SULTAN MURAD THE FIRST

(1326 - 1389)

Murad was a tall, round-faced, big-nosed, thick-and muscled bodied person. He would wear a sikke (long cap of the whirling dervishes) wrapped pith a round turban. He dressed very simple and liked white-on-a-red- back­ground colored garments. He was rather courteous, sympathetic, reasonable and mild; he would regard the artists and the learned, and acted the poor and the des­titute benevolently. He was mentioned as Ghazi Hunkar (Sultan) and loved much by his people.
He was brought up by his mother Nilufer Hatun. He spent his youth at Bursa with the savants and artists at the Islamic Schools of Theology. All his life passed at boundaries and on battle-fields. He frequently sailed across with his army from Anatolia to Roumelia and vice versa. Furthermore, in the interims of those wars, he found time to build great and precious buildings and works of art. He had mosques, Moslem Schools of Theology, and soup-kitchens built at Bursa. Edirne was made the capital first by him, and also the first palace at Edirne was constructed in his era... The country of 95.000 km/sqs on the death of Sultan Orhan was expanded to 500.000 km/sqs during his sultanate.

The Places Conquered in the time of his Sultanate:
In 1362, Edirne, and in 1363, the ancient Zaghra and Philibe were subjected to the Empire in 1364, the victory of Sirpsindighi was gained and the Frankish Crusaders were crushed. In 1365, Kara (Black) Biga was annexed to the territories of the Ottoman. In 1365, Hayrabolou,
reli, Pmarhisar and Vize were taken. In 1370, the King­dom of Bulgaria was subjected to the Ottoman Empire. After some time, the Chamourlou Battle was gained and in 1371. the victory of Chirmen was von. The Crusaders were routed once more. In 1372, Chataldja was re-taken from the Byzantines. In 1374, Serbia, fell to the Empire. In 1375. Nish was seized. In 1378, Kiitahia Principality was gained to the Osmanli lands. In 1382, Sophia fell. In 1383 the Chandar-Oghoullan was subjected to the Osmanlis. In 1385. the northern part of Albania was completely cap­tured. In 1386, a war occured with the Caramanians. In 1388. Silistre. Zishtovi, Nighbolou, Plevne, Lofcha, Deli­orman and Dobroudja were subjected to the Great Ottoman Empire. In 1389, the Crusaders were put to flight one more time. and the Muslim armies won the Kossova Battle. But, unfortunately, that illustrious Kossova victory ended with a great grief. and it caused all the combatans be in deep mourning. that is to say:

Most of the wounded were enemy soldiers, only a minority of the dead and the wounded were Turks. The Sultan Nlourad Khan was walking through the Turkish dead and prayed: Anna-Id-Lai-lee se inna-iley Iii-radjioon" i`ne had come from Him I Allah) and we will. sooner or later return to Him) with sorrow and immediately gave order

to his soldiers to bury them. On catching a glimpse of a wounded soldier, he went up to him and, fondling his hair he asked him whether he was suffering from his sores or had any wishes. While lie was still walking through them, he noticed a slight movement among the dead and turned that direction and just at that moment, all of a sudden a gigantic Serbian soldier whose name was Milosh, the bride­groom of the Serbian King Lazar, stood up and started to run towards him with a very quick movement, nonetheless, the Turkish bodyguards caught him at the very moment. Milosh told them that he must certainly see and talk with the Sultan Murad, and he added: "Let me go and see him. You should not suspect me. I have just come to meet him and kiss his skirt and to accept Islam; what is more I have some goodnews, the King Lazar was arrested, look there. they are bringing him here." Hearing these all, Murad the First pointed at his bodyguards to let him free. As the bodyguards had been looking at the King Lazar who had been seized by some soldiers, the treacherous Serbian soldier pretending to be wounded came close to Murad and with an act as if kneeling down to kiss his skirts and 'as swiftly as a lightning, he drew his dagger out of under his arm and with the same suddenness he drove it in his sacred chest and stomach. The bodyguards could not understand what and when and how had happened. After that, on that occasion of the soldiers' surprise, Milosh began to run away; however, the Turkish men seized him in a very short time and put to death.

The last words of the Hiidavendigar were as follows: "I have all the time throughout my life prayed and begged Allah the Almighty to give me the chance to die on His way and just for the sake of Him if the victory of Islam depends upon my death, and, fortunately, thank Allah, in the end, He who is the All-knowing has accepted my, His poor slaw's. pray. Allah is the one and only who is to be praised and thanked. My life is now about to come to an end after seeing the victory of you, the Moslem soldiers. You obey my son, Beyazid. You never hurt the slaves, and never make any harm to their goods and never violate their souls. From now on, 1 commit you and our victorious magnificent army to Allah the Merciful. May He protect our Empire from all the evil."
His cut bowels were interred where he was slayed,and a tomb was constructed there on them. His corpse was re­moved to Bursa and was buried into his mausoleum at Chekirge, a quarter of the city.

So, he was the first Ottoman emperor slaughtered on the battle-field. Murad the Hadavendigar was the most eminent champion of Islam in the Muslim World. He was successful to disseminate the glory and honour of being a Turk. The lock and key of Biledjik Citadel, his armor, his mantle, his head-gear, his prayer rug made of antelope leather, his sling and arrow and his garment in which he was murdered had been put into his mausoleum.

The leading holy member of the Succession of the Descendants of Nakshibend, His Exalted Highness Seyyid Emir Kikil, Djemal-ud-din Abdoullah Effendi, the inventor of canon and writer of the written work Nlouglinil-lebib, the commentator of the Sakhikh-ee Boukharee (the famous Book of Mohammad's Maxims), Shems-iid-din Kirmamee passed away in his time.

The first appointment of the Chief Army Chaplain. the law of feudal fief. the calling of Salat-ou Selam from minarets had been realized first in that era.

He had rise sons whose names were Jacoub-Chelebi. Beyazid the lliderim, Sasdji Bey and Ibrahim. and he had rwo dauthters named Nefise and Sultana Khatun.