SULTAN ORHAN HAN

(1281 - 1359)

Sultan Orhan was born in 1281. His father was Osman Ghazi, and his mother the Sultana Mal Hatun. He reigned over the Ottoman Empire for thirty-three years, between 1326 and 1359. He passed a way in 1360.

The Great Ottoman Empire had been established by Osman Ghazi, but its organization and development to be a great empire was realized by the Sultan Orhan.
He was tall, yellow-bearded and blue-eyed. He was tender-hearted and meek, but harsh and valiant on occasion. He sympathized with the poor, and esteemed the savants of Islam. He was extremely religious and just; w hat is more, he knew well how to be liked by his people, and at times, he lived among people, ate and talked with them and listened to their complaints and grievances He conducted himself well-considerably and was never in a flurry. That he treated the Christian decently when he conquered Nicaea became well-known among people. Not only Turks but also a large number of foreign historians confirm that he was a real great man by all means.

He took part in a battle when he was only of fifteen years age, and most of his life passed on battle-fields. He expanded the land of 16.000 km/sqs to 95.000 km/sqs. throughout his sultanate.

Sultan Orhan han always led his armies personally as head of the Empire. He felt the necessity of improving a regular administration system for the Empire; for that reason. he entrusted Ala-tid-Din Pasha and Chandereli Kara Halil Pasha, the brother-in-law of the Sheikh Edebali, with that organization.

We may classify the organizations of his time into three groups: financial, military and attiremental.

His eldest son, Suleyman Pasha had expired before him. Sultan Orhan, when he was still in life and power, trans­ferred the Commander-in-chiefdom to his second eldest son Murad the Hudavengidar.

The first mosque constructed by the Ottomans "Hadji Oezbek Mosque, and it was built in Nicea in one year between 1333 and 1334, during the reign of Orhan Bey. The Moslem School of Theology at Bursa was made by him, and the surname of "Sultan" was first used in that era; still, the first Ottoman money was minted in his time. The Mohammedan Ottoman Turks had passed to Europe first in that time; and furthermore, (he Anatolian part of Is­tanbul was annexed completely to the Ottoman territories in the era of Sultan Orhan. The admiration of the native Christian people of the countries, which were gained by the Ottomans, also facilitated post conquests.

The places which had been conquered in his era were Bursa in 1326, Nicaea in 1326, Gemlik in 1337. He won the victory of Palekanon (Maltepe) against the Byzantines. In 1345, the Principality of Karasi was subjected to the Ot­toman lands, and in 1354, Angora and Gallipoli were seized.
Orhan Ghazi passed away in 1326 when he was 71 years old, and his mausoleum is next to his father's in Bursa to-day. His tomb is in rectangular form, and inside it are four big marble columns. This mausoleum had been placed on these columns Hs dome is wide and covered with sheetlead. The interior walls are simple and white. On the ceiling is hanging a vhandelier with ten oil-lamps. In the middle of the mausoleum is his sarcophagus which is sur­rounded with talustrades of brass. On the northern side of his sarcophagus is Abdullch, Sultan Djem's son; on the door side is Korkut, the son of Bayezid the Second, and next to him are the Sultana Nilufer Hatun, the family of Orhan Ghazi, and his son Kason-Chelebi, and Mousa­Chelebi, the son of Bayezid. There are totally twenty-two sarcophagus in this mausoleum. It was made by the Sultan Abdul-Aziz.
His Exalted Highness Hadji Mohammed Baba Se­masee, the Sheikh Edebali and Hadji Bektash-1 Velee (May Allah have mercy upon their souls!) were the eminent Muslim theologists who were the most prominent members of the Silsile-ee Sadat-1 Nakshibendiyye (the Succession of the Descendants of Nakshibend) of that time. and they had all expired in the era of the Sultan Orhan han.