'Chief of Calligraphers' Hasan Çelebi passed away

Çelebi had been receiving treatment at Koşuyolu Istanbul Medipol Hospital due to his illness for some time.

The death of Çelebi, who most recently penned the calligraphy of the Grand Çamlıca Mosque and the Sri Sendayan Mosque in Malaysia, was announced by former Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca on his social media account.

Koca shared the following in his post: "Our master Hasan Çelebi has passed away. Each of his works was a brand new gift from our civilization to us. The art of calligraphy, which has survived for generations without ever changing its original characteristics, has strengthened its continuity with him. He was the recipient of the Necip Fazıl Respect Award and the Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Award. It is my fortune to have been able to take care of his treatment during the recent period when he was experiencing health problems. May Allah have mercy on him and grant him a place in heaven. He has an eternal place in our eyes and hearts."

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism also noted the following on its X social media account:

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Hasan Çelebi, who left his mark with the calligraphy he engraved on mosques all over the world and was considered the "Chief of Calligraphers". Çelebi, who has left his mark on many works from Sultanahmet to the Grand Çamlıca Mosque and the Sri Sendayan Mosque in Malaysia, also passed his art on from generation to generation through the students he trained. We wish God's mercy upon our valuable artist, whom we declared a Living Human Treasure in 2010, who was deemed worthy of the Presidential Culture and Arts Award in 2011 and most recently the Necip Fazıl Respect Award, and offer our condolences to his family and the art community."

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) President Serkan Kayalar also shared the following: "The Chief Calligrapher Hasan Çelebi passed away. He dedicated his life to writing the Quran beautifully. The beauties of our civilization and spirituality were contained in his elegance and personality. His Celi Sülüs Kalima Shahada is now entrusted to the Sisak Mosque in Croatia. May Allah grant him a place in heaven."

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wished God's mercy upon the deceased calligraphy master Hasan Çelebi and offered his condolences to his family and loved ones.

Erdoğan, in his post on his social media account, noted the following:

"I am deeply saddened by the passing of Hasan Çelebi, one of the great masters of calligraphy, who dedicated his life to engrave the Quran on hearts, and winner of the Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Award. I pray to God to have mercy on the late Hasan Çelebi, the chief of calligraphers, and offer my condolences to his family, loved ones, relatives and students. May he rest in peace."

Kurtulmuş: Will continue to inspire future generations

TBMM Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş also shared the following on his social media account: "I wish God's mercy upon Hasan Çelebi, one of the most distinguished figures in our art of calligraphy, who dedicated his life to writing the word of God in the most beautiful way, and offer my condolences to his family, relatives and students. Hasan Çelebi will continue to inspire future generations with his exceptional works and the value he added to the art of calligraphy. May he rest in peace and his rank be high."

Born in 1937 in İnci village of Oltu district of Erzurum, Hasan Çelebi, the living grand master of calligraphy, took lessons from the most famous masters of the period to improve himself in the art of calligraphy, which he started at the age of 24.

Having studied and received his authorization in Thuluth-Naskh script from calligrapher Hamid Aytaç and Ta'lik-rik script from Kemal Batanay, Hasan Çelebi's mastery has gone beyond the borders of the country with his mosque inscriptions, private calligraphy collections and exhibitions.

Hasan Çelebi, who had nearly 100 certified students in different parts of the world, became the calligrapher who trained the most students after Hamid Aytaç.

AA