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Bektashi Order

From Wikipedia, in a visual modern way
Order of Bektashi dervishes
Bektashiyya[1]
AbbreviationBektashiyyah/Bektashism
TypeDervish Order
HeadquartersTirana, Hacıbektaş
Region
Southeastern Europe (Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Greece), Turkey, Belgium, United States, other Albanian diaspora (Italy)
Dedebaba
Baba Mondi
Key people
WebsiteOfficial website
Part of a series on Bektashi Order
Bektashi Order
Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane.svg
Historical figures
Bektashi Dedebabate
Bektashi sites
Events
Countries
Part of a series on Islam
Sufism
Tomb of Abdul Qadir Jilani, Baghdad.jpg
Tomb of Abdul Qadir Gilani, Baghdad, Iraq
Ideas
Practices
Sufi orders
Sunni

Shi'a

Non-denominational

List of sufis
Topics in Sufism
 Islam portal

The Bektashi Order[a] or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi mystic order originating in the 13th-century. It is named after the Turkish saint Haji Bektash Veli (d. 1271). The Albanian community is currently led by Baba Mondi, their eighth Bektashi Dedebaba and headquartered in Tirana, Albania.[6]

Bektashism began as a Shia Islamic Sufi order in Anatolia during the Ottoman Empire. In 1876, a Salih Nijazi was appointed as the baba "leader" by prominent Bektashi members. After the foundation of the Turkish Republic, Kemal Atatürk banned religious institutions that weren't part of the Directorate of Religious Affairs. After this, the community's headquarters relocated to Albania. The order became involved in Albanian politics, and some of its members, including Ismail Qemali, were major leaders of the Albanian National Awakening.

Bektashis believe in the Ismah of the Prophets and messengers, the Twelve Imams, the Fourteen Infallibles and the current Dedebabas.[7] In addition to the spiritual teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, the Bektashi order was later significantly influenced during its formative period by the Hurufis (in the early 15th century), the Qalandariyya stream of Sufism, figures like Ahmad Yasawi, Yunus Emre, Shah Ismail, Shaykh Haydar, Nesimi, Pir Sultan Abdal, Gül Baba, Sari Saltik and to varying degrees more broadly the Shia belief system circulating in Anatolia during the 14th to 16th centuries. The mystical practices and rituals of the Bektashi order were systematized and structured by Balım Sultan in the 16th century.

According to a 2005 estimate made by Reshat Bardhi, there are over seven million Bektashis worldwide.[8] Albania is the country with the most Bektashis, where they make up 20% of the Muslim population,[9] and 2.5% of the country's population.[10] Bektashis are mainly found throughout Turkey, the Balkans and among Ottoman-era Greek Muslims communities.

Discover more about Bektashi Order related topics

Haji Bektash Veli

Haji Bektash Veli

Haji Bektash Veli was a Muslim mystic, saint, sayyid, and philosopher from Khorasan who lived and taught in Anatolia. He is revered among Alevis for an Islamic understanding that is esoteric, rational and humanistic. Alevi and Bektashi Muslims believe the path of Haji Bektash is the path of Haqq-Muhammad-Ali since they were the source of Bektash's teachings. He was one of the many figures who flourished in the Sultanate of Rum and had an important influence on the culture of Turkish nomads of Asia Minor. His original name was Sayyid Muhammad ibn Sayyid Ibrāhim Ātā. He is also referred to as the "Sultan of Hearts" and the "Dervish of the Dervishes". Haji Bektash Veli was a descendant of Musa al-Kazim, the Seventh Imam of Twelver Shi'a Islam.

Albania

Albania

Albania, officially the Republic of Albania, is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is situated in the Balkans, and is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares land borders with Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east, and Greece to the south. The country displays varied climatic, geological, hydrological, and morphological conditions, in an area of 28,748 km2 (11,100 sq mi). The landscape ranges from the snow-capped mountains in the Albanian Alps and the Korab, Skanderbeg, Pindus, and Ceraunian Mountains, to the hot and sunny coasts of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas along the Mediterranean. Tirana is its capital and largest city, followed by Durrës, Vlorë, and Shkodër.

Baba Mondi

Baba Mondi

Hajji Dede Edmond Brahimaj, commonly known as Baba Mondi, is an Albanian religious leader and the eighth Bektashi Dedebaba of the Bektashi Order. He is the world leader of the Bektashi Muslims.

Bektashi Dedebabate

Bektashi Dedebabate

Bektashi Dedebabate is the religious leadership of Bektashi Islam. The dedebabas are the spiritual and religious leaders of the Bektashi community. Bektashis do not consider them as divinely appointed leaders. The current and eighth Bektashi debebaba is Baba Mondi.

