Derviş Ali the Elder (Büyük Derviş Ali)
d. 1673 · Istanbul
Derviş Ali, called 'the Elder' to tell him apart from two later calligraphers of the same name, was born in Istanbul. He grew up in the household of the Janissary officer Kara Hasanoğlu Hüseyin Ağa, as his slave or adopted son, and served for a time in the Janissary corps. He learned the six scripts from Halid Erzurumi and revived the manner of Şeyh Hamdullah, which had nearly been forgotten; for this he was called 'the second Sheikh'. He wrote more than forty Qur'ans, the forty-fifth dated 1064/1654, most of them illuminated by Surahi Mustafa, as well as many en'ams, prayer books, kıtas and albums. His pupils included Suyolcuzade Mustafa Eyyubi, Ağakapılı İsmail and the grand vizier Köprülüzade Fazıl Ahmed Pasha. He was also Hafız Osman's first teacher, and sent him on to Suyolcuzade because of his own advanced age. He died, very old, in Ramadan 1084 (December 1673).
Achievements
- Revived Şeyh Hamdullah's manner when it was close to being forgotten, and was called 'the second Sheikh' (şeyh-i sani).
- Wrote more than forty Qur'ans; the forty-fifth is dated 1064/1654. Most were illuminated by Surahi Mustafa.
- Trained Suyolcuzade Mustafa Eyyubi and gave Hafız Osman his first lessons.
- His pupil, the grand vizier Fazıl Ahmed Pasha, received him with honours normally kept for the chief mufti.
Taught by: Halid Erzurumi
Taught: Suyolcuzade Mustafa Eyyubi, Ağakapılı İsmail Efendi, Hâfiz Osman, Köprülüzade Fazıl Ahmed Pasha
His work
mid-17th century · Chester Beatty Library, Dublin
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain
mid-17th century · Chester Beatty Library, Dublin
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain
1666–1667 · Sakıp Sabancı Museum, Istanbul
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain
1650 · McGill University Library, Montreal
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain
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Sources
- TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'DERVİŞ ALİ, Büyük' (1994): life, teacher, revival of Hamdullah's style, Qur'ans, students, death islamansiklopedisi.org.tr
- English Wikipedia: life, students en.wikipedia.org
- Arabic Wikipedia: Arabic name, 40 mushafs, students ar.wikipedia.org
- TDV Suyolcuzade article: chain Hamdullah - Şükrullah - Pir Mehmed - Hasan Üsküdari - Halid Erzurumi - Derviş Ali islamansiklopedisi.org.tr
- Wikidata item 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).