Chief of Qurra s Chair and the Latest Chief of Qurra Essayed Ahmad

Chief of Qurra is a term in the Literature of Qiraah. Chief of Qurra s chair was one of the high offices that connected with Shaikh al-lslam (the chief religious official) in the Ottoman Empire. In the period of Republic of Turkey, this chair became a symbolic rank and an appellation that it is given only to those seniors or masters who are dealing with this knowledge. Election of Chief of Qurra who is respected only in a spiritual manner is held according to some rules. A person who will be nominated as a Chief of Qurra must be a Qari (professional reciter of Qur an) in the level of Takrib (one of the high stage in the recitation of Qur an), have an Icazet (certificate) and this should be the oldest Icazet among the other Qurras. At the same time, he should inhabit in Istanbul which is the capital of Ottoman Empire and engage actively in the education of Qiraah. Nowadays, the main duty of Chief of Qurra is to conduct and manage the ceremonies such as recitation of Qur an by heart and Qiraah. At the present time, the latest Chief of Qurra in our state is Ahmad Arslanlar who was/retired an imam (the religious official) of Eyup Mosque in Istanbul.