The Inscription of Sami Efendi on the Yantra Bridge

Much like the sun’s appearance with its softest, most mellow hues just before sunset, Ottoman Calligraphy also cultivated dazzling, great masters during the final period of the empire.

Among the great masters of the late Ottoman Calligraphy who first come to mind is Sami Efendi, the master of Mehmed Nazif Efendi, Hasan Rıza Efendi, Kamil Akdik, İsmail Hakkı Altunbezer, Hatip Ömer Vasfi Efendi and his brother Neyzen Emin Yazıcı, Hulusi Efendi, Necmettin Efendi, and many other calligraphers.

The published inscription was written in the Hijri year 1290 / Gregorian year 1872 for a bridge built over the Yantra River, one of the major tributaries of the Danube, during the reign of Sultan Abdülaziz and the governorship of Mithat Pasha over the Danube, coinciding with the years Sami Efendi served in the Imperial Council's Mühimme Bureau, when he was 37 years old. Information regarding the bridge is available in sources. This inscription, carved into the stone pictured below, is currently located in the Peterhof Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The inscription was written with a 5.5 mm reed pen in dimensions of 37.8x7.8 and printed in its original size. On behalf of the admirers of this art and its artist, we owe a debt of gratitude to @Aakkoleksiyon for being the medium through which this work meets art lovers.