The Two Yesaris

Father and Son Calligraphers

Mohamed Zakariya

S O L E T M A N C O N S I D E R F R O M W H AT H E W A S C R E AT E D
(qur’an 86:5). calligraphed by mohamed zakariya as
homage to yesarizade’s father, mehmed es’ad

A
f e w y e a r s a g o , I was visiting something strange or unusual that serves as
my calligrapher colleagues in a lesson—something to ponder, like a pig
Istanbul. As it happened, mem- that can fly, a monkey that can whistle. An
bers of the judging panel for an interna- Anglo convert who can do Islamic calligra-
tional calligraphy competition were just phy—never mind how well—can be exhib-
arriving at that time. Some of them were ited as an ibret. The quality of the achieve-
old friends, so I wanted to see them before ment doesn’t matter, only that it was done
I left for America. at all. Even setting aside the social and eth-
Among them was Mohammed Cherifi, nic implications of such a claim, my Yankee
Algeria’s finest calligrapher, who has writ- B.S. detectors instantly started to flash, and
ten at least three copies of the Qur’an I declined as politely (and abruptly) as I
and a couple of books on the art. We have could. I would never be someone’s ibret. An
known each other for years, and after American who can write! How funny! I may

seasons | spring 2007 |

we chatted a bit, he suggested I come to be fat, but this pig doesn’t fly.
Algeria to deliver a series of lectures to his The word ibret has a more classical con-
classes at the university. I had to demure, notation, however, an honorable one, even
but he insisted, saying I would be an ibret an enviable one. The following story1 is
(¢ibrah in Arabic) and, thus, an inspiration in every sense an ibret—an example, or a
for his students. lesson, for thoughtful people to consider—
I believe he made this claim in all sin- and it is true. Even the untrue parts have
cerity, unaware of its overtones. An ibret is become a bit of history.
3
 An Unlikely Calligrapher tal of the Devlet-i Aliye-i Osmaniye (the Lofty to show the master. Amazed to find that all the other masters—including Veliüddin
m o h am ed zakariya

th e two yesaris
A calligraphic script called nestalik2 was Ottoman State). Istanbul was the abode of the boy’s work so closely matched his own, Efendi—to a grand icazet ceremony at one
invented in Persia in the fifteenth century the caliph of Islam, the sultan, and was the Dedezade said, “My son, please write this in of the main mosques of Istanbul. The year
or earlier. Some say its originator was Sultan cultural, political, religious, and military front of me, so that I may observe.” Yesari was 1753. As was done in those days, the
Ali Mashhadi (d. 1520). Nestalik was con- heart of the Muslim world. It was where wrote the lesson so quickly with his tremu- icazet candidate wrote out five or more
sidered the national script of Persia, and it the action was—Islam’s last cutting edge of lous left hand that Dedezade was awestruck. works in the presence of the assembly.
still has a special cachet there. Iranians love high culture. “This is God’s gift of talent to you,” he said. After examining these pieces, the seyhülis-
their calligraphy: In a nation with more The boy came into the world as Mehmed “You will master this art of calligraphy in a lam exclaimed, with tears in his eyes, “Alas,
than ninety percent literacy, the calligraphy Es’ad. The right side of his body was para- short time.” I missed the honor of being this boy’s
association is thought to have more than lyzed, and the left side was afflicted with Yesari received his new lessons and teacher. I didn’t understand.”
