Thursday, February 2, 2012

The Ramadanids Book in The Making Publisher Wants Your Contribution.

Samer Osman Bey Ramadan Oglu (Ramadan Zade) is now working on publishing a high-end hard cover book about the Ramadan Family, history, ancestors, rule, descendants and so on.  He has been compiling lots of data, pictures, and historical information about the family.  He plans to publish the book in 3 languages simultaneously within the same book - Turkish, Arabic and English.

If you have access or know anyone who has access to pertinent information, pictures, documents about the Ramadans, Ramazanoglu, Ramadan Zade, Ramazanzade, Ramazanogullari or their descendants across the globe, please send this information to Ramazanoglu2013@gmail.com

Ramadan Family Migrations:
During the Ottoman rule, the Ramadans held important administrative posts throughout the Ottoman Empire.  Ramazanoglu remains a prominent family in Turkey to date, with Mehmet Yildirim Ramazanoglu a member of the Turkish Parliament and a close advisor to Prime Minister Receb Tayyip Erdogan.  Many Ramazanoglus held high administrative posts in Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and other regions of the Ottoman empire.  Some sources list the Lebanon tree branch as descendants of the last Emir, Piri Mansour Pasha, others of Emir Ibrahim son of Emir Piri Mehmed Pasha, and some go back as early 1540 and lists Emir Mahmoud as they all had many sons spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa.  I recently discovered that the branch of Abdulgheni Efendi is a descendent from both Emir Piri Mehmet Pasha and his brother Kupad Pasha.

I am trying to complete the search to find out exactly which branches do we all come from, but from the records it would have to be one of what is mentioned above, as there are no other Ramadanzade Turkish or Turkomans in Lebanon other than our family.

Aaref Efendi Ramadan (Oglu) - The Last Daftardar of Beirut for the Ottomans
The sons of Abdul-Gheni Efendi Ramadan who lived in Beirut, and who happens to be my father's Great Grandfather, had numerous sons in key posts - Aaref Efendi was the Ottoman's last Daftardar in Beirut, Osman Bey was Director of Tripoli's Sea Port, Saadeddine Bey was Director of Saida Port, Mahmoud Bey was Director of Beirut Sea Port, Abdul-Majid was Director of Hayfa Sea Port and so on...  One of Abdul-Gheni Efendi Ramadan's daughters raised a notable son that was Taqieddine Al-Solh - Lebanon's Prime Minister in 1972 and the closest ally and supporter of Prime Minister Riadh Al-Solh (his cousin) one of Lebanon's leaders of Independence and one of its most prominent Prime Ministers and Grand Father of Prince Al-Walid Bin Talal.  Another of his daughters was Lebanon's First First Lady as the wife of Mohamad El-Jisr - Lebanon's Mufti during Independence.

After World War I, the French and British dissected the Ottoman Empire and with it divided the family throughout the Ottoman world.  Many wealthy Ramadans also migrated to the Americas and Europe in the early 1900's.  A small group moved to Makkah in Saudi Arabia a couple hundred years ago..

According to Sheikh Mahmoud Sami Ramazanoglu of Adana, one of Turkey's most prominent Sheikh Al-Islam, also known as Sultan al-Aarefeen, he documents his lineage to Khaled Bin-Alwalid form Bani Makhzum of Makkah.  Sheikh Sami passed away in 1984 in Al-Madina and was burried in Al-Baqie next to Khalifah Osman Bin Affan (RAA).  I found a 130+ years old family tree that documents the lineage to Al-Sahabi Khaled bin Al-Waleed thru his descendent Ahmet EsfandeyarZade, this tree is also found in Ottoman Archives court records.

The Ramazanoglus ruled with great modesty, perhaps this could be one of the reasons they lasted so long in rule.  They built mosques and Islamic schools wherever they went, this was their priority.  I only learned about my ancestors a couple of years ago after I started paying interest to the content of an old box left in my Grandfather's house who passed away back in 1970 (RA), I instantly called my brother Ziad Osman Bey in the US, he had co-built the new Worcester Islamic Center, the third largest mosque in the USA, and established Al-Huda Islamic School, and I told him, "guess what, bro, it's in your blood!".

I wished I had known about my family earlier-on, so I figured, why not try to reach out and tell others in the family, I am sure they would like to know as well.

We need more stories...more information...more details...more pictures. email to Ramazanoglu2013@gmail.com .

- Samer Osman Bey Ramadan Oglu

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