Şehzade Selim Süleyman

Şehzade Selim Süleyman was born on 25 July 1860 in the Dolmabahçe Palace. He was the son of Abdulmejid I, and his sixteenth wife Serfiraz Hanım, the daughter of Osman Liah and Zeliha Tapsın.[1][2] He was the third child of his mother. His elder siblings, Şehzade Osman and Bedia Sultan died when they were young.[2] When he was eleven months old his father died.

Süleyman was circumcised in 1870. Other princes who were circumcised along with him included, his half-brother, Şehzade Mehmed Vahideddin, his nephew Şehzade Mehmed Selaheddin, Şehzade Yusuf Izzeddin, Şehzade Mahmud Celaleddin, sons of Sultan Abdulaziz, and Sultanzade Alaeddin Bey, son of Münire Sultan, daughter of Abdulmejid.[3]

Süleyman was fluent in Arabic and Persian. He used to read Persian and Arabic literature. He used to spend most of his time in Feriye Palace and his farmhouse in Balamuclu.[1] He was of romantic nature and loved music and nature and loved to spend his time at his farmhouse.

His family used to spend their summers at Nisbettiye Mansion at Bosporus and they used to spend their winters at Feriye Palace.[4]

He adored Western music, like his mother Serfiraz. His daughter Naciye Sultan writes about him:

My father had a lot of interest in music. I suppose this curiosity would have passed from my grandmother. Because my grandmother Serfiraz Kadın's reed teams set up in the palace were constantly operating. These teams were two. One of them was busy with Western music. The other one was a fully arranged instrument.[5]

In 1878, he and his siblings including his brothers Prince Ahmed Kemaleddin, and sisters Seniha Sultan, Princess Fatma, were all involved in the Ali Suavi incident with the objective of restoring Murad to the throne.[6]

His first wife was Filişan Hanım. She was born in Batumi, Georgia in 1869. They married in 1885. She remained childless.[7]

His second wife was Emine Cavidan Hanım, the daughter of Uzun Ahmed Bey and Bezmiara Kadın who was the former wife of Abdulmejid I, whom she had divorced marry Tevfik Pasha. Cavidan was born on 28 October 1872.[8] was raised by the Egyptian princess Zeynep Hanım, daughter of Muhammad Ali of Egypt. They married in 1886, with Zeynep Hanım's consent. She remained childless.[9] The marriage didn't lasted long. After Abdul Hamid told Süleyman that she is not suitable for him, he divorced her, after which Abdul Hamid married her to Prince Husëyin Bey of Egypt.[9]

His third wife was Fatma İkbal Hanım. They married in 1893. She was the mother of Şehzade Mehmed Abdülhalim.[10]

His fourth wife was Ayşe Tarziter Hanım. She was born on 4 February 1880 in Ganja, Azerbaijan.[10] She was a member of Abkhazian family, Bargan-Ipa.[11][7] They married in 1895. She was the mother of Naciye Sultan born on 25 October 1896, [12] and Şehzade Mehmed Şerefeddin born on 19 May 1904.[10] Following the exile of the imperial family in March 1924, Tarziter moved to Beirut, Lebanon with her son and daughter-in-law Şükriye Sultan.[10]

His fifth and last wife was Ayşe Zatimelek Hanım. She was the daughter of Prince Nuri Bey Tapş-Ipa and Nazife Hanım Achba. She was a lady-in-waiting to Verdicenan Kadın, wife of Abdulmejid. After her death, she was sent to Dolmabahçe Palace, where she married Süleyman in 1899. [7] After Süleyman's death she moved to Ortaköy. She was noted her charity. She also transformed the lower floor of her mansion into a tailor shop.[10]

Şehzade Selim Süleyman died on 12 July 1909, and was buried in the mausoleum of Şehzade Ahmed Kemaleddin, located in Yahya Efendi Cemetery, Istanbul.[13]

Şehzade Selim Süleyman had three children:

• Şehzade Abdülhalim (Ortaköy Palace, 27 September 1894 - Paris, France, 26 May 1926, buried in Sultan Selim Mosque, Damascus) married with issue; [8] with Fatma Hanım.
• Naciye Sultan (Feriye Palace, Istanbul, 25 October 1896 - Nişantaşı, Istanbul, Turkey, 4 December 1957), married with issue; [12] with Ayşe Tarzıter Hanım.
• Şehzade Mehmed Şerefeddin (Ortaköy Palace, 19 May 1904 - Beirut, Lebanon, c. 1966, buried in Sultan Selim Mosque), married with issue; [8] with Ayşe Tarzıter Hanım.

• Milanlıoğlu, Neval (2011). Emine Naciye Sultan’ın Hayatı (1896-1957).
• Uluçay, Mustafa Çağatay (2011). Padişahların kadınları ve kızları. Ankara, Ötüken.
• Brookes, Douglas Scott (2010). The Concubine, the Princess, and the Teacher: Voices from the Ottoman Harem. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-78335-5.