Bezcizade Muhyiddin Efendi Tomb
About the Person:
- Born in Konya, Mehmed Muhyiddin Efendi was a sheikh of the Halveti (Khalwati) order. After receiving his primary education in Konya, he became affiliated with Nureddinzade Molla Çelebi (or Halifezade Molla Çelebi) in Karaman. After the death of his sheikh, he went to Istanbul and became affiliated with Idris-i Muhtefi, one of the Melamis of the period.
- He came to Istanbul again upon the invitation of the Sultan and served as the sheikh of the Mehmed Ağa Lodge in Fatih, the preacher of the Sultan Selim Mosque, and the sheikh of the Şemsi Pasha Lodge in Üsküdar.
- Bezcizade, one of the most important Halveti sheikhs of the period, was also known for his Sufi poems and religious musical compositions. His hymn, which begins with the line “Zahid bize ta’n eyleme” (O ascetic, reprove us not), was read as the community hymn in many religious orders.
- His divan, which includes poems written in both syllabic and aruz meters, exists in two different copies in the Istanbul Atatürk Library.
About the Tomb:
Construction Year: 1611
Ordered by: Bezcizade Mehmed Muhyiddin Efendi
Architect: Unknown
Prominent Features:
- The tomb was located to the right of the main gate of the Bezcizade Mehmed Muhyiddin Efendi Lodge in Üsküdar.
- The wooden mausoleum structure fell into disrepair over time and was demolished in the 1930s.
- The tombstone inscription, which was moved to the courtyard of the Çiçekçi Mosque in Selimiye, is now mounted on the wall of the mosque.
- There were a total of eleven coffins in the tomb graveyard.