seventy thousand active members. tremors. He was small. Because he could rapidly mastered them, soon reaching the Other calligraphers confirmed Yesari’s
Since the time of Mir Imad Elhaseni (d. use only his left hand, he became known as level of competence required to receive his license. At the same time, he finished his
1615), the greatest Persian exponent of Yesari— “the Lefty.” icazet (permission or license to be a profes- schooling and became a kadi (judge). Dur-
the script, nestalik had His father, Kara sional; ij¥zah in Arabic). The master invited ing this stage of his life, Yesari had to work
its advocates in the Otto- Mahmud Aga, a func-
man state as well. Many tionary in the religious Mohamed Zakariya is a master calligrapher, artist, and crafts-
were Persian expatriates establishment, took him man. Born in Ventura, California, in 1942, he began his
and exiles, who were at an early age to meet study of Islamic calligraphy with A.S. Ali Nour in Tangier and
said to have brought the Veliüddin Efendi.3 The London in 1964. After continuing his studies independently at
script to Constantinople, seyhülislam (shaykh al- the British Museum, he was invited in 1984 by the Research
while escaping the Isl¥m in Arabic) of the Center for Islamic History, Art, and Culture (IRCICA) in
enforced Shiafication of Ottoman state, Veliüddin Istanbul to study with two celebrated Turkish calligraphers:
their country. Be that as Efendi, was its highest Hasan Celebi and Ali Alparslan. In 1988, Zakariya received
it may, Persian language, religious authority and the prized icazet (diploma) in sulus/nesih script from Mr.
calligraphy, art, and cus- a renowned calligrapher Celebi in a ceremony in Istanbul, and in 1997, he received the
toms enjoyed high status of the nestalik style. Little icazet in talik from Dr. Alparslan.
in the literate Ottoman Mehmed Es’ad wanted Zakariya has presented numerous workshops and lectures on Islamic calligraphy, and
society. At its height, the to be a calligrapher and his calligraphic works have been exhibited widely. In the United States, for example, his work has
Ottoman language was hoped to become the been shown at the Smithsonian Institution’s Renwick Gallery, the S. Dillon Ripley Center, and the
yesarizade mustafa izzet
about one-third Persian, efendi reprinted from
student of this illustrious Klutznick National Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. He has also shown his calligraphy and
one-third Arabic, and mahmud kemal inal’s personage. However, given demonstrations in conjunction with Islamic art exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
T H E L A S T C A L L I G R A P H E R S
one-third Turkish (with the efendi, taking a look in New York and at the Walters Gallery in Baltimore. Abroad, he has participated in invitational
(SON HATTATLAR).
plenty of French, Greek, at the boy’s condition, exhibitions and symposia in Turkey, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Abu Dhabi, and
and Italian thrown in for good measure). dismissed him saying, “There is no talent Saudi Arabia. He is the author of numerous articles and monographs, including Music for the
The Ottoman alphabet was a modification in this one!” Eyes, published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Los Angeles Museum of Art in con-
of the Persian, which was a modification of After this cruel rebuff, the father took junction with a 1998-99 exhibit of Ottoman calligraphy from the Sakip Sabanci collection. He has
the Arabic. the boy to another famous nestalik master, also translated from the Turkish exhibition catalogue, Letters in Gold, by Ugur Derman, as well
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By the mid-eighteenth century, a good Seyyid Mehmed Dedezade. Having what is as Mr. Derman’s Art of Calligraphy in the Islamic Heritage (IRCICA, 1998). He is perhaps best
number of Ottoman calligraphers were called a dervish’s temperament, Dedezade known for his Eid U.S. postage stamp, which has brought his work into many homes in the U.S.
expert in the nestalik script. Their qual- did not wish to offend or discourage the A master woodworker, engraver, and machinist, Zakariya also designs and constructs function-
ity was high. Their standard was Mir Imad, pair. He wrote the boy a lesson, advising ing examples of antique-style horological and scientific instruments, examples of which are in the
whose works were collected, treasured, and him, “My son, write a piece to resemble this collections of the Aramco Science Museum in Saudi Arabia, the National Museum of Qatar, the
considered models of excellence. lesson, and bring it back to me.” Time Museum in Rockford, Illinois, and the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. His woodturning
Around that time, a boy was born in Asi- Yesari labored for two months over this has been exhibited at the American Craft Museum in New York and his engraved astrolabes at the
tane, an early name for Istanbul—the capi- task and at last had some samples prepared Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.
