Salih Dede Tomb
About the Person:
- Salih Dede set out from Morocco (Diyâr-ı Mağrib) at a young age, traveling through Arab, Persian, Kafir, and Greek lands in pursuit of knowledge.
- During his pilgrimage to Mecca, he was initiated into the Bayramiyya-Naqshbandiyya order by Sheikh Mehmed Hayat in the holy city of Medina.
- He also received spiritual training in other orders such as the Shadhiliyya and Badawiyya in Jerusalem, and gained advanced knowledge in both medicine and religious sciences.
- During the reign of Sultan Osman III, he settled in the İhsaniye neighborhood of Üsküdar. When Sultan Mustafa III offered him royal patronage, Salih Dede humbly declined, instead purchasing a modest house where he lived in seclusion.
- Before his death, he endowed his home as a zawiya (dervish lodge) and arranged for his burial on the premises. He was renowned in his time as a man of profound spiritual and scholarly stature.
About the Tomb:
Construction Year: 1772
Ordered by: Salih Dede
Architect: Unknown
Prominent Features:
- The tomb is a simple, rectangular stone structure.
- It features a hacet (wish) window facing the street and a side entrance door.
- The roof is open to the sky, and the site is spiritually enhanced by a tall cypress tree growing within.
- Inside are an ornate sarcophagus belonging to Salih Dede and the grave of Müderris Hafız İbrahim Efendi.
- The space served as both a zawiya and a sacred site of visitation.
- Behind the tomb lies the famous Köprülü Mansion. In accordance with Salih Dede’s will, this space was endowed and kept open to the public for many years.