Directorate of Religious Affairs

Directorate of Religious Affairs

The Directorate of Religious Affairs in Turkey is an official state institution established in 1924 by the orders of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk under article 136 of the Constitution of Turkey to carry out some of the administrative duties previously managed by the Shaykh al-Islām, before the abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate. The President of the Directorate of Religious Affairs is considered the Grand Mufti of Turkey.

Albanian National Awakening

Albanian National Awakening

The Albanian National Awakening, commonly known as the Albanian Renaissance or Albanian Revival, is a period throughout the 19th and 20th century of a cultural, political and social movement in the Albanian history where the Albanian people gathered strength to establish an independent cultural and political life as well as the country of Albania.

Ahmad Yasawi

Ahmad Yasawi

Ahmad Yasawi was a Turkic poet and Sufi, an early mystic who exerted a powerful influence on the development of Sufi orders throughout the Turkic-speaking world. Yasawi is the earliest known Turkic poet who composed poetry in Middle Turkic. He was a pioneer of popular mysticism, founded the first Turkic Sufi order, the Yasawiyya or Yeseviye, which very quickly spread over Turkic-speaking areas. He was a Hanafi scholar like his murshid, Yusuf Hamadani.

Gül Baba

Gül Baba

Gül Baba, also known as Jafer, was an Ottoman Bektashi dervish poet and companion of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent who took part in a number of campaigns in Europe from the reign of Mehmed II onwards.

Balım Sultan

Balım Sultan

Balım Sultan was a Bektashi sufi who established and codified the Bektashi Order at the beginning of the 16th century. The mystical practices and rituals of the Bektashi were systematized and structured by Balım, after which many of the order's distinct practices and beliefs took shape. He is considered the primary personality in the Bektashi Order after Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli (Haji Bektash) and is regarded as the “Second Pir”.

Baba Reshat

Baba Reshat

Reshat Bardhi or Dedebaba Hajji Reshat was an Albanian religious leader who served as the 7th kryegjysh or Dedebaba of the Bektashi Order from 1991 to 2011.

Balkans

Balkans

The Balkans, also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the whole of Bulgaria. The Balkan Peninsula is bordered by the Adriatic Sea in the northwest, the Ionian Sea in the southwest, the Aegean Sea in the south, the Turkish straits in the east, and the Black Sea in the northeast. The northern border of the peninsula is variously defined. The highest point of the Balkans is Musala, 2,925 metres (9,596 ft), in the Rila mountain range, Bulgaria.

Greek Muslims

Greek Muslims

Greek Muslims, also known as Grecophone Muslims, are Muslims of Greek ethnic origin whose adoption of Islam dates to the period of Ottoman rule in the southern Balkans. They consist primarily of the descendants of the elite Ottoman Janissary corps and Ottoman-era converts to Islam from Greek Macedonia, Crete, and northeastern Anatolia and the Pontic Alps. They are currently found mainly in the west of Turkey and the northeast.

Terminology

Bektashi Islam is named after Haji Bektash Veli.[11][9] Collectively, adherents of Bektashi Islam, are called Bektashi Muslims or simply Bektashis.[1][12][13]

Interior view of Arabati Baba Teḱe, Tetovo, North Macedonia.
Interior view of Arabati Baba Teḱe, Tetovo, North Macedonia.
World Headquarters of the Bektashi
World Headquarters of the Bektashi

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Haji Bektash Veli

Haji Bektash Veli

Haji Bektash Veli was a Muslim mystic, saint, sayyid, and philosopher from Khorasan who lived and taught in Anatolia. He is revered among Alevis for an Islamic understanding that is esoteric, rational and humanistic. Alevi and Bektashi Muslims believe the path of Haji Bektash is the path of Haqq-Muhammad-Ali since they were the source of Bektash's teachings. He was one of the many figures who flourished in the Sultanate of Rum and had an important influence on the culture of Turkish nomads of Asia Minor. His original name was Sayyid Muhammad ibn Sayyid Ibrāhim Ātā. He is also referred to as the "Sultan of Hearts" and the "Dervish of the Dervishes". Haji Bektash Veli was a descendant of Musa al-Kazim, the Seventh Imam of Twelver Shi'a Islam.

Arabati Baba Teḱe

Arabati Baba Teḱe

The Arabati Baba Tekḱe is a tekḱe located in Tetovo, North Macedonia. The tekke was originally built in 1538 around the türbe of Sersem Ali Baba, an Ottoman dervish. In 1799, a waqf provided by Recep Paşa established the current grounds of the tekke. The finest surviving Bektashi lodge in Europe, the sprawling complex features flowered lawns, prayer rooms, dining halls, lodgings and a great marble fountain inside a wooden pavilion.

Tetovo

Tetovo

Tetovo is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of 1,080 km2 (417 sq mi) at 468 meters (1,535 ft) above sea level, with a population of 52,915. The city of Tetovo is the seat of Tetovo Municipality.