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 hard for his living, which was meager. Lat- next to his father. (The site was destroyed condition, his only protection was sincerity, Süreyya, in his biographies of the Otto-
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th e two yesaris
er, as he gained prominence, his income when the street was enlarged.5) so, like Popeye, he was what he was. Yesari mans, wrote of him, “He was loquacious,
became sufficient, but like most calligra- The story cannot conclude here, however. was a profoundly artistic soul gifted with a a possessor of knowledge and skills, the
phers, he was never rich. Yesari became One cannot help but say, “Wait, I want to classic Islamic education, which, as we saw, greatest master of music of his time, and in
known as “The Imad of Rum,” likening him know more details of Yesari’s life! How did a allowed him to become a kadi. He was a talik calligraphy, the Imad of Rum. Regard-
to the great Persian calligrapher. (Rum terribly handicapped child survive and pros- civilized man, a builder, an efendi. ing his ‘lies,’ they say, ‘If Yesarizade swears
refers to Anatolia and the European areas per in a society that had no physical therapy The nestalik script, which Yesari learned an oath, truly, it is a lie!’”
of Turkey.) Seyhülislam Veliüddin Efendi, and which did not expect much from the first, was still basically in its Persian or Mir In his Conversations on History (Tarih
witnessing the unparalleled beauty of his handicapped? Could he walk or even stand? Imad style. It was beautiful when written Musahabeleri, 1923), the late-Ottoman
writing, said of Yesari, “The True God has How did he get to his various jobs around small but did not work well when written historiographer Abdurrahman Seref (pro-
sent this person to break the nose of our the city? How was he able to do the Hajj? large—a necessity for architectural inscrip- nounced Sheref) Efendi gave an account
prideful arrogance.” What was his married and family life like? tions. The Ottomans took the long word of Yesarizade, which I have translated and
Mehmed Es’ad’s fame increased daily. Many people must have known his value and nestalik and shortened it to talik, a confusing shortened here:
The great and the mediocre came to him helped him—who were they? And how did nomenclature, as talik is also the name of an Although he was one of the masters of
they help him?” However, the sources are older, obsolete script. Yesari Efendi was the music, his mastership of calligraphy in the
silent regarding these questions. first to work out new principles that allowed talik script surpassed his musical skill. The
HOW DID A TERRIBLY HANDICAPPED Professor M. Ugur Derman, the world’s the script to be written large enough to be masters of the art think he even surpassed
leading authority on Islamic calligraphy, legible from a distance. His inscriptions are his father. He was notorious for his exagger-
CHILD SURVIVE AND PROSPER IN A
told me that a basket was made, a sort of still to be seen and admired in the city of ations, which went so far as to be called lies.
SOCIETY THAT HAD NO PHYSICAL horizontal carrying case for Yesari Efendi Istanbul. He was, therefore, in the calligra- Sultan Mahmud II always saw Yesarizade
THERAPY AND WHICH DID NOT EXPECT to lie in and be carried from place to place. pher’s usage, an opener of a new road—the in the company of Izzet Molla (whose cal-
But such conjecture, such information founder of a whole new way of writing. ligraphy was poor). He asked Izzet Molla
MUCH FROM THE HANDICAPPED?
was considered private, not public mate- the reason for this, and he snapped back,
COULD HE WALK OR EVEN STAND? rial. The sources tell us what he did and A Precocious and Talented Son “Yesarizade, who says prayers for you, writes
HOW DID HE GET TO HIS VARIOUS recount the story of his education, death, Sons of calligraphers rarely equal or well. I, your servant, can read a bit. When
and burial. They provide anecdotes and surpass their fathers in the art, but Yesari’s we are together, we make one literate per-
JOBS AROUND THE CITY?
detail his works, which are legion, both on son—Elhac (al hajj in Arabic) Yesarizade son.” [Author’s note: In Turkish, a literate
paper and as inscriptions on stone. We will Mustafa Izzet Efendi—was an exception. He person is called a “reader-writer.”]
