Şair Şemi Şemullah Efendi Tomb
About the Person:
- While sources differ on his exact name, he is widely known by his pen name Şemʿî.
- He was especially known for his Persian commentaries and translations of major classical texts such as Gulistan and Bustan by Saʿdī, the Divan of Hāfiz, Masnavi, and Bahāristān.
- During the reigns of Sultan Murad III and Sultan Mehmed III, Şemʿî established close ties with grand viziers and ministers of the time, and taught at prominent madrasas in Istanbul.
- He was affiliated with the Mevlevi order and emphasized harmony between Sufi spirituality and Islamic law in his writings.
About the Tomb:
Construction Year: 1602/1603
Ordered by: The people (public)
Architect: Unknown
Prominent Features:
- The current tomb is a modest domed chamber, rebuilt in concrete.
- The grave features a large stone placed atop it, with an original couplet inscribed on the wall dated 1000 AH (1591–92 CE):
- “May God illuminate the house of your heart,
- And may prayers rise for the soul of Şemʿî.”
- There is a hacet (wish) window in the outer wall of the tomb, allowing visitors to pray from outside.
- The tomb stands near Şemʿî Efendi’s former home, with only a window opening toward the street separating his residence from the grave.
- Today, it is protected by a small courtyard wall and a simple domed roof.
- It remains one of the few accessible and preserved poet’s tombs within the old urban fabric of Üsküdar.
