Hattat Hâfız Sâim Özel’in Hayatı, Mesleği ve Eserleri
Life, Profession and Works of Calligrapher Hāfiz Sāim Özel

Summary/Abstract: Sāim Özel, who was born in Taraklı District of Sakarya in 1919, is a distinguished personality known for his calligraphy as well as being kurrā hāfiz. In his childhood, he learned about recitation and religious sciences from his father and went to Istanbul in 1937 and continued his education there. He became hāfiz in the Nuruosmaniye Mosque Quran Course and served as deputy muezzin, muezzin and imām at various mosques in Istanbul. At the same time, Sāim Özel, who was interested in calligraphy, started calligraphy lessons as a guest student at the Academy of Fine Arts, and learned riq’a, thuluth and naskh writings from the famous calligraphers of the period. He wrote many tabula, mosque writings and one the Quran. He retired from the Süleymaniye Mosque in 1981 and returned to his hometown of Taraklı and passed away in October 29, 2005 in the house where he was born. The aim of this study is to compile, evaluate and record the information of this valuable personality about his professional and artistic life, especially his works in the field of calligraphy. For this purpose, utilized some memories written and published about the deceased Sāim Özel after his death, interviewed with his relatives and students (apprentices), his mosque writings which are mostly in Istanbul and works in various collections were reviewed and evaluated. [You may find an extended abstract of this article after the bibliography.]

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