Mirmiran Mehmed Ağa Tomb
Audio Narration:
Person in the Tomb:
Mirimiran Mehmed Ağa
Location of the Tomb:
Eyüpsultan, İstanbul
Title:
Beylerbeyi, Vizier, Mirimiran (Chief of Beylerbeyis)
Birth / Death:
Unknown – 1589
About the Person:
- Mirimiran Mehmed Ağa served as Janissary Agha and Rumelia Beylerbeyi during the reign of Sultan Selim II, and was later promoted to vizier under Sultan Murad III.
- He was tasked with resolving the crisis caused by the devaluation of the akçe (Ottoman silver coin), which had triggered severe economic unrest.
- During the Janissary uprising known as the “Beylerbeyi Incident,” he was executed alongside Grand Treasurer Mahmud Efendi on April 2, 1589.
- According to tradition, he built a seaside mansion (yalı) in the district now known as Beylerbeyi while serving as Rumelia Beylerbeyi, giving the area its lasting name.
About the Tomb:
Construction Year: 1589
Ordered by: Mirimiran Mehmed Ağa Foundation
Architect: Unknown
Prominent Features:
- The tomb is a fine example of classical Ottoman funerary architecture, built from ashlar and designed with a dodecagonal (twelve-sided) plan.
- It is covered with a dome set upon a twelve-sided drum.
- The entrance features a portico supported by four front and two side angular marble columns, adorned with painted ornamental designs. This portico recalls the one found in the Tomb of Sinan Paşa, Conqueror of Yemen, in Çarşıkapı.
- Some façades feature double rows of windows, while others display blind arches as decorative elements. The marble window grilles on the lower windows were removed during later restorations.
- The interior of the dome and the portico vaults are decorated with vivid, delicate painted ornamentation, showcasing rose rosettes, palmettes, and sunburst motifs.
- A well in the courtyard is locally known as the “Wishing Well.”
- The courtyard gate is made of finely carved ashlar with a double-jamb frame.
- Inside the tomb are two wooden sarcophagi: one belongs to Mirimiran Mehmed Ağa, and the other to Grand Treasurer Mahmud Efendi, who was executed alongside him.