North Macedonia

North Macedonia

North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Kosovo to the northwest, Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south, and Albania to the west. It constitutes approximately the northern third of the larger geographical region of Macedonia. Skopje, the capital and largest city, is home to a quarter of the country's 1.83 million people. The majority of the residents are ethnic Macedonians, a South Slavic people. Albanians form a significant minority at around 25%, followed by Turks, Romani, Serbs, Bosniaks, Aromanians and a few other minorities.

World Headquarters of the Bektashi

World Headquarters of the Bektashi

The World Headquarters of the Bektashi or Bektashi World Center is the international headquarters of the Bektashi Order, a Sufi order. It is located on Dhimitër Kamarda Street at the eastern edge of Tirana city, Albania. It serves as the centre of the Albanian Bektashi Order.

History

Origins and establishment

The Bektashiyya originated in Anatolia as the followers of the 13th-century scholar Bektash (d. 1271).[14] The doctrines and rituals of the Bektashiyya were codified by the mystic Balim Sultan (d. 1517–1519), who is considered the pīr al-thānī ('the Second Elder') by Bektashis.[14]

It was originally founded as a Sufi movement.[15][16] The branch became widespread in the Ottoman Empire, their lodges scattered throughout Anatolia as well as in the Balkans. It became the official order of the Janissary corps, the elite infantry corp of the Ottoman Army.[17] Therefore, they also became mainly associated with Anatolian and Balkan Muslims of Eastern Orthodox convert origin, mainly Albanians and northern Greeks (although most leading Bektashi babas were of southern Albanian origin).[18] In 1826, the Bektashi order was banned throughout the Ottoman Empire by Sultan Mahmud II for having close ties with the Janissary corps.[17] Many Bektashi dervishes were exiled, and some were executed.[17] Their tekkes were destroyed and their revenues were confiscated.[17] This decision was supported by the Sunni religious elite as well as the leaders of other, more orthodox, Sufi orders. Bektashis slowly regained freedom with the coming of the Tanzimat era. After the foundation of the Turkish Republic, Kemal Atatürk shut down the lodges in 1925. Consequently, the Bektashi leadership moved to Albania and established their headquarters in the city of Tirana. Among the most famous followers of Bektashi in the 19th century Balkans were Ali Pasha[19][20][21][22][23][24] and Naim Frashëri.

Dedebabate

After lodges in Turkey were shut down, the order's headquarters moved to Albania.[25] On 20 March 1930, Sali Njazi was elected as the First Dedebaba of the Bektashi community. Njazi established the Bektashi World Headquarters in Tirana.[25] Its construction was finished in 1941 during the Italian occupation of Albania.[25] Njazi promoted Bektashi Islam by introducing major ceremonies at popular tekkes.[25] After he was murdered, Ali Riza succeeded him as the Dedebaba.[25]

Despite the negative effect of the ban of lodges on Bektashi culture, most Bektashis in Turkey have been generally supportive of secularism to this day, since these reforms have relatively relaxed the religious intolerance that had historically been shown against them by the official Sunni establishment.

In the Balkans the Bektashi order had a considerable impact on the Islamization of many areas, primarily Albania and Bulgaria, as well as parts of Macedonia, particularly among Ottoman-era Greek Muslims from western Greek Macedonia such as the Vallahades. By the 18th century Bektashism began to gain a considerable hold over the population of southern Albania and northwestern Greece (Epirus and western Greek Macedonia). Following the ban on Sufi orders in the Republic of Turkey, the Bektashi community's headquarters was moved from Hacıbektaş in central Anatolia, to Tirana, Albania. In Albania, the Bektashi community declared its separation from the Sunni community and they were perceived ever after as a distinct Islamic sect rather than a branch of Sunni Islam. Bektashism continued to flourish until the Second World War. After the communists took power in 1945, several babas and dervishes were executed and a gradual constriction of Bektashi influence began. Ultimately, in 1967 all tekkes were shut down when Enver Hoxha banned all religious practice. When this ban was rescinded in 1990 the Bektashism reestablished itself, although there were few left with any real knowledge of the spiritual path. Nevertheless, many "tekkes" (lodges) operate today in Albania. The most recent head of the order in Albania was Hajji Reshat Bardhi Dedebaba (1935–2011) and the main tekke has been reopened in Tirana. In June 2011 Baba Edmond Brahimaj was chosen as the head of the Bektashi order by a council of Albanian babas. Today sympathy for the order is generally widespread in Albania where approximately 20% of Muslims identify themselves as having some connection to Bektashism.

