Mehmed Hulusi Yazgan (Hulusi Efendi)
1868–1940 · Istanbul
Mehmed Hulusi Yazgan, called Hulusi Efendi, was born in the Fatih district of Istanbul in 1868, the son of an imam; 'Hulusi' was his pen name. He completed religious studies and received a scholar's licence in 1898. He earned an icazet in thuluth and naskh from Osman Nûri Efendi in 1883, then learned nasta'liq (ta'liq) from Karinâbâdlı Hasan Hüsnü, continued with Çarşambalı Ârif Bey, and on Ârif's death became Sâmi Efendi's student, receiving an icazet from him in 1897. He taught at Dârüşşafaka and, from 1915, ta'liq at the Medresetü'l-Hattâtîn. From 1921 until his death he was a muezzin of the Sultan Selim Mosque; after the 1928 alphabet change he also worked as a keeper of tombs. His panels include 'Hâkimiyet milletindir' in the old Grand National Assembly building in Ankara. He died in Istanbul on 8 January 1940 and was buried at Edirnekapı; the grave is now lost.
Achievements
- Received an icazet in nasta'liq from Sâmi Efendi in 1897.
- Taught ta'liq at the Medresetü'l-Hattâtîn from its first staff in 1915, and at Dârüşşafaka.
- Wrote the 'Hâkimiyet milletindir' panel in the assembly hall of the old Grand National Assembly building, Ankara.
- Wrote the 'Olmaya devlet cihanda bir nefes sıhhat gibi' panel at the entrance of the Vakıf Gureba Hospital, Istanbul (1917).
- Wrote a nine-couplet jali ta'liq 'Semâ Gazeli' for the Yenikapı Mevlevî lodge (1909).
- A nasta'liq hilye of 1917 (117 × 75 cm) by him is in the Topkapı Palace Museum Library.
Taught by: Osman Nûri Efendi, Muhsinzâde Abdullah Hamdi Efendi, Karinâbâdlı Hasan Hüsnü Efendi, Çarşambalı Ârif Bey, Sami Efendi
Taught: Mustafa Halim Özyazıcı, Macit Ayral (Majid Bey Zuhdi), Kemal Batanay, Hamid Aytaç, Şeref Akdik, Murtazâzâde Ârif Efendi
His work
1900s · Sakıp Sabancı Museum, Istanbul
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain
1905 · Sakıp Sabancı Museum, Istanbul
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain
These are the works in open collections that can be attributed with certainty.
Write in the tradition this hand shaped.
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Sources
- TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, 'YAZGAN, Mehmet Hulûsi' by Muhittin Serin (2013): birth, teachers and icazets, posts, works with locations, death 8 Jan 1940, students islamansiklopedisi.org.tr
- Turkish Wikipedia: life, Medresetü'l-Hattâtîn, 'Hakimiyet Milletindir' hung 30 Nov 1925, students tr.wikipedia.org
- Arabic Wikipedia: Arabic name; 1286–1358 AH / 1869–1940 ar.wikipedia.org
- 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).