Merkez Efendi

Merkez Efendi was the popular nickname of Musa bin Muslihiddin bin Kılıç (1463–1552), an Ottoman sufi. He is also credited as the creator of "Mesir Macunu", a gum-like candy, which is believed to have cured mental diseases.[1]

Life

Musa bin Muslihiddin bin Kılıç was born in Akçaköy (then known as Sarımahmutlu) in Buldan ilçe (district) of Denizli Province. His father's name was Mustafa. He travelled to Bursa in 1478 and to İstanbul in 1493 to study religion. His tutor was Sünbül Efendi, founder of a sufi order. During the reign of Ottoman Sultan Selim I (r. 1512–1520), he was sent to Manisa to serve in the külliye, the religious buildings complex of Selim I’s wife Hafsa Sultan. In 1529, he returned to İstanbul as the successor of Sünbül Efendi.[2] He briefly married to Selim I1s daughter Şah Sultan. He died in 1552. He had two sons; Derviş Çelebi and Ali Çelebi and a daughter, Ümmü Hatun.

Mesir

Merkez Efendi is credited as the creator of "Mesir macunu", a gum-like candy, which he prepared mixing 40 to 45 different spices. He used to medicate the patients having mental disease in the mental hospital of Manisa (Turkish: Manisa Bimarhanesi) he was the chief physician of with mesir macunu.[1][3] But Raşit Öngören of Islam Encyclopaedia finds this claim implausible.[2] Nevertheless, he is popularly associated with mesir macunu. During the "Mesir Macunu Festival" held annually on 22 March, a symbolic Merkez Efendi figure throws down mesir from the şerefe (balcony) of a minaret in Manisa on the crowd.

Legacy

Recently, the new secondary municipality and ilçe in Denizli is named Merkezefendi in his honor. In Zeytinburnu ilçe of Istanbul, there is a neighborhood named Merkezefendi and a cemetery named Merkezefendi Cemetery. Also public buildings named after him are the State Hospital,[4] and a vocational and technical Anatolian High School in Manisa,[5] as well as a primary school in Istanbul.[6] The Municipality of Zeytinburnu organizes a Medicine Festival bearing his name.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 Orman, Turcel (2018-04-30). "Mesir macunu faydaları, mesir macunu içinde neler var?". Milliyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 2018-07-14.
  2. 1 2 Islam Encyclopaedia (in Turkish)
  3. ↑ İslan İhsan page (in Turkish)
  4. ↑ "Manisa Merkezefendi Devlet Hastanesi" (in Turkish). Sağlık Bakanlığı. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  5. ↑ "MANİSA YUNUSEMRE Merkez Efendi Mesleki ve Teknik Anadolu Lisesi" (in Turkish). Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  6. ↑ "İSTANBUL ZEYTİNBURNU Merkezefendi İlkokulu" (in Turkish). Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  7. ↑ "Merkezefendi Tıp Festivali" (in Turkish). Zeytinburnu Belediyesi. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
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