There are also important Bektashi communities among the Albanian communities of Macedonia and Kosovo, the most important being the Harabati Baba Tekke in the city of Tetovo, which was until recently under the guidance of Baba Tahir Emini (1941–2006). Following the death of Baba Tahir Emini, the dedelik of Tirana appointed Baba Edmond Brahimaj (Baba Mondi), formerly head of the Turan Tekke of Korçë, to oversee the Harabati baba tekke. A splinter branch of the order has recently sprung up in the town of Kičevo which has ties to the Turkish Bektashi community under Haydar Ercan Dede rather than Tirana. A smaller Bektashi tekke, the Dikmen Baba Tekkesi, is in operation in the Turkish-speaking town of Kanatlarci, Macedonia that also has stronger ties with Turkey's Bektashis. In Kosovo, the relatively small Bektashi community has a tekke in the town of Gjakovë and is under the leadership of Baba Mumin Lama and it recognizes the leadership of Tirana.

In Bulgaria, the türbes of Kıdlemi Baba, Ak Yazılı Baba, Demir Baba and Otman Baba function as heterodox Islamic pilgrimage sites and before 1842 were the centers of Bektashi tekkes.[26]

Bektashis continue to be active in Turkey and their semi-clandestine organizations can be found in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. There are currently two rival claimants to the dedebaba in Turkey: Mustafa Eke and Haydar Ercan.

A large functioning Bektashi tekke was also established in the United States in 1954 by Baba Rexheb. This tekke is found in the Detroit suburb of Taylor and the tomb (türbe) of Baba Rexheb continues to draw pilgrims of all faiths.

Arabati Baba Teḱe controversy

In 2002, a group of armed members of the Islamic Religious Community of Macedonia (ICM), a Sunni group that is the legally recognized organisation which claims to represent all Muslims in North Macedonia, invaded the Shiʻi Bektashi Order's Arabati Baba Teḱe in an attempt to reclaim this tekke as a mosque although the facility has never functioned as such. Subsequently, the Bektashi Order of North Macedonia sued the government for failing to restore the tekke to the Bektashis, pursuant to a law passed in the early 1990s returning properties previously nationalized under the Yugoslav government. The law, however, deals with restitution to private citizens, rather than religious communities.[27]

Diagram showing Bektashi as well as other Sufi orders.
Diagram showing Bektashi as well as other Sufi orders.

The ICM claim to the tekke is based upon their contention to represent all Muslims in the Republic of Macedonia; and indeed, they are one of two Muslim organizations recognized by the government, both Sunni. The Bektashi community filed for recognition as a separate religious community with the Macedonian government in 1993, but the Macedonian government has refused to recognize them.[27]

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Anatolia

Anatolia

Anatolia, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and is the western-most extension of continental Asia. The land mass of Anatolia constitutes most of the territory of contemporary Turkey. Geographically, the Anatolian region is bounded by the Turkish Straits to the north-west, the Black Sea to the north, the Armenian Highlands to the east, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Aegean Sea to the west. Topographically, the Sea of Marmara connects the Black Sea with the Aegean Sea through the Bosporus strait and the Dardanelles strait, and separates Anatolia from Thrace in the Balkan peninsula of Southeastern Europe.

Balkans

Balkans

The Balkans, also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the whole of Bulgaria. The Balkan Peninsula is bordered by the Adriatic Sea in the northwest, the Ionian Sea in the southwest, the Aegean Sea in the south, the Turkish straits in the east, and the Black Sea in the northeast. The northern border of the peninsula is variously defined. The highest point of the Balkans is Musala, 2,925 metres (9,596 ft), in the Rila mountain range, Bulgaria.

Janissary

Janissary

A Janissary was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman Sultan's household troops and the first modern standing army in Europe. The corps was most likely established under sultan Orhan (1324–1362), during the Viziership of Alaeddin.

Military of the Ottoman Empire

Military of the Ottoman Empire

The military of the Ottoman Empire was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire.

Albanians

Albanians

The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia as well as in Croatia, Greece, Italy and Turkey. They also constitute a large diaspora with several communities established across Europe, the Americas and Oceania.

Greeks

Greeks

The Greeks or Hellenes are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Albania, Anatolia, parts of Italy and Egypt, and to a lesser extent, other countries surrounding the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea. They also form a significant diaspora, with many Greek communities established around the world.

Mahmud II

Mahmud II

Mahmud II was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839.

List of Bektashi tekkes and shrines

List of Bektashi tekkes and shrines

This article is a list of Bektashi tekkes and tyrbes in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Greece, and other countries. The list is based on Elsie (2019).

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, or Mustafa Kemal Pasha until 1921, and Ghazi Mustafa Kemal from 1921 until 1934 was a Turkish field marshal, revolutionary statesman, author, and the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first president from 1923 until his death in 1938. He undertook sweeping progressive reforms, which modernized Turkey into a secular, industrializing nation. Ideologically a secularist and nationalist, his policies and socio-political theories became known as Kemalism. Due to his military and political accomplishments, Atatürk is regarded as one of the most important political leaders of the 20th century.

