Confirmation of Sufi Information in Hadîkatü’l-cevâmi with Documents

Abstract

One of the sources used in studies on Ottoman Sufism is Hüseyin Ayvansarayî’s work
called Hadîkatü’l-cevâmi. In this work, Ayvansarayî mainly introduces the mosques and
masjids in Istanbul. In addition, the work also contains information about madrasahs,
lodges, tombs and the ulama and sheikhs associated with these places. In this respect,
Hadîkatü’l-cevâmi is a vital source of work that should be examined in studies on Istanbul
lodges and sheikhs.
The information given by Ayvansarayî about the lodges and other Sufi places located
next to and in the immediate vicinity of the mosques and masjids of Istanbul and the
sheikhs who worked in these places is very important in terms of the history of Sufism.
Thanks to the work, some information about Sufi institutions and places in Istanbul and
the people passing through these places can be accessed. However, when we determine
the place and place in line with the information in the work, some of the mentioned Sufi
places cannot be found. It is seen that some places are abandoned and in ruins, and some
are used for other purposes. For this reason, the confirmation and completion of the data in
Hadîkatü’l-cevâmi about these places and the people associated with them with archival
documents will benefit the history of Sufism. In this way, places that existed at the time
the work was written but are not there today or are used for different purposes can be
traced, and it will also contribute to the biographies of the sheikhs who served in these
places. For this purpose, in the article, by sampling method, we will try to confirm with
documents the information about Akşemseddin Halvethanesi and Kapı Ağası Malatyalı
İsmail Ağa Lodge, which are located under the title of Hagia Sophia Mosque in the elif
article of Hadîkatü’l-cevâmi and are connected to the Hagia Sophia complex in various
aspects. Thus, this sampling study will show that the confirmation and extension of the
Sufi information in the work can be made based on it.