Yahya Efendi Tomb
Audio Narration:
Person in the Tomb:
Yahya Efendi
Location of the Tomb:
Beşiktaş, İstanbul
Title:
Sheikh, Poet, Sufi
Birth / Death:
1495 - 1571
About the Person:
- Yahya Efendi was born in 1495 in Trabzon, the son of Şami Ömer Efendi and Afife Hatun. He was the milk-brother of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. After receiving his initial education in Trabzon, he moved to Istanbul, where he studied under Zenbilli Ali Efendi and completed his education.
• He served as a professor (mudarris) at various madrasas in Istanbul but was dismissed and retired after writing a letter to Sultan Suleiman. Following his retirement, he established his own dervish lodge in Beşiktaş, where he spent the remainder of his life among the people. He earned great respect from both Suleiman and his son Selim II and occasionally advised on state matters.
• He had disputes with Grand Vizier Rüstem Paşa. A member of the Uwaysi Sufi order, Yahya Efendi served as a bridge between the public and the ruling elite, helping people from various religious and social backgrounds. He was said to know fifteen languages and had strong connections with seafarers. Writing under the pen name “Müderris,” his poems often addressed worldly affairs, politics, and society.
• Yahya Efendi died in 1571. His funeral prayer was performed at Süleymaniye Mosque by state officials, and he was buried at the site of his lodge in Beşiktaş.
About the Tomb:
Construction Year: 1571
Ordered by: Selim II
Architect: Mimar Sinan
Prominent Features:
- Yahya Efendi’s tomb is a 1571 masonry structure by Mimar Sinan, located in Beşiktaş, across from the Çırağan Palace, adjacent to the Yahya Efendi Lodge. It is part of a complex originally built by Sinan that included a lodge, tevhithane (prayer hall), and madrasa. The tomb itself is a square-planned, single-domed wooden building.
- The tomb’s burial ground became a prominent cemetery for members of the Sufi order, state officials, scholars, royalty, and palace members from the 16th century onward. By the 19th century, it had become the burial site for the Ottoman upper class and members of the royal family, particularly those close to Sultan Abdülhamid II and Adile Sultan.
- After Yahya Efendi passed away on May 4, 1571, he was buried on the grounds of his lodge. By order of Selim II, a tomb, dervish cells, and a small room for the tomb keeper were constructed over his grave. The tomb was renovated during the reigns of Mahmud II, Pertevniyal Valide Sultan, and Abdülhamid II, with the current appearance mostly shaped by restorations during Pertevniyal’s time. The most recent restoration was conducted by the Directorate General of Foundations between 2011 and 2013.
- In 1903, a library was added to the tekke gate, the fountain on the slope was renewed, and the “Tomb of the Princes and Ladies” was built to the north of the cemetery. The tomb houses the sarcophagi of Yahya Efendi and 10 others. The surrounding area is filled with graves of admirers wishing to be near Yahya Efendi. The cemetery contains 2,141 recorded gravestones. Some princes and royal family members are buried in a separate tomb built during the reign of Abdülhamid II. Today, the tomb is managed by the Istanbul Tombs Museum Directorate.