have to be content with that. is thought to have been born in 1770, but in Others were not so kind and mercilessly
for lessons, until it was said his house The study of what we know of his biogra- those days, people often didn’t take pains to attacked Yesarizade in the press. One com-
became like a bazaar for calligraphers. Out- phy, however, can and should lead us to the record birthdates, only death dates. mentator, Süleyman Faik Efendi, ranted:
side his door, paper sellers, pen cutters, smashing of stereotypes. We tend to have a Yesarizade (literally, son of Yesari) It is Yesarizade, who in the path of knowl-
penknife makers, and ink makers would mental image of the Islamic calligrapher as studied the talik script with his father and edge has attained the rank of kadi of Istan-
gather and sell their materials to Yesari’s a thin, ascetic, humble person who would received the icazet from him. He also stud- bul and wanders about the marketplaces
many students. never even sign his own work. The fact, ied with other calligraphers and received like a lunatic, yet I can say nothing critical
Yesari’s rank as a kadi also rose, and however, is that calligraphers came in all icazets from them as well, by way of getting of his calligraphy. But his lies have reached
he became a teacher of calligraphy at the sizes and types. Far from being mere copy- their blessings. The icazet text is written in a a level of Neuzü billah (I seek refuge with
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royal palace. Sadly, as his fortunes rose, ists, as some may think, the best of them document, usually beautifully calligraphed God) that has hitherto been unknown.
his health began to decline, until, as the were usually highly learned, educated, and and illuminated, called an icazetname. All he says are lies and hurtful things. You
sources say, “He left this perishable world ethical people, and they were acute observ- Yesarizade received many titles and honors, can’t be friends with such a man. May God
and moved to the world of eternity.” On 11 ers of the human condition. both symbolic and real. In his later life he repair him!
Receb, 1213 AH (19 December 1798 CE), Es’ad Mehmed Efendi, or Yesari the was thrice appointed kadiasker (a bit like a In 1842, Yesarizade was appointed super-
his body was given to the earth, as they father,6 could only be what he was and Supreme Court judge). intendent of the Official Calendar Prepara-
used to say in Turkish.4 His son, Yesarizade, survive. He could not be a man of tricks Yesarizade was often considered to be a tion Office and Imperial Printing House.
whom we shall soon read about, was buried or falseness. In his physically dependent wag, a jokester, an exaggerator. Mehmed He prepared a beautiful talik typeface for
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 th e two yesaris
[Link]
V E R I LYG O D N E V E R B R E A K S A P R O M I S E ( q u r ’ a n 3 : 9 , 1 3 : 3 1 ) . c a l l i g r a p h e d
these offices, which has never been sur- gravestones that can be seen all over the city
by yesarizade mustafa izzet efendi with arsenic ink on
passed or equaled. The following year he in cemeteries, large and small. These works black paper. (this is a KALIP, which is a stencil for transfer
was released from his duties, and in 1846, are constant reminders of generations past, purposes.) reprinted with permission. m. ugur derman, THE
A R T O F C A L L I G R A P H Y I N T H E I S L A M I C H E R I TA G E . i s t a n b u l : r e s e a r c h
he was again appointed kadiasker. He died of the temporary aspects of life, and of the c e n t e r f o r i s l a m i c h i s to ry, a rt , a n d c u lt u r e , 1 9 9 8 .
in 1849, and was buried at his father’s side. permanence of the Creator. Hüve-l Baki.
His tombstone reads, “He is the Everlast- the torch to Sami Efendi (d. 1912). Pro- Haydar’s home and knocked on the door.
ing God (Hüve-l Baki). The great master, The Yesaris’ Art and Teaching fessor Derman, in his book, Selections from When the master emerged from his rest
son of Yesari, who has achieved the mercy Like his father, Yesarizade had many the Calligraphy Collection of the Sakip Sabanci and Sami was presented to him, he said,
and forgiveness of God, Elhac Mustafa Izzet students. The most famous was Kadiasker Museum, recounts the following story, “My son, I have been sending messages to
Efendi, read, to please God, for his soul, Mustafa Izzet, but his work in talik is rather which gives a very personal account of how you for some time. Where were you?”
