Alaeddin Ali Çelebi (Vasi Alisi)
d. 1543 · Filibe & Bursa
Alaeddin Ali ibn Salih, known as Ali Çelebi and as Vasi Alisi, was born in Filibe (today Plovdiv), most likely in the reign of Mehmed II. He studied in Edirne under the scholar Abdülvasi ibn Hayreddin Hızır, whose name gave him his nickname, and in his youth he learned calligraphy from Şükrullah Halife, son-in-law of Sheikh Hamdullah; this is why Müstakimzade includes him in his dictionary of calligraphers. His career, however, was in teaching and law. He taught in madrasas in Edirne and Bursa, rose to the Sahn madrasas in Istanbul in 1538-39 and then to the Bayezid II madrasa in Edirne, and in 1542 became judge of Bursa. His fame rests on the Hümayunname, his ornate Turkish version of Kalila and Dimna, which he presented to Süleyman I and which tradition links to his appointment. He died in Bursa in 950 AH (1543) and was buried near the Emir Sultan Mosque. No work of calligraphy by him is described in the sources.
Achievements
- Learned calligraphy from Şükrullah Halife, son-in-law of Sheikh Hamdullah, and is listed in Müstakimzade's Tuhfe-i hattatin, the dictionary of Ottoman calligraphers.
- Taught in leading madrasas of Edirne, Bursa and Istanbul, including the Sahn of Mehmed II and the Bayezid II madrasa in Edirne.
- Wrote the Hümayunname, a celebrated Turkish version of Kalila and Dimna, presented to Süleyman I.
- Was appointed judge of Bursa in 1542.
Taught by: Şükrullah Halife , son-in-law of Sheikh Hamdullah, Abdülvasi ibn Hayreddin Hızır
His work
No calligraphy by him is known; he is remembered as a scholar and the author of the Hümayunname, and his training as a calligrapher is recorded only in passing.
Write in the tradition this hand shaped.
Open Mashq Studio →Living calligraphers you can buy from — signed originals on paper, from AED 550: Anwar Alhulwani (Thuluth) · Ahmed Alhawary (Jali Thuluth, Naskh) · Rasha Kasim (Kufi).
Sources
- TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (Ömer Faruk Akün): birth, teachers incl. Şükrullah Halife for calligraphy, career, Hümayunname, death 950/1543; cites Müstakimzade's Tuhfe pp. 316-317 islamansiklopedisi.org.tr
- Wikidata: Ottoman poet and calligrapher, born Plovdiv, died 1543 Bursa wikidata.org
Written by the MASHQ studio · last updated 2026-10-05. Further reading, the standard references in English: Sheila S. Blair, Islamic Calligraphy (Edinburgh University Press, 2006) · Annemarie Schimmel, Calligraphy and Islamic Culture (New York University Press, 1984) · Yasin Hamid Safadi, Islamic Calligraphy (Thames and Hudson, 1978).