ottomanladies:Elaru Mevhibe Kadınefendi was born on 6 August 1835 in Tbilisi, Georgia. Her father wa

ottomanladies:Elaru Mevhibe Kadınefendi was born on 6 August 1835 in Tbilisi, Georgia. Her father was Tarkanişvili Ahmed Bey, the identity of her mother is unknown. Mevhibe was sent to the Imperial palace at a young age and was allowed by the sultan to grow up among his daughters. On 2 January 1857, she married the future Murad V in Dolmabahçe Palace, but the marriage produced no children. Neverheless, when her husband became sultan, she was accorded the title of Senior Imperial Consort, a break from tradition. She retained the title for 93 days, after which Murad V was dethroned and his whole harem imprisoned inside Çırağan Palace.Elaru Mevhibe was said to have been a very beautiful and intelligent woman: “Beneath her incomparably graceful black eyebrows, her flashing, kohl-tinged black eyes lent an irresistible enchantment to her clear white face, which warmed with a touch of gentle pink whenever she spoke. She was highly intelligent and perceptive. Anyone who met her or spoke with her could not help but fall under her bewitching spell.”She handled all communication with the outside, most possibly after the death of Şevkefza Valide Sultan, thanking the Palace whenever they were sent unusual things like tobacco or tropical fruit. She was the one who wrote to Abdülhamid II to inform him of the death of his brother, on 5 September 1904.When Murad V’s harem was dismembered after his death, Elaru Mevhibe bought a house in Şişli, where she would spend a lot of time tending her garden. After the British Army took control of Istanbul, she refused to set foot outside again, her only joy being her flowers. She passed away on 21 February 1936 at the age of 100, one of the longest living Ottoman consorts. – requested by anon -- source link

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