Statesman and travel book writer (b. ?, Edirne
- d. 1732, Nicosia).
He was given this name because he was a member of the Twenty Eighth Battalion
of the Janissary Corps. He worked in various positions like Head of Janissary,
Minister of Mint, head of registration of Sultanate, writer of daily records in
the district treasurer, and ambassador. He was sent to Paris
with a delegation of 80 people in order to improve the damaged to
Turkish-French relations in 1720 and to learn some reforms in France. He
presented his observations about France where he stayed for nearly
one year in a report to Sultan Ahmed III. His famous Sefaretnâme (Book of
Travel) consists of these observations. It is said
that this work played an important at the beginning of the “Tulip
Period” (1718-1730) a time known for its indulgence in leisure and
entertainment. He also wrote poems under the pen name Faizi in some reviews.
The early edition of Sefaretnâme was
simplified by Şevket Rado and published with the title Yirmisekiz Mehmed Çelebi'nin Fransa Seyahatnamesi (The France Travel Book of 28 Mehmet
Çelebi) in İstanbul first in
1867 and in 1871 and its French translation by Galland was published in 1957 in France.
