Halis Efendi

Born in 1843 in Şirvan, a district of the Siirt sanjak, Mehmed Hâlis Efendi completed his early education in his hometown and then studied for six years in Amasya. In 1867, he came to Istanbul and settled in the Tâbhâne Madrasa within the Fatih Mosque Complex.

After briefly serving as director of the Nif subdistrict of İzmir and as district governor of Menemen, he returned to Istanbul and rose in the path of the madrasa profession by earning the right to teach at Fatih Mosque.

In 1878, he began teaching creed, Arabic, Islamic law and the Mecelle at Dârüşşafaka. He remained attached to this institution for nearly thirty-five years, until his death. In 1908, he rose to the office of Ders Vekili, a position with significant authority over madrasa students and the madrasa system.

As Ders Vekili, Hâlis Efendi made important efforts to add modern sciences to madrasa education and to reform the educational system. His textbooks were used at Dârüşşafaka and in military rüşdiye schools.

At his funeral, the administrators, teachers and students of Dârüşşafaka attended the service at Fatih Mosque. According to Tâhirü’l-Mevlevî, his students carried Hâlis Efendi’s coffin not on their shoulders, but above their heads.