BEŞİKTAŞ YAHYA EFFENDI LODGE & ITS SHRINES & OPEN AIR CEMETERY
Yahya Effendi lodge & his shrine, one of the four spirutual watchmen in Bosphorus and the famous scholar of 16th century, is located in Beşiktaş district looking over the Bosphorus and a must visiting sight among the Muslim believers with a great fame. Yahya Effendi shrine and its cemetery are always busy with the crowded people who are looking for right answers for their problems. Circumcised children, pregnant ladies, unmaried girls, unemployed people and so on come to Yahya Effendi shrine, tell their difficulties or problems to his sarcopgahus silenlty, pray to him in the name of Allah and ask for help then they leave with a great respect and wait the result. If their fresults come true, they come again and thnak to him by praying and deliver some presents to the vistors and poor around the shrine. It has been going on since Yahya Effendi was buried here. Yahya Effendi was one of the famous scholars of 16th century AD and he was the milk brother of famous Ottoman sultan Suleiman I known as Kanuni-lawgiver. Yahya Effendi was born in Trabzon of Black Sea region in 1495 at the same time when prince Suleiman was born. Yahya Effendi and prince Suleiman were breastfed by Yahya Efendi’s mother so they became milk brothers were brough up together. When prince Suleiman became the 10th of Ottoman empire, Yahya effendi came to Istanbul and became a famous scholar. He worked as the university dean for a long time and he was the close friend and advisor of the sultan. Before he got retired , he bought a large piece of land in Beşiktaş and established his lodge as a big complex then he began training the inhabitants of Istanbul and helping to the fishermen & poor people. When he died in 1571 AD, Ottoman sultan Selim II ordered architect Sinan to build a domed shrine for him and he was buried in his shrine later. Yahya Effendi was one of the famous scholars of his time and a consultant who gave a useful advice to all kinds of people. He was able to become a close friend to anybody from Ottoman sultan to an ordinary people. His lodge was always crowded and he used to give a big reception for feeding every Friday evening so he was respected & loved by the whole inhabitants of İstanbul. Thousands of people had attended his funeral and his lovers wanted to be buried in this cemetery to be closer to him. Therefore a big cemetery around his tomb has been arisen for centuries. The members of Ottoman dynasty, high bureaucrats such as grand viziers &state governors & sheikhs-el Islam, university teachers & tutors, soldiers, judges and so on have been buried in their shrines & in this cemetery. It has been restored several times because of great fires and earthquakes. During the reign of Abdulhamit II , it was restored with some buildings and a big shrine in the courtyard where Ottoman female members-sultans- and princes were buried. The library and the fountain were also restored in late 19th century and after the republic handmade books were sent to Suleymaniye library to be kept there. Yahya Effendi has a big shrine in the middle of the cemetery where he was buried with his wife & his children. The shrine has a charming entrance with a fountain built by sultan Abdulhamit II and before entering his shrine his lodge members gravestones are located on both sides with a nice calligraphy on. His sarcophagus is located in the center seperated with ivory cage surronding with his family members coffins. On the left hand side of his shrine, Güzelce Ali Paşa-Handsome Ali Pasha’s shrine is situated and six marvelous marble sarcophagus with wonderful gravestones can be visited inside overlooking the Bosphorus bridge. Güzelce Ali Pasha was one of the famous Ottoman grandviziers in 18th century who was the lover of Yahya Effendi. Yahya Efffendi cemetery has more than 2500 unique and ordinary Ottoman gravestones. Sect masters’ gravestones such as Rufai, Kadiri, Mawlavi, Nakshibendi and Baktashi with their sect headgears, sailor formed gravestones of late Ottoman fleet captains, female gravestones with flowers & traditional symbols, the gravestones which Ottoman coat of arms were carved on and the gravestones with Fes headgears are worth seeinf after the visit of Yahya Effendi shrine. At the right hand side of the entrance, there is a big shrine where late 19th and early 20th Ottoman dynasty members-Şehzades & sultans- Princeses & princesses were buried aslo can be seen.
