Monuments of the city · Tomb

Halkalı Evliya Tomb

The name written at its door is one thing, the name people use is another. And beneath its floor there is a level that can no longer be entered.

1479 Şahruz Hatun Şehirüstü neighbourhood

Its real name is the Şahruz Hatun Tomb. But nobody calls it that. Because of the rings (halka) in the tomb, people call it “Halkalı Evliya” (the Saint with the Rings) or “Halkalı Dede” (the Grandfather with the Rings).

The gap between a building's official name and the name it lives by often shows who has taken that building to heart.

📜 What do the documents say?

The tomb stands in the Şehirüstü neighbourhood in the centre of Amasya and was built for Şahruz Hatun, also known as “Sarı Hatun”, who died in 1479. In some readings her name also appears as Saruze Hatun.^1, 2

Whom it was built for is not a guess: it is known from the Arabic inscription on it. According to the inscription, the tomb belongs to Şahruz Hatun, daughter of Serasker (commander-in-chief) Burak Bey, one of the grandsons of Şadgeldi Paşa.^1, 2

Where to look for the inscription: on the south wall, 185 cm above the floor, measuring 50×60 cm.^1, 2 That is, a little above eye level; you need to raise your head.

1479Death of Şahruz Hatun^1, 2

185 cmHeight of the inscription above the floor^1, 2

50×60 cmSize of the inscription^1, 2

The level beneath the floor

This tomb has a burial crypt (cenazelik) below floor level.^1, 3

What is a cenazelik? In Anatolia, tombs generally consist of four parts: the burial crypt (mumyalık or cenazelik), the plinth (oturtmalık), the body and the roof. The burial crypt is the lowest level; it is closed to visitors and is usually sunk into the ground up to half its height, with a small entrance and slit windows left for ventilation. It was an indispensable element of Seljuk-period tombs, but from the period of the Beyliks (the Anatolian principalities) onwards it gradually disappeared.³

That is why this place is unusual. Of the 23 Amasya tombs examined by Ketil, only 6 have a burial crypt.³ Halkalı Evliya is one of them — and at a date as late as 1479.

🗣️ What do the people say?

In earlier sources and in a belief widely held among the people, it is said that the body in the burial crypt — Şahruz Hatun's — has never decayed, and that her face has merely turned yellow.^1, 2

It is no longer possible to verify this. A concrete cover has been poured over the opening that led down to the burial crypt, closing the passage completely; it is not possible to go down to the lower level.¹

Today the tomb is an important spiritual focus, frequently visited by the people.¹

Why have we kept these two sections apart? The inscription, the measurements and the burial crypt above rest on documents. The account of the body that has not decayed rests on belief — and the sources, too, give it with “it is said”, that is, as something reported.¹ We do not mix the two; but nor do we belittle the belief. What people believe they have experienced is also part of this city's memory.

While you are there, look for

Look for the rings. The tomb's present name comes from them.¹
Turn to the south wall and raise your head. The inscription is 185 cm above the floor, a stone fifty by sixty centimetres.^1, 2 It is in Arabic; even if you cannot read it, just seeing where it is tells you something: this building has not hidden who it is.
Look at the floor. There is a level beneath it; its entrance has been sealed with concrete.¹
And think about this: the person buried here was the daughter of Şadgeldi Paşa's grandson.^1, 2 Şadgeldi Paşa's own building, the Saraçhane Mosque, is still standing; the Şadgeldi Paşa Tomb is in another corner of the city. One family, scattered across the city.

Key facts

Date: 1479 — the year of Şahruz Hatun's death^1, 2 (15th century)
Original name: Şahruz Hatun Türbesi (the Şahruz Hatun Tomb)^1, 2
Other names: Halkalı Evliya · Halkalı Dede · Sarı Hatun · Saruze Hatun¹
Who lies here: Şahruz Hatun — daughter of Serasker Burak Bey, a grandson of Şadgeldi Paşa^1, 2
Inscription: Arabic; on the south wall, 185 cm above the floor, 50×60 cm^1, 2
Burial crypt: Yes; its entrance has been sealed with concrete^1, 3
Location: 40.648234, 35.828855 — verified against OpenStreetMap
In the book: Kültürel Miras Boyutuyla Amasya, p. 48

📍 Open on the map

Sources

Kültürel Miras Boyutuyla Amasya (Amasya: Amasya Üniversitesi, BAP Projesi SEB-BAP25-0233, 2026), 48.
Osman Fevzi Olcay, Amasya Şehri (Amasya: Amasya Belediyesi, 2010), 144.
Zeynep Küpra Ketil, Amasya Türbeleri (Konya: Selçuk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Yüksek Lisans Tezi, 2019), 46-47, 86. — pp. 46-47: the entry on the Şahruz Hatun Tomb and its inscription. p. 86: the definition of the burial crypt in tombs, its abandonment after the Seljuks, and the statement that it is found in only 6 of the 23 Amasya tombs examined.

This page has no photograph. The book has no picture of this tomb. A current photograph will be added once it has been taken.