the Fatiha. 2 Shaban 1265 [AH].”7 rare. He wrote eleven ma|¥^if (copies of the art and ethics influenced life in Ottoman Sami said, “If my master Ismail Hakki
As for his craft, Yesarizade took his Koran) one of them in talik, as well as an times. I translate: Efendi had heard that I was working with
father’s teaching all the way home. Legend inscription in the Washington Monument.8 Sami Efendi studied talik calligraphy you, it would have hurt his feelings. But
has it that he wrote more than seventy thou- Interestingly, both teacher and student with Kibrisizade Ismail Hakki Efendi (d. today, we committed him to the soil of
sand lines of celi talik, mostly for inscrip- alike shared the same name, Mustafa Izzet, 1862) and received the icazet from him in forgiveness. I immediately ran to you. Now
tions. (Celi, or jalÏ in Arabic, means big and besides being the greatest masters of 1857. But Hakki Efendi’s skill languished you are my calligraphy master,” he added,
and clear.) He was a fast writer. Unlike his calligraphy of their time, they were both a bit behind that of Ali Haydar Efendi, folding his new master’s hand in his. Hear-
father, who wrote his models and stencils in lofty figures in the Islamic judiciary and reli- the talik master of that time. Ali Haydar, ing of Ismail Hakki’s death from Sami
black ink on white paper, Yesarizade wrote gious establishments and were also world- noticing the promise shown in young Efendi, Ali Haydar Bey embraced the loyal
his in yellow arsenic ink on black paper. He class musicians. Their broad talents—or, at Sami’s work, sent him a message: “While and faithful student with tears in his eyes.
had an unusual way of correcting his work, least, their gravitation to the judiciary—may your teacher and I both studied with the Years later, Sami Efendi would tell his
making it recognizable. perhaps be ascribed to the fact that callig- late Yesarizade, there was a difference in own students the story I mentioned above:
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Yesarizade and other great calligraphers raphy instructors teach their students to the degree in which we took the teaching. I “Only death can separate a teacher from his
left their mark on the very fabric of Istan- recognize their own mistakes and their own have seen your calligraphy here and there; student. If I had left my teachers, I would
bul in the form of architectural inscrip- successes—to be self-critical. Hopefully this you are very talented. Come, and let us not have gained their blessed transmissions
tions—including the names of government skill transfers to other facets of their lives and work at calligraphy a bit!” But Sami Efendi of calligraphy. Carsanbali [pronounced
offices and a huge agglomeration of poetry, makes them more fair-minded people. did not respond to Ali Haydar’s invitation, Charshambali] Arif Bey and I studied with
dedicatory and otherwise—cut into stone The student who transmitted the talik nor could he have. Ismail Hakki. Later, he left Ismail Hakki to
with great expertise, then painted and gild- style to the main line of Yesari’s successors Later, when Hakki Efendi died, after study with Ali Haydar. I went to him [Ali
ed. These artists also wrote inscriptions for was Ali Haydar Bey (d. 1870), who passed the burial, Sami Efendi went straight to Ali Haydar] only after my teacher died. There
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 was enough of a difference between us that Sami Efendi, the strongest exponent of close is worth the effort and the chagrin, makes when seeing celi talik by Yesarizade.
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th e two yesaris
in spite of his huge talent, Arif was unable the Yesarizade school of talik, died in 1912. though knowing I cannot get near the goal. “Ah” must have been the sound made by
to earn any money. As for me, I earned The last two great masters of the twentieth The style is so strong, the line so alive and his pen as it flowed across the black paper,
armloads. When my father died, he left a century were Hulusi Efendi (d. 1940) and vivacious, that simply coming close is an dipped in poisonous arsenic ink. To con-
good deal of debt. Thanks to calligraphy, I Necmeddin (pronounced Nejmed-din) honor. Working at it gives me better critical template the celi talik of Yesarizade and Sami
was easily able to pay these off,” he said. Okyay (d. 1976), both of whom were consciousness of the master’s work. Efendi is to awaken willingly or unwillingly
This little story illustrates several major religious scholars. Necmeddin Efendi Talik is not a good script for writing cop- to beauty, to have one’s emotional blinders
features of how great calligraphy is taught, was a life-long imam at the Valide Sultan ies of the Qur’an because one has to clutter removed. One never tires of such work; it
learned, and used in life. The most signifi- Mosque in Uskudar, outside Istanbul. His up the script with vowels and other read- seems ever fresh and new.
