Seyyid Hasan Efendi

He (Allah) is the Living and the Eternal.

For the soul of the late Seyyid Hasan Efendi, one of the clerks of the Divan-ı Hümayun who passed away whilst on official duty for the Ottoman State, and who was also one of the master assayers at the state mint, may he be granted forgiveness; let us recite al-Fatiha for his soul.

1238 / M.1822–1823

SEYYİD HASAN EFENDİ

Official of the Divân-ı Hümâyûn and the Darphâne-i Âmire

1238 / M. 1822–1823

Seyyid Hasan Efendi was a member of the Divân-ı Hümâyûn’s hâcegân, that is, the clerical staff of the central bureaucracy. Furthermore, the fact that he held a post relating to assaying at the Darphâne-i Âmire indicates that he was also active in an important sphere of service connected with the state’s financial and monetary order.

The Darphâne-i Âmire was one of the key institutions in the Ottoman Empire responsible for minting coins and controlling precious metals. Consequently, Hasan Efendi’s role in standardisation at the mint points to a duty requiring trust and expertise, linked to determining the quality and value of the metals used in coinage.

The inscription also reveals that Seyyid Hasan Efendi passed away whilst holding an official post for the Ottoman Empire. This information indicates that his presence in Cyprus was not merely a private residence but was linked to state service. Thus, Seyyid Hasan Efendi’s grave stands as one of the tangible reminders of the administrative ties between the Ottoman central bureaucracy and Cyprus during the first quarter of the 19th century.