Evliya Çelebi (b. 1020/1611; d. after 1096/1685), an Ottoman writer, was the author of Seyahatname , ( Seyāḥatnāme , "Book of Travels"), the longest and richest travel account in Islamic literature. His father, Derviş Mehmed Zılli (Dervīş Meḥmed Ẓıllī, d. 1058/1648), was chief goldsmith to the sultan and had houses and shops in the Unkapanı district of Istanbul. Evliya grew up in a household pervaded by accounts of Ottoman glories across the far-flung empire and in the capital. His religious training was grounded in memorization and recital of the