Yahya Effendi lodge & his shrine, one of the four spirutual watchmen in Bosphorus and the famous scholar of 16th century, is located in Beşiktaş district looking over the Bosphorus and a must visiting sight among the Muslim believers with a great fame. Yahya Effendi shrine and its cemetery are always busy with the crowded people who are looking for right answers for their problems. Circumcised children, pregnant ladies, unmaried girls, unemployed people and so on come to Yahya Effendi shrine, tell their difficulties or problems to his sarcopgahus silenlty, pray to him in the name of Allah and ask for help then they leave with a great respect and wait the result. If their fresults come true, they come again and thnak to him by praying and deliver some presents to the vistors and poor around the shrine. It has been going on since Yahya Effendi was buried here. Yahya Effendi was one of the famous scholars of 16th century AD and he was the milk brother of famous Ottoman sultan Suleiman I known as Kanuni-lawgiver. Yahya Effendi was born in Trabzon of Black Sea region in 1495 at the same time when prince Suleiman was born. Yahya Effendi and prince Suleiman were breastfed by Yahya Efendi’s mother so they became milk brothers were brough up together. When prince Suleiman became the 10th of Ottoman empire, Yahya effendi came to Istanbul and became a famous scholar. He worked as the university dean for a long time and he was the close friend and advisor of the sultan. Before he got retired , he bought a large piece of land in Beşiktaş and established his lodge as a big complex then he began training the inhabitants of Istanbul and helping to the fishermen & poor people. When he died in 1571 AD, Ottoman sultan Selim II ordered architect Sinan to build a domed shrine for him and he was buried in his shrine later. Yahya Effendi was one of the famous scholars of his time and a consultant who gave a useful advice to all kinds of people. He was able to become a close friend to anybody from Ottoman sultan to an ordinary people. His lodge was always crowded and he used to give a big reception for feeding every Friday evening so he was respected & loved by the whole inhabitants of İstanbul. Thousands of people had attended his funeral and his lovers wanted to be buried in this cemetery to be closer to him. Therefore a big cemetery around his tomb has been arisen for centuries. The members of Ottoman dynasty, high bureaucrats such as grand viziers &state governors & sheikhs-el Islam, university teachers & tutors, soldiers, judges and so on have been buried in their shrines & in this cemetery. It has been restored several times because of great fires and earthquakes. During the reign of Abdulhamit II , it was restored with some buildings and a big shrine in the courtyard where Ottoman female members-sultans- and princes were buried. The library and the fountain were also restored in late 19th century and after the republic handmade books were sent to Suleymaniye library to be kept there. Yahya Effendi has a big shrine in the middle of the cemetery where he was buried with his wife & his children. The shrine has a charming entrance with a fountain built by sultan Abdulhamit II and before entering his shrine his lodge members gravestones are located on both sides with a nice calligraphy on. His sarcophagus is located in the center seperated with ivory cage surronding with his family members coffins. On the left hand side of his shrine, Güzelce Ali Paşa-Handsome Ali Pasha’s shrine is situated and six marvelous marble sarcophagus with wonderful gravestones can be visited inside overlooking the Bosphorus bridge. Güzelce Ali Pasha was one of the famous Ottoman grandviziers in 18th century who was the lover of Yahya Effendi. Yahya Efffendi cemetery has more than 2500 unique and ordinary Ottoman gravestones. Sect masters’ gravestones such as Rufai, Kadiri, Mawlavi, Nakshibendi and Baktashi with their sect headgears, sailor formed gravestones of late Ottoman fleet captains, female gravestones with flowers & traditional symbols, the gravestones which Ottoman coat of arms were carved on and the gravestones with Fes headgears are worth seeinf after the visit of Yahya Effendi shrine. At the right hand side of the entrance, there is a big shrine where late 19th and early 20th Ottoman dynasty members-Şehzades & sultans- Princeses & princesses were buried aslo can be seen.
