Gülşirin Daye Hatun Tomb

The Tomb of Gülşirin Daye Hatun is a 16th-century Ottoman funerary structure located in the Nişanca neighborhood of the Eyüpsultan district of Istanbul, dedicated to Gülşirin Hatun, the wet nurse of Ottoman Sultan Yavuz Sultan Selim.^【1】

The tomb is situated at the intersection of Abdurrahman Şeref Bey Caddesi and Arakiyeci Camii Sokağı, on the left corner of the street within the boundaries of the Nişanca quarter in Eyüpsultan, Istanbul. Directly opposite the tomb stands the Arakiyeci Cafer Camii, while a neighborhood café is located on the left corner of Takkeci Çeşmesi Sokağı. Historically, a sıbyan mektebi (primary school) was constructed on this site by Gülşirin Hatun; today, a wooden house numbered 1 occupies its location.^【2】

The tomb is designed as a walled cemetery enclosure. Two hacet windows are incorporated into the surrounding walls. The most distinctive physical feature of the tomb is a tree growing directly through its center, splitting the structure in two. Over time, the building suffered damage and its headstone was broken, but it was restored in 2023 by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB). Today, the tomb is accessible and retains its original location.^【3】

Two separate inscriptions have been identified on the Tomb of Gülşirin Daye Hatun. The inscription on the outer wall of the enclosure reads: “The late Gülşirin Dâye Hâtûn, the late and forgiven Sultan Selim Hân, Conqueror of Egypt. 918 (1512).”

The inscription on the headstone, which is reported to have been broken in the past, reads: “He is the Sustainer of the Eternal, Owner of Good Deeds and Noble Acts, the teacher of the late and forgiven Dil-fiirin Dâye Hâtûk.”^【4】

Gülşirin Daye Hatun was the wet nurse of the ninth Ottoman Sultan and Conqueror of Egypt, Yavuz Sultan Selim. Historical sources indicate that Yavuz Sultan Selim had two different wet nurses. According to information recorded in Hoca Sadeddin Efendi’s Tacü’t-Tevarih, the Sultan once pointed out a grave near the Yavedud Tekkesi in the vicinity of Ayvansaray during a visit to the tomb of Eyyub-ı Ensari, stating that it belonged to his wet nurse and commemorating her kindness. This accounts for the Sultan’s devotion to his wet nurses and explains the discrepancies in location records across historical sources.^【5】