cant is the concept of loyalty and love that last surviving student is M. Ugur Derman, ing signs. (Yesarizade’s illustrious student,
exists between the teacher and the student. who is currently not practicing the art but Kadiasker Mustafa Izzet, wrote a copy of the The Istanbul Camelot
There is no money transaction here. What is unquestionably the world’s sharpest Qur’an in tiny talik. It is gorgeous, but the Why did calligraphy flourish in the
the student learns for free, he later teaches authority on the art and criticism of Islamic talik concept seems compromised.) The two Ottoman context and in the city of Istan-
for free. Freedom calligraphy, its history, calligraphers we have learned about here as bul so much more than any other place?
from payments and and its biographies. well as Sami, his students, and a few others Most Muslim civilizations produced callig-
THIS LITTLE STORY ILLUSTRATES
gifts ensures freedom In February 2006, did produce wonderful panels consisting of raphers, but there was something special
SEVERAL MAJOR FEATURES OF
from corruption. Fur- the world lost the Qur’anic verses and texts from the hadith going on in Istanbul. In the early days of
thermore, the teacher- HOW GREAT CALLIGRAPHY IS other great student of literature; they are masterpieces that bring the Ottoman Empire, Muslims lived in an
student loyalty helps Necmeddin, Profes- the viewer to renewed appreciation of the environment that was unabashedly Islam-
TAUGHT, LEARNED, AND USED IN
the teacher’s feyz (the sor Ali Alparslan, a meanings of these texts each time they ic—they did not have to try too hard to live
LIFE. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT IS
spiritual qualities that professor of Persian are seen. In fact, one of the obligations of the Muslim life, and this was in a city and
are inherent in a great THE CONCEPT OF LOYALTY AND literature and a great a calligrapher is to highlight well-known empire that was teeming with Christians
master) to flow to the quality teacher of clas- Qur’anic verses and hadith so they may be and Jews.
LOVE THAT EXISTS BETWEEN THE
student, enriching the sic talik calligraphy, understood in deeper ways. This intent is However, by the nineteenth and early
TEACHER AND THE STUDENT.
experience of hard which he learned from to accomplish the exact opposite of turn- twentieth centuries, endless social and
work and assiduous Necmeddin, and of ing these texts into jingles or slogans, the political conflicts arose. The Ottoman state
practice. Without this feyz, practice can be other scripts, which he learned from the common curse of our time. was on its last legs. Its leaders were experi-
stultifying drudgery. late Halim Özyazici. I had the great fortune The new talik writing, especially in its menting with European reforms, as the
One should not assume that this tradi- to have studied with Ali Bey for twenty-two celi form, has lost its nostalgia for Persia. old models were no longer working well.
tion—especially the concept of only one years. He was a very strict teacher; it took An orphan no longer, it is unencumbered Generally, these reforms fit into an Islamic
teacher for one script—is some quaint Ori- me thirteen years to get my icazet from him. and free. (Of course the great works of the context and style, and this helped prepare
ental mumbo-jumbo or superstitious ritual. He passed on to me many words of ethics Persian masters will never be forgotten, but the Ottoman peoples for the twentieth
Rather, it has very real consequences that and wisdom. He left many fine students, that is another story.) The new talik needs century reality that was coming; hence, the
must be understood by both the student and important successors in the making; I do no adornment, no zinet (marks of decora- Ottomans were generally better prepared
the connoisseur. Every script is personal. not presume to call myself one of them. tion and balance). It is stark naked, radi- for the changes than people in other Mus-
A master’s style is recognizable. A student May God enfold him in His infinite mercy. ant in its flaming blackness, or its brilliant lim countries of the time.
learns a style according to the method of his In short, at the hands of these extraor- watery glow in pale ink, or its cool arsenic As the nineteenth century agonizingly
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master, who learned it from his teacher, who dinary people, talik calligraphy gained a flow. It is nearly three-dimensional. It is a wore on, however, the various regions of
learned it from his teacher, continuing back. completely new look: lean, clean, and pow- new thing, a very challenging piece to play, the empire seceded through revolution or
Receiving contrary instructions interferes erful. You may wonder why there are so few fleeting, unable to be caught except by a were lost in the almost constant warfare.
