Şirmerd Çavuş Tomb
About the Person:
- Şirmerd Çavuş, real name Abdullah, was one of the brave soldiers closest to Mehmed the Conqueror. He gained fame for his courage and valor, earning the title “Şirmerd” from the Sultan himself. The name combines the Persian words “Şîr” (lion) and “merd” (brave man).
- He also served during the reigns of Bayezid II and Selim I. He died in 1514. His daughter Kamerşah Hatun, who died in 1513, is also buried beside him.
- Originally, he had his own mosque and burial ground, but the mosque was demolished in 1956 due to the expansion of Millet Avenue. The tomb was relocated to the courtyard of the Murad Paşa Complex.
About the Tomb:
Construction Year: Early 16th century
Ordered by: Şirmerd Çavuş
Architect: Unknown
Prominent Features:
- The tomb is an open-air “baldaken” style structure, a design dating back to 14th-century Ottoman architecture and reminiscent of ancient Persian architecture.
- It has a square plan measuring 4×4 meters.
• The dome rests on pendentives supported by pointed arches over cut stone piers. - Inside are two marble sarcophagi belonging to Şirmerd Çavuş and his daughter Kamerşah Hatun.
- The tomb was moved in 1964 to the Murad Paşa Complex graveyard after the original site was demolished in 1956 during road expansion.