Albania

Albania

Albania, officially the Republic of Albania, is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is situated in the Balkans, and is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares land borders with Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east, and Greece to the south. The country displays varied climatic, geological, hydrological, and morphological conditions, in an area of 28,748 km2 (11,100 sq mi). The landscape ranges from the snow-capped mountains in the Albanian Alps and the Korab, Skanderbeg, Pindus, and Ceraunian Mountains, to the hot and sunny coasts of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas along the Mediterranean. Tirana is its capital and largest city, followed by Durrës, Vlorë, and Shkodër.

Ali Pasha of Ioannina

Ali Pasha of Ioannina

Ali Pasha of Ioannina, was an Albanian ruler who served as pasha of a large part of western Rumelia, the Ottoman Empire's European territories, which was referred to as the Pashalik of Yanina. His court was in Ioannina, and the territory he governed incorporated central and southern Albania, most of Epirus and the western parts of Thessaly and Greek Macedonia. Ali had three sons: Muhtar Pasha, who served in the 1809 war against the Russians, Veli Pasha, who became Pasha of the Morea Eyalet and Salih Pasha, governor of Vlorë.

Naim Frashëri

Naim Frashëri

Naim bey Frashëri, more commonly Naim Frashëri, was an Albanian historian, journalist, poet, rilindas and translator who was proclaimed as the national poet of Albania. He is regarded as a pioneer of modern Albanian literature and one of the most influential Albanian cultural icons of the 19th century.

Beliefs

Further information on Alevī-Bektāshī Ṭarīqah: Schools of Islamic theology § Baktāshism (Bektaşilik)

Bektashis believe in One God (Allah) and follow all the prophets.[9] Bektashis claim the heritage of Haji Bektash Veli, who was a descended of Ali, Husayn, Zayn and other Imams.[9][28] Therefore, Bektashis follow the teachings of Haji Bektash, who preached about the Twelve Imams. Bektashis differ from other Muslims by also following the Fourteen Innocents, who either died in infancy or were martyred with Husayn.[29] Abbas ibn Ali is also an important figure in Bektashi Islam, and Bektashi Muslims visit Mount Tomorr to honor him during an annual pilgrimage to the Abbas Ali Türbe on August 20–25.[30]

In addition to the Muslim daily five prayers, Bektashi Muslims have two specific prayers, one at dawn and one at dusk for the welfare of all humanity.[9] Bektashism places much emphasis on the concept of Wahdat-ul-Wujood (Arabic: وحدة الوجود, romanized: Unity of Being) that was formulated by Ibn Arabi.

Malakat is an important text of Bektashi written by Haji Bektash.[31] Bektashis also follow the Quran and Hadith.

Bektashis follow the modern-day Bektashi Dedebabate, currently headed by Hajji Mondi. Bektashis consider the dedebaba as their leader overseeing the entire branch.

Bektashism is also heavily permeated with Shiite concepts, such as the marked reverence of Ali, The Twelve Imams, and the ritual commemoration of Ashura marking the Battle of Karbala. The old Persian holiday of Nowruz is celebrated by Bektashis as Imam Ali's birthday (see also; Nevruz in Albania).

The Bektashi Order is a Sufi order and shares much in common with other Islamic mystical movements, such as the need for an experienced spiritual guide—called a baba in Bektashi parlance — as well as the doctrine of "the four gates that must be traversed": the "Sharia" (religious law), "Tariqah" (the spiritual path), "Marifa" (true knowledge), "Haqiqah" (truth).

There are many other practices and ceremonies that share similarities with other faiths, such as a ritual meal (muhabbet) and yearly confession of sins to a baba (magfirat-i zunub مغفرة الذنوب). Bektashis base their practices and rituals on their non-orthodox and mystical interpretation and understanding of the Quran and the prophetic practice (Sunnah). They have no written doctrine specific to them, thus rules and rituals may differ depending on under whose influence one has been taught. Bektashis generally revere Sufi mystics outside of their own order, such as Ibn Arabi, Al-Ghazali and Jelalludin Rumi who are close in spirit to them despite many of being from more mainstream Islamic backgrounds.

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Bektashism and folk religion

Bektashism and folk religion

Folk religious practices remain in the Bektashiyyah tariqa and certain practices are also found to a lesser extent in Balkan Christianity and non-Bektashi Balkan Islam as well, according to some Western Islamic scholars.

God in Islam

God in Islam

God in Islam is seen as the eternal creator and sustainer of the universe, who will eventually resurrect all humans. In Islam, God is conceived as a perfect, singular, immortal, omnipotent, and omniscient god, completely infinite in all of his attributes. Islam further emphasizes that God is most-merciful.

Allah

Allah

Allah is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from al-ilāh, which means "the god", and is linguistically related to the Aramaic words Elah and Syriac ܐܲܠܵܗܵܐ (ʼAlāhā) and the Hebrew word El (Elohim) for God.

