Hattat Mustafa Rakım Efendi Tomb
About the Person:
- Mustafa Rakım Efendi was born in Ünye, a district of Ordu. After receiving his early education there, he moved to Istanbul at a young age and studied Islamic sciences and calligraphy under his elder brother İsmail Zühdü. At the age of twelve, he received his license (icazet) in sülüs and nesih scripts.
- He earned great fame by developing a new style in calligraphy, especially in sülüs, nesih, and celî sülüs.
- He attracted the attention of Sultan Selim III, painted his portrait, and was awarded the title of müderris (professor). He later became the calligraphy instructor of Sultan Mahmud II and held palace duties such as designing imperial monograms (tuğra).
- He was appointed as judge in İzmir (1809), Edirne and Mecca (1814), then in Istanbul (1818), and finally as Kazasker of Anatolia (1823).
- Toward the end of his life, he suffered a stroke and passed away in 1826. He was buried in the cemetery of Atik Ali Pasha Mosque in Karagümrük, Fatih.
- He revolutionized celî sülüs calligraphy with his innovations in letter harmony, spatial balance, and legibility, establishing new aesthetic norms. His most mature works date from 1815–1819 and include inscriptions at Nakşidil Sultan’s Tomb and Eyüp Sultan Mosque.
- He designed tuğras for Sultans Selim III, Mustafa IV, and Mahmud II, setting a stylistic standard for later calligraphers.
- He also produced works in taʿlîk and celî taʿlîk scripts and is known for inscriptions on tombstones and fountains.
- Among his notable students were Sultan Mahmud II, Mehmed Haşim, and Mehmed Şakir Recai. His works are preserved in the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, Topkapı Palace, and various private collections.
About the Tomb:
Construction Year: 19th century
Ordered by: His wife
Architect: Unknown
Prominent Features:
- The tomb’s eastern façade is clad with cut küfeki stone.
- The front façade features three rectangular windows with arched pediments.
- The window pediments and frames are made of marble.
- Above the windows is a marble inscription panel in celî sülüs, framed with large leaf motifs and S-shaped profiles.
- The inscription includes the date H.1241 (1826) — the year of Rakım Efendi’s death — and bears his signature.
- The two stepped corners of the front façade are rounded for a softened appearance.
- Horizontal mouldings above and below the windows add rhythm and movement to the façade.
- The arched entrance to the courtyard on the right ends with a wavy baroque profile.
- The interior contains two graves:
- A wooden sarcophagus, renewed in 1996, belongs to Mustafa Rakım Efendi.
- A baroque-style marble tomb belongs to his student Mehmed Haşim Efendi, who died in 1845.
- The marble headstone of Mehmed Haşim’s tomb bears an inscription written identically on both sides.
- The arched element on the left side wall suggests the presence of a former gate leading into the mosque courtyard.