with the delicate process of transmitting a masters of this script. Perhaps it is because mere handful of extraordinary artists. Istanbul and other cities became bivouacs
style, confuses the student, and disturbs the talik is simply so subtle a script that it flees An old Ottoman concept has it that for the continuous streams of Muslim refu-
results. Once the student becomes a master, from those who try to catch it. It is terribly “Ah” (pronounce the “h”) is the sound the gees flowing south from their lost homes
then he can benefit by learning the methods difficult both to teach and to write. I have heart makes when struck by the arrow of in the Slavic-Orthodox World. Istanbul was
of other masters. found that spending my life trying to get love. “Ah” must also be the sound the heart chaotic, but it held, and culture flourished,
10 11
 Matbaacilik Ticaret Limited STI, ekrem ve magfurun leh, hattat elhac Mehmed
no aspect of it so everlastingly as the art of Finally, let us let Izzet Molla speak about
m o h am ed zakariya

th e two yesaris
1984. Es’ad-ülyesari Efendi ruhicün Elfatiha. Sene
calligraphy. This period came to an abrupt himself as much as about his times. The fol- Süreyya, Mehmed. Sicill-i Osmani. Istanbul: 1213 [1798 CE].’”
end in 1928 with the abolition of the Arabic lowing is such a paradigm of the tensions Dersaadet, 1890. I give the inscription in its transcribed
script, but it left a legacy that was nothing hidden in Muslim societies that we may notes Ottoman form for its flavor.
short of stupendous. call it a social principle. In Acquaintances 1 This article was written at Shangri-la—The 5 Inal wrote, “I was president of the Evkaf
I once asked my teacher, Hasan Celebi I Have Known with My Heart and with My Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, [Endowments] Museum Directorship
(pronounced Chelebi), why Istanbul was Eyes, Ergun Göze gives this account: Honolulu, September 2005. I would like to Committee when we decided to save the
so important to calligraphy. Why was it This is a story with an important meaning thank the following people for bits and piec- tombstones from destruction by moving them
the world capital of the art? His reply was and carries the richness of being an ibret: es garnered from conversations with them to the museum. A bit later, they were moved
something like, “The air, the weather is Hancerli Bey was a Greek Christian, but well over the years that also found their way into to the graveyard of the Fatih Mosque under
best here. We have beautiful views wher- versed in Ottoman culture and very experi- the article: M. Ugur Derman, Irvin C. Schick, the care of the Ministry of Endowments.” He
ever we look, and examples of first-class enced in language and semantics. Also pres- Hasan Celebi, Nabil Safwat, the late Ali continues, “The late aforementioned’s wife,
calligraphy are everywhere. And this is ent at the Session of Religious and Spiritual Alparslan, and Cinucen Tanrikorur. Thanks who died twenty years later, was buried in
where we can all get together and com- Knowledge [Meclis-i Ilm-u Irfan] was a certain also to Sevim Kalyoncu, Uzma Husaini, and the Rumeli Hisari Cemetery. Her tombstone
municate. This is the capital of calligra- efendi, an imam, who had no share of these my wife Sally for their help and encourage- reads, ‘Hüve-l Baki. The Dweller in Heaven,
phy—the great ones lived, died, and were lofty attributes. He listened to Hancerli ment. Special thanks go to Deborah Pope of the great master Mehmed Es’ad-ülyesari
buried here.” Bey’s discourse in amazement. Finally he the Doris Duke Foundation, who gave me the Efendi’s honored wife, who is the recipient
I think that is a good enough expla- was so astonished being next to this sea of free time to write this article. of God’s Mercy and Forgiveness, Lady Hacce

nation. But I would add that the whole knowledge he blurted out, “This efendi! If he 2 I will be using a slightly modified version of Hadice—Read the Fatiha for her soul. 24
Turkish spelling throughout, as it reads more Jumada-l Ula 1235 [1819 CE].’”