Haji Bektash Veli

Haji Bektash Veli

Haji Bektash Veli was a Muslim mystic, saint, sayyid, and philosopher from Khorasan who lived and taught in Anatolia. He is revered among Alevis for an Islamic understanding that is esoteric, rational and humanistic. Alevi and Bektashi Muslims believe the path of Haji Bektash is the path of Haqq-Muhammad-Ali since they were the source of Bektash's teachings. He was one of the many figures who flourished in the Sultanate of Rum and had an important influence on the culture of Turkish nomads of Asia Minor. His original name was Sayyid Muhammad ibn Sayyid Ibrāhim Ātā. He is also referred to as the "Sultan of Hearts" and the "Dervish of the Dervishes". Haji Bektash Veli was a descendant of Musa al-Kazim, the Seventh Imam of Twelver Shi'a Islam.

Ali

Ali

ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib was the last Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, the successor state to the Islamic prophet Muhammad's political dominions. He is considered by Shia Muslims to be the first Imam, the rightful religious and political successor to Muhammad. The issue of succession caused a major rift between Muslims and divided them into two major branches: Shia following an appointed hereditary leadership among Ali's descendants, and Sunni following political dynasties. Ali's assassination in the Grand Mosque of Kufa by a Kharijite coincided with the rise of the Umayyad Caliphate. The Imam Ali Shrine and the city of Najaf were built around Ali's tomb and it is visited yearly by millions of devotees.

Husayn ibn Ali

Husayn ibn Ali

Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib was a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a son of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Muhammad's daughter Fatima, as well as a younger brother of Hasan ibn Ali. He is claimed to be the third Imam of Shia Islam after his brother, Hasan, and before his son, Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin. Being a grandson of the prophet, he is a member of the Ahl al-Bayt. He is also considered to be a member of the Ahl al-Kisa, and a participant in the event of Mubahala. Muhammad described him and his brother, Hasan, as "the leaders of the youth of Paradise."

Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin

Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin

ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn, also known as al-Sajjād or simply as Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn, c. 4 January 659 – c. 13 October 713, was an Imam in Shiʻi Islam after his father Husayn ibn Ali, his uncle Hasan ibn Ali, and his grandfather, Ali ibn Abi Talib.

Abbas ibn Ali

Abbas ibn Ali

Al-Abbas ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, also known as Abu al-Fadl, was son of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Muslim caliph and the first Shia imam. His mother was Fatima bint Hizam, commonly known as Umm al-Banin.

Abbas Ali Türbe

Abbas Ali Türbe

The Abbas ibn Ali Türbe is a Bektashi türbe is a Bektashi shrine traditionally considered to be the resting place of Abbas ibn Ali (647–680), a son of Ali. It is situated on the southern peak of Mount Tomorr in Berat, south-central Albania. A large annual pilgrimage is currently held every year from 20-25 August.

Sufi metaphysics

Sufi metaphysics

In Islamic philosophy, Sufi metaphysics is centered on the concept of وحدة, waḥdah, 'unity' or توحيد, tawhid. Two main Sufi philosophies prevail on this topic. Waḥdat al-wujūd literally means "the Unity of Existence" or "the Unity of Being." Wujūd, meaning "existence" or "presence", here refers to God. On the other hand, waḥdat ash-shuhūd, meaning "Apparentism" or "Monotheism of Witness", holds that God and his creation are entirely separate.

Romanization of Arabic

Romanization of Arabic

The romanization of Arabic is the systematic rendering of written and spoken Arabic in the Latin script. Romanized Arabic is used for various purposes, among them transcription of names and titles, cataloging Arabic language works, language education when used instead of or alongside the Arabic script, and representation of the language in scientific publications by linguists. These formal systems, which often make use of diacritics and non-standard Latin characters and are used in academic settings or for the benefit of non-speakers, contrast with informal means of written communication used by speakers such as the Latin-based Arabic chat alphabet.

Ibn Arabi

Ibn Arabi

Ibn ʿArabī, nicknamed al-Qushayrī and Sulṭān al-ʿĀrifīn, was an Arab Andalusian Muslim scholar, mystic, poet, and philosopher, extremely influential within Islamic thought. Out of the 850 works attributed to him, some 700 are authentic while over 400 are still extant. His cosmological teachings became the dominant worldview in many parts of the Muslim world.

Poetry and literature

Poetry plays an important role in the transmission of Bektashi spirituality. Several important Ottoman-era poets were Bektashis, and Yunus Emre, the most acclaimed poet of the Turkish language, is generally recognized as a subscriber to the Bektashi order.

