Sarıgazi Tomb
About the Person:
- Known also as Sarı Kadı Mehmed Efendi or Sarı Gazi Sultan, he was one of the spiritual figures who took part in the conquest of Constantinople and is mentioned in Evliya Çelebi’s Seyahatname.
- He is believed to have been originally from Gebze.
- As a reward for his role in the conquest, the area now known as Sarıgazi was granted to him as property. The district’s name is traditionally believed to derive from him.
- His son Mustafa Dede, who also participated in the conquest, settled in Sarıgazi and is buried beside his father.
About the Tomb:
Construction Year: 1554
Ordered by: Unknown
Architect: Unknown
Prominent Features:
- The original tomb was built in 1554 and later rebuilt as a mescid (small mosque) by Nurbanu Valide Sultan, mother of Sultan Murad III, in the 1580s.
- It was restored again in 1793 by Mihrişah Sultan, mother of Sultan Selim III.
- The tomb is constructed from rubble stone and has a wooden roof. The current structure is a modern reconstruction of the original.
- Inside is the sarcophagus of his son Mustafa Dede, marked with a destarlı külah (a tall dervish headgear).
- Outside the tomb lie the graves of Sarı Kadı’s wife and other family members.
- Though the northern entrance once featured a portico and an inscription, neither has survived to the present day.
- The Sarıgazi Tomb remains a revered spiritual site for local visitors
