Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-nr4z6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-18T17:26:00.466Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Appendix: Endowment Deed of the Atik Valide Vakfı (VGM, D. 1766)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2021

Nina Macaraig
Affiliation:
Koç University, Istanbul
Get access

Summary

The valide sultan wanted to join the blessings of the transitory world with the blessings and the joys of the eternal afterworld, because a wise person would not tie his hopes to the uncertain possessions of the world only. With this in mind, the abovementioned valide opened her generous hand to everybody and wanted to bestow a gift that is always open to the entire public, in order to do good deeds and to escape the sufferings of the terrible day [Day of Last Judgement], when not possessions and children, but only embracing Allah with a clean heart will be beneficial. Accordingly, she allotted from her unencumbered possessions and properties those parts that will be mentioned in detail in this deed of trust. In genuine and sincere determination, devoid of hypocrisy and deceit, with only the purest of intentions, she ordered the construction of many great and magnificent edifices of charity. The following are among these.

  • 1. A high and stately sacred mosque containing all kinds of beauty and architectural embellishment, built in Yeni Mahalle in Üsküdar.

  • 2. Because she assigns much value and importance to the reputation of science and education, and in order to elevate and ennoble the scholars among the people, she built a medrese [theological school] adjacent to the north of the abovementioned mosque's courtyard. This medrese, whose buildings and location are exalted, consists of nineteen rooms. She allotted fifteen of these rooms as residence to students who want to acquire science and education and to sages who want to shape their beings with virtue and beauty, two [of the rooms] to the muid [tutor] employed [there], and the largest one as classroom for the müderris [teacher], and also one of the rooms as residence to the bevvab [doorman] whose duty it is to lock and unlock the door of the medrese. The abovementioned vakıf endowed this medrese to all people of intelligence and seekers of wisdom, who will gain complete insight by making use of primary and secondary sciences, and who will deal with natural and religious sciences.

  • 3. Also in the vicinity of the abovementioned mosque, a mekteb [primary school], which the founder, upon Allah's will, has bequeathed to all Muslim children for the learning and understanding of the Qur’an.

Type
Chapter
Information
Cemberlitas Hamami in Istanbul
The Biographical Memoir of a Turkish Bath
, pp. 248 - 285
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Print publication year: 2018

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×