Like many Sufis, the Bektashis were quite lax in observing daily Muslim laws, and women as well as men took part in ritual wine drinking and dancing during devotional ceremonies. The Bektashis in the Balkans adapted such Christian practices as the ritual sharing of bread and the confession of sins. Bektashi mystical writings made a rich contribution to Sufi poetry.[32]

A poem from Bektashi poet Balım Sultan (died c. 1517/1519):

İstivayı özler gözüm, (My eye seeks out repose,)
Seb'al-mesânîdir yüzüm, (my face is the 'oft repeated seven (i.e. the Sura Al-Fatiha),)
Ene'l-Hakk'ı söyler sözüm, (My words proclaim "I am the Truth",)
Miracımız dardır bizim, (Our ascension is (by means of) the scaffold,)
Haber aldık muhkemattan, (We have become aware through the "firm letters",)
Geçmeyiz zâttan sıfattan, (We will not abandon essence or attributes,)
Balım nihan söyler Hakk'tan, (Balım speaks arcanely of God)
İrşâdımız sırdır bizim. (Our teaching is a mystery.[33])

Some important early Bektashi writers who wrote in Turkish, Persian, and Arabic are:[34]

Some important Albanian Bektashi writers are:[35]

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Yunus Emre

Yunus Emre

Yunus Emre also known as Derviş Yunus (1238–1328) was a Turkish folk poet and Islamic Sufi mystic who greatly influenced Turkish culture. His name, Yunus, is the Turkish equivalent to the English name Jonah. He wrote in Old Anatolian Turkish, an early stage of Turkish. The UNESCO General Conference unanimously passed a resolution declaring 1991, the 750th anniversary of the poet's birth, International Yunus Emre Year.

Turkish language

Turkish language

Turkish, also referred to as Turkish of Turkey, is the most widely spoken of the Turkic languages, with around 80 to 90 million speakers. It is the national language of Turkey and Northern Cyprus. Significant smaller groups of Turkish speakers also exist in Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Greece, Cyprus, other parts of Europe, the Caucasus, and some parts of Central Asia, Iraq, and Syria. Cyprus has requested the European Union to add Turkish as an official language, even though Turkey is not a member state. Turkish is the 13th most spoken language in the world.

Balım Sultan

Balım Sultan

Balım Sultan was a Bektashi sufi who established and codified the Bektashi Order at the beginning of the 16th century. The mystical practices and rituals of the Bektashi were systematized and structured by Balım, after which many of the order's distinct practices and beliefs took shape. He is considered the primary personality in the Bektashi Order after Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli (Haji Bektash) and is regarded as the “Second Pir”.

Al-Fatiha

Al-Fatiha

Al-Fatiha, is the first surah (chapter) of the Quran. It consists of 7 ayah (verses) which are a prayer for guidance and mercy. Al-Fatiha is recited in Muslim obligatory and voluntary prayers, known as salah.

Allah

Allah

Allah is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from al-ilāh, which means "the god", and is linguistically related to the Aramaic words Elah and Syriac ܐܲܠܵܗܵܐ (ʼAlāhā) and the Hebrew word El (Elohim) for God.

God in Islam

God in Islam

God in Islam is seen as the eternal creator and sustainer of the universe, who will eventually resurrect all humans. In Islam, God is conceived as a perfect, singular, immortal, omnipotent, and omniscient god, completely infinite in all of his attributes. Islam further emphasizes that God is most-merciful.

Nasibi Tahir Babai

Nasibi Tahir Babai

Nasibi Tahir Babai, born Tahir Skënderasi, was an Albanian Bektashi wali and bejtexhi.

Gjakova

Gjakova

Gjakova is the seventh largest city of Kosovo and seat of Gjakova Municipality and Gjakova District. The city has 40,827 inhabitants, while the municipality has 94,556 inhabitants.

Ali Tomorri

Ali Tomorri

Baba Ali Tomorri was an Albanian Bektashi religious leader.

Community hierarchy

Like most other Sufi orders, Bektashism is initiatic, and members must traverse various levels or ranks as they progress along the spiritual path to the Reality. The Turkish names are given below, followed by their Arabic and Albanian equivalents.[36]

  1. First-level members are called aşıks عاشق (Albanian: ashik). They are those who, while not having taken initiation into the order, are nevertheless drawn to it.
  2. Following initiation (called nasip), one becomes a mühip محب (Albanian: muhib).
  3. After some time as a mühip, one can take further vows and become a dervish.
  4. The next level above dervish is that of baba. The baba (lit. father) (Albanian: atë) is considered to be the head of a tekke and qualified to give spiritual guidance (irshad إرشاد).
  5. Above the baba (Albanian: gjysh) is the rank of halife-baba (or dede, grandfather).
  6. The dedebaba (Albanian: kryegjysh) is traditionally considered to be the highest ranking authority in the Bektashi Order. Traditionally the residence of the dedebaba was the Pir Evi (The Saint's Home) which was located in the shrine of Hajji Bektash Wali in the central Anatolian town of Hacıbektaş (aka Solucakarahüyük), known as the Hajibektash complex.

Traditionally there were twelve of these hierarchical rankings, the most senior being the dedebaba (great-grandfather).