Ottoman, and later Turkish, emphasis knows so much about Islamic knowledge,
easily than Arabic in its Latinized spelling. 6 Ottoman names and titles were often quite
on an easygoing loyalty and the presence why doesn’t he convert to Islam?” At this
Where it seems appropriate, I also give the protean, so that at times one form is used
of calligraphic history—the availability groundless and inappropriate interjection,
transliterated Arabic. Due to printing difficul- and at other times another. I use some varia-
of constant feedback and criticism and, the others present froze, like ice. Izzet Molla,
ties, I did not always use the Turkish diacrit- tions here, as would have been done in an
importantly, a customer base—have been who was at his core annoyed at ignorance
ics. Ottoman text, both for color and for a taste
important factors in creating a supportive and the ignorant, and considered ignorance
3 Efendi is an honorific for those in the reli- of a different style.
and protective atmosphere for these artists the exact opposite of Islam, shot back this
gious establishment. 7 Two months after his death, his seaside
and their art. response: “Say, Efendi, how about you? Since
4 Gravesites and tombstones are impor- home in Bebek was put up for sale. In a
Yesarizade Mustafa Izzet Efendi lived you are this ignorant, why don’t you give up
tant elements in Ottoman biographies. In newspaper, the following notice was placed:
in this scene. He was a friend of Sultan Islam and become the heathenish wretch
Mahmud Kemal Inal’s Son Hattatlar (The “Yesarizade’s house, attached to the garden
Mahmud II, the most successful of the you seem to be?” ❖ Last Calligraphers), Yesari Efendi’s grave is of Karavul House in the Bebek District, is
reformer sultans. That his good friend described as follows: “On the road from the for sale.” Mahmud Kemal Inal relates in
works cited
was the highly ethical Izzet Molla tells us Fatih to Asik Pasa [Ashik Pasha] districts, a footnote, “This mansion was purchased
The following works were used to prepare this
more about his real character than do now a road called Gelenbevi Avenue, on by his former student of the same name
article:
the diatribes of contemporary journalists. the left side above the retaining wall, he (Kadiasker Mustafa Izzet, Chief of the Ulema
Derman, M. Ugur. Sakip Sabanci Müzesi Hat
It is likely that being a nonconformist, is interred next to Tuti Abdüllatif Efendi. and Representative of the Sherif of Mecca,
Koleksiyonundan Secmeler. Istanbul:
Yesarizade was misunderstood. Every soul Bogazici Basim ve Yayinevi, 2002. There is a calligraphic inscription over the who lived in it until he himself died in
has to struggle with its oddities, and many ———. Türk Hat Sanatinin Saheserleri. small cemetery area that reads, ‘Every soul 1876). Such a coincidence, then, that the
| spring 2007 | seasons

seasons | spring 2007 |

people find novel ways to deal with them. Istanbul: Sakip Sabanci Muzesi, 1982. shall taste death (Qur’an). The two who have house passed from one great calligrapher to
Yesarizade’s “lies” are possibly of this order, Göze, Ergun. Gözümle ve Gönlümle been given God’s mercy and forgiveness, another and from one Izzet to another. All
but we shall never really know. We can, Tanidiklarim. Istanbul: Asitane, 1989. Tuti Abdüllatif and the Üstad-i Ekrem Elhac these famous homes (wooden houses along
however, love the memory of such masters Inal, Mahmud Kemal. Son Hattlar. Istanbul: Mehmed Es’ad-ülyesari Efendi, for their souls the Bosphorus) either burned down or were
as Yesarizade and his father and enjoy their Maarif Basimevi, 1955. read the Fatiha.’ pulled down and destroyed.”
art. The more we see of it, the more we Müstakimzade. Tühfe-i Hattatin. Istanbul: “The inscription on Yesari’s tombstone reads, 8 See M. Ugur Derman, “An Ottoman Gift to
marvel and wonder: Who was guiding their Kultur Bakanligi Yayinlari, 1928. ‘Hüve-l Baki [Arabic: Huwa al-B¥qÏ, which America,” Seasons Journal, 2, no. 2 (Hayward:
hands—an angel? Rado, Sevket. Türk Hattlari. Istanbul: Yayin means, “He is the Everlasting God.”] Üstad-i Zaytuna Institute, 2005), 112-116.

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