This article will address the topic of Gazi Chelebi, which has been the subject of interest and debate in various areas. Gazi Chelebi is a topic that has captured the attention of academics, experts and society in general due to its relevance and impact today. Over the years, Gazi Chelebi has been the subject of studies, research and analysis that have shed light on its implications and consequences in different aspects of daily life. In this sense, it is intended to thoroughly explore the meaning, origin, impact and possible solutions related to Gazi Chelebi, in order to provide a comprehensive and enriching vision on this topic.
The Gazi Chelebi (Turkish: Gazi Çelebi, "Warrior Gentleman") was the nickname of a naval commander who controlled the Black Sea port of Sinop in the first decades of the 14th century.
His epitaph in the Pervâne Medrese in Sinop states that he was the son of Mas’ud, probably the Mas’ud Bey kidnapped by the Genoese in 1298–99. The Gazi continued his predecessor's policy of harassing Genoese shipping in the Black Sea, and together with the Grand Komnenos (Emperor) of Trebizond Alexios II, was likely responsible for raids on the Genoese port of Kaffa in the Crimea between 1311 and 1314. When Ibn Battuta visited Sinop in either 1332 or 1334, the town had passed into the hands of the Jandarid Bey Ibrahim, but the memory of the Gazi Chelebi was still vivid. Inhabitants said that he possessed a talent for swimming under water and piercing the hulls of enemy galleys during battle. He did this with such stealth, they said, that the sailors did not know what had happened until their ships started to sink. In one memorable episode, probably in 1324, the Gazi used this method to sink several Genoese ships raiding Sinop's harbor, capturing their entire crew. The Sinopians also remembered that the Gazi Chelebi enjoyed smoking “an excessive quantity of hashish.”
His tomb is in Pervane Medrese in Sinop.