Necmeddin Okyay
He was born in the Durbali Quarter of Üsküdar on 11 Rabi' al-Thani 1300 AH / 29 January 1883 CE, as the son of Mehmed Abdünnebî Efendi—the chief imam of Üsküdar New Vâlide Mosque and chief clerk of the Üsküdar Sharia Court—and Binnaz Hanım. On the other hand, various sources also cite 1, 5, 9, and 28 January regarding his date of birth. His original name is Mehmed Necmeddîn. After graduating from Karakadı Primary School in Üsküdar, he entered Ravzâ-i Terâkkî School.
He began his memorization of the Quran (hifz) under Kasabzâde Mehmed Efendi, the imam of Atik Vâlide Mosque, and completed it under Hâfız Şükrî Efendi, one of the teachers at the aforementioned school, following his first master's passing. He received his license (ijazah) in the Ashara and Taqrib methods of Quran recitation from Hâfız Ahmed Nazîf Efendi, the imam of Kapudân Paşa Mosque in Üsküdar. Furthermore, by attending the lectures of Nûrî Efendi—imam of Çinili Mosque and an examiner at the Council of Islamic Jurisprudential Investigations—at Atik Vâlide Mosque, he earned his scholarly license (icâzet-i ilmiyye).
He took his first calligraphy lessons from Hasan Tal’at Bey, the calligraphy teacher at Ravzâ-i Terâkkî School, receiving licenses in Riqa, Diwani, and Jali Diwani scripts. Recognizing his natural talent, Hasan Tal‘at Bey took him to the calligraphy workshop (meşkhâne) near the Nûr-ı Osmaniye Mosque following his graduation in 1902 and placed him under the instruction of Bakkal Ârif Efendi.
He was born in the Durbali Quarter of Üsküdar on 11 Rabi' al-Thani 1300 AH / 29 January 1883 CE, as the son of Mehmed Abdünnebî Efendi—the chief imam of Üsküdar New Vâlide Mosque and chief clerk of the Üsküdar Sharia Court—and Binnaz Hanım. On the other hand, various sources also cite 1, 5, 9, and 28 January regarding his date of birth. His original name is Mehmed Necmeddîn. After graduating from Karakadı Primary School in Üsküdar, he entered Ravzâ-i Terâkkî School.
He began his memorization of the Quran (hifz) under Kasabzâde Mehmed Efendi, the imam of Atik Vâlide Mosque, and completed it under Hâfız Şükrî Efendi, one of the teachers at the aforementioned school, following his first master's passing. He received his license (ijazah) in the Ashara and Taqrib methods of Quran recitation from Hâfız Ahmed Nazîf Efendi, the imam of Kapudân Paşa Mosque in Üsküdar. Furthermore, by attending the lectures of Nûrî Efendi—imam of Çinili Mosque and an examiner at the Council of Islamic Jurisprudential Investigations—at Atik Vâlide Mosque, he earned his scholarly license (icâzet-i ilmiyye).
He took his first calligraphy lessons from Hasan Tal’at Bey, the calligraphy teacher at Ravzâ-i Terâkkî School, receiving licenses in Riqa, Diwani, and Jali Diwani scripts. Recognizing his natural talent, Hasan Tal‘at Bey took him to the calligraphy workshop (meşkhâne) near the Nûr-ı Osmaniye Mosque following his graduation in 1902 and placed him under the instruction of Bakkal Ârif Efendi.
