A scholar-statesman of the Ottoman learned class
Veliyyüddin Efendi—also known by the epithet Ekşiaşzâde—was born in Istanbul (Silivrikapı, Yayla quarter), and, based on the accepted age at death in the chronicles, his birth is placed around 1095/1684. He belonged to a family connected with the military household: his father is recorded as Solakbaşı Hacı Mustafa Ağa, and his grandfather Hacı Hüseyin Ağa is likewise mentioned in connection with the same office. After completing his education, Veliyyüddin Efendi served as a mudarris (professor) in a madrasa built by his father in Silivrikapı (Arabacı Bayezid quarter)—an early marker of his entry into the Ottoman scholarly career (ilmiyye).
Judicial appointments and the road to the office of Shaykh al-Islam
His career advanced through major judicial posts. With the support of Nevşehirli Damad İbrâhim Paşa, he entered high service and held the office of inspector of the endowments of the Two Holy Sanctuaries (Evkāf-ı Haremeyn). He was appointed qadi of Aleppo (1729), and later served as qadi of Galata, and also held judicial posts in Cairo and Medina, performing the Hajj during this period. He rose further to become Anatolian kazasker (1756) and Rumelian kazasker (1758). Following accusations and petitions alleging bribery, he was dismissed and sent to Manisa in exile (1758), a turn that contemporary chroniclers frame as the product of hostility and competing factions as much as personal culpability.
Two terms as Shaykh al-Islam under Sultan Mustafa III
After being pardoned, Veliyyüddin Efendi returned to Istanbul in 1759 and, upon the death of Çelebizâde Âsım Efendi, he was appointed Shaykh al-Islam on 16 February 1760. Sources note an exceptional ceremonial detail at the time of his appointment: because of illness he could not present himself at court, and the “ferve-i beyzâ” (the formal robe associated with the office) was sent to his residence, described as unprecedented in the institutional memory of the şeyhülislâmlık. His first term lasted one year, six months, and eighteen days, ending with dismissal in September 1761, followed by a period of residence in Bursa. He later returned and served as Shaykh al-Islam a second time beginning in 1767, remaining in office until his death on 25 October 1768 (1182 AH). 
Endowments, public works, and the Bayezid II Library
Veliyyüddin Efendi’s legacy is not only juridical but also institutional and civic. He is associated with a wide set of charitable endowments (awqāf). Among the most prominent is the Veliyyüddin Efendi Library, established as an independent library building within the Bayezid II Complex in Istanbul. Scholarship based on archival materials emphasizes that this library functioned as a significant center for learned life, supported by a rich collection (including rare works), and that administrative records illuminate its management, accounting, staffing, maintenance/repairs, cataloging, and book lists—all pointing to a mature, organized foundation-library operation rather than a merely symbolic patronage gesture.
In the wider urban landscape, sources also connect him with additional works such as the addition of a muvakkithâne (timekeeping room) in the courtyard of Koca Mustafa Paşa Mosque, and a notable endowed recreation area and fountain around Çırpıcıçayırı, remembered in later Istanbul geography and naming traditions.
A lasting bond with the Murad al-Bukhari Lodge in Eyüpsultan
For the Murad al-Bukhari Lodge’s story, Veliyyüddin Efendi holds a uniquely central place. Biographical sources record his connection to Murad al-Bukhari, the Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi shaykh associated with the lodge, noting that Veliyyüddin Efendi is counted among those linked to Murad al-Bukhari’s spiritual circle. More concretely—and most meaningfully for visitors—Veliyyüddin Efendi was buried in Eyüpsultan at the Murad Efendi (Mehmed Murad Buhârî) Zâviye/Lodge precinct, a fact also supported by the documentation and visual record of his grave within the lodge’s cemetery area.
In addition, his own endowment records indicate that he had a mescid–tevhidhâne built within the Murad al-Bukhari Lodge context—an architectural and devotional contribution that binds his name not only to the lodge’s cemetery but also to its lived religious space.
Master of taʿliq: calligraphy as scholarship in visual form
Veliyyüddin Efendi is remembered as a leading figure of Ottoman taʿlīq calligraphy. He learned the art from Durmuşzâde Ahmed Efendi and became known by the honorific İmâd-ı Rûm, reflecting his stature in the tradition. Surviving works include taʿlīq pieces and panels in museum and library collections; sources also connect his hand to monumental inscriptions (kitâbes) and large-format calligraphy. His reputation was such that later narratives relate even major figures of Ottoman calligraphy seeking instruction from him, and traditions record that members of the palace milieu practiced calligraphy with him.
Family and remembrance
Veliyyüddin Efendi’s family is also part of the lodge’s memorial landscape. Sources mention his sons, including Mehmed Emin Efendi, whose grave is likewise recorded in relation to the lodge cemetery. Together, these layers—office, scholarship, endowment, architecture, and burial—make Veliyyüddin Efendi not a “secondary” figure in the lodge’s story, but one of the names through which visitors can read Istanbul’s intertwined traditions of learning, piety, and public service.