Hadice Münteha Hanım and Felatun Bey

Hadice Münteha Hanım, whose date of birth has not been identified, was the granddaughter of Ahmed Efendi, imam of Sultan Selim III. The reign of Selim III was a period known in the Ottoman palace for both the Nizâm-ı Cedîd reforms and the circles of music and art; the office of imam to the sultan was a respected duty within this palace religious service circle.

Hadice Münteha Hanım’s family environment was also connected with the late Ottoman medical and public works bureaucracy. She was the mother-in-law of Doctor Selami Bey and of Hulusi Bey, former Minister of Public Works. The Ministry of Public Works was an important institution responsible for roads, bridges, railways, waterworks and urban development. Hulusi Bey was one of the figures trained in this field and known for engineering and state service.

Hulusi Bey also served as a senior engineer trained at the Hendese-i Mülkiye, Undersecretary of Public Works, director general of the Hejaz Railways and founding president of the Ottoman Society of Engineers and Architects.

Hadice Münteha Hanım died on 2 February 1325, corresponding to 15 February 1910, and was buried in the Fatih Mosque Cemetery. She shares the same grave with her grandson Felatun Bey, the son of her son-in-law Doctor Selami Bey, who died at the age of eighteen.

Felatun Bey was born in 1900 as the son of Doctor Selami Paşa. He was one of the Ottoman students studying in Europe and received his education in Berlin.

Felatun Bey died in Berlin on 23 March 1335, corresponding to 23 March 1919, while still continuing his studies, at only eighteen years of age. He was buried in the Fatih Mosque Cemetery.

Felatun Bey shares the same grave with his maternal grandmother Hadice Münteha Hanım. His gravestone bears a hadith meaning “one who dies away from home dies like a martyr.”