lodge into a functioning space for dervishes coming from the provinces for lodging and training.
- The title “Sultanzâde” refers to his noble maternal lineage from the palace, while “Dede” reflects his role as a Mevlevi sheikh.
- After his death, he was buried in the tomb he himself had built.
About the Tomb:
Construction Year: 1790
Ordered by: Numan Halil Dede
Architect: Unknown
Prominent Features:
- A pioneering example of the semâhâne-altı türbe type, with a rectangular plan and windows on three sides for natural lighting.
- The tomb is accessed through a stairway from the courtyard; the upper floor houses the mescid/semâhâne while the lower floor contains the tomb.
- Alongside Numan Halil Dede’s cenotaph, there are numerous others belonging to the lodge’s early sheikhs.
- A lengthy inscription written in the name of Sultan Mahmud II during the 1835 restoration was placed over the sheikh’s cenotaph.
- During the 1975 restoration, the cenotaphs were reorganized and the structure was brought to its current form.
