Mehmed Mecdi Efendi

Es-Seyyid Mehmed Mecdî Efendi, whose date of birth has not been identified, was one of the high-ranking figures of the late Ottoman judicial and learned establishments. His being remembered with the title “Seyyid” shows that his family preserved its affiliation with the Prophet’s lineage.

Mehmed Mecdî Efendi served as First President of the Court of Cassation. The Mahkeme-i Temyiz was the high appeal court in the Ottoman judicial organization; it became an independent structure in 1879 and forms the historical basis of the high court that took the name Yargıtay in the Republican period.

Mecdî Efendi’s name also appears in the Court of Cassation records as Haremeyn pâyeli Mecdî Efendi in membership and civil chamber presidency posts. The Haremeyn pâye was a rank indicating that a person held a high position within the Ottoman learned hierarchy.

Es-Seyyid Mehmed Mecdî Efendi died on 11 Muharram 1333, corresponding to 29 November 1914, and was buried in the Fatih Mosque Cemetery.