Mehmed Zilli , known as Evliya elebi , was an Ottoman Turk who travelled through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years, recording his commentary in a travelogue called the Seyahatname .
Evliya elebi was born in Constantinople in the year 1611 to a wealthy family from Ktahya. His father was Dervi Mehmed Zilli, an Ottoman court jeweller, and mother an Abkhazian relation of the Ottoman grand vizier Melek Ahmed Pasha. In his book, Evliya elebi traces his paternal genealogy back to Khoja Akhmet Yassawi. Evliya elebi received a court education from the Imperial ulama. He may have joined the Gulshani Sufi order as he shows an intimate knowledge of their khanqah in Cairo, and a graffito in which he referred to himself as Evliyay Glen .
Source: Wikipedia