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Initiation

Initiation

Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformation in which the initiate is 'reborn' into a new role. Examples of initiation ceremonies might include Christian baptism or confirmation, Jewish bar or bat mitzvah, acceptance into a fraternal organization, secret society or religious order, or graduation from school or recruit training. A person taking the initiation ceremony in traditional rites, such as those depicted in these pictures, is called an initiate.

Reality

Reality

Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary, nonexistent or nonactual. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, reality is the totality of a system, known and unknown.

Albanian language

Albanian language

Albanian is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that language family. It is spoken by the Albanians in the Balkans and by the Albanian diaspora, which is generally concentrated in the Americas, Europe and Oceania. With perhaps as many as 7.5 million speakers, it comprises an independent branch within the Indo-European languages and is not closely related to any other modern language.

Dervish

Dervish

Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (tariqah), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage is found particularly in Persian and Turkish (derviş) as well as in Amazigh (Aderwish), corresponding to the Arabic term faqīr. Their focus is on the universal values of love and service, deserting the illusions of ego (nafs) to reach God. In most Sufi orders, a dervish is known to practice dhikr through physical exertions or religious practices to attain the ecstatic trance to reach God. Their most popular practice is Sama, which is associated with the 13th-century mystic Rumi. In folklore and with adherents of Sufism, dervishes are often credited with the ability to perform miracles and ascribed supernatural powers. Historically, the term Dervish has also been used more loosely, as the designation of various Islamic political movements or military entities.

Khanqah

Khanqah

A khanqah or khangah, also known as a ribat (رباط), is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood or tariqa and is a place for spiritual practice and religious education. The khanqah is typically a large structure with a central hall and smaller rooms on either side. Traditionally, the kahnqah was state-sponsored housing for Sufis. Their primary function is to provide them with a space to practice social lives of asceticism. Buildings intended for public services, such as hospitals, kitchens, and lodging, are often attached to them. Khanqahs were funded by Ayyubid sultans in Syria, Zangid sultans in Egypt, and Delhi sultans in India in return for Sufi support of their regimes.

Baba (Alevism)

Baba (Alevism)

An Alevi and sunni religious leader related to a Dede in Sufism.

Hacıbektaş

Hacıbektaş

Hacıbektaş, formerly Karahöyük, is a town and district of Nevşehir Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 11,929 of which 5,169 live in the town of Hacıbektaş. Located in Cappadocia, the district covers an area of 697 km2 (269 sq mi), and the average elevation is 1,250 m (4,101 ft), with the highest point being Mt. Kırlangıç at 1,720 m (5,643 ft). The town is named after Haji Bektash Veli, a 13th-century Sufi saint who founded the Bektashi Order.

Administration

See also: List of Bektashi tekkes and shrines

In Albania, the World Headquarters of the Bektashi (Albanian: Kryegjyshata) divides the country into 6 different administrative districts (similar to Christian parishes and patriarchates), each of which is called a gjyshata.[36]

During the 1930s, the six gjyshata of Albania set up by Sali Njazi were:[36]

National headquarters in other countries are located in:[37]

There is also a Bektashi office in Brussels, Belgium.[38]

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List of Bektashi tekkes and shrines

List of Bektashi tekkes and shrines

This article is a list of Bektashi tekkes and tyrbes in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Greece, and other countries. The list is based on Elsie (2019).

Albania

Albania

Albania, officially the Republic of Albania, is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is situated in the Balkans, and is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares land borders with Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east, and Greece to the south. The country displays varied climatic, geological, hydrological, and morphological conditions, in an area of 28,748 km2 (11,100 sq mi). The landscape ranges from the snow-capped mountains in the Albanian Alps and the Korab, Skanderbeg, Pindus, and Ceraunian Mountains, to the hot and sunny coasts of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas along the Mediterranean. Tirana is its capital and largest city, followed by Durrës, Vlorë, and Shkodër.

World Headquarters of the Bektashi

World Headquarters of the Bektashi

The World Headquarters of the Bektashi or Bektashi World Center is the international headquarters of the Bektashi Order, a Sufi order. It is located on Dhimitër Kamarda Street at the eastern edge of Tirana city, Albania. It serves as the centre of the Albanian Bektashi Order.

Albanian language

Albanian language

Albanian is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that language family. It is spoken by the Albanians in the Balkans and by the Albanian diaspora, which is generally concentrated in the Americas, Europe and Oceania. With perhaps as many as 7.5 million speakers, it comprises an independent branch within the Indo-European languages and is not closely related to any other modern language.

Parish

Parish

A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or more curates, and who operates from a parish church. Historically, a parish often covered the same geographical area as a manor. Its association with the parish church remains paramount.

Patriarchate

Patriarchate

Patriarchate is an ecclesiological term in Christianity, designating the office and jurisdiction of an ecclesiastical patriarch. According to Christian tradition three patriarchates were established by the apostles as apostolic sees in the 1st century: Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria. Constantinople was added in the 4th century and Jerusalem in the 5th century. Eventually, together, these five were recognised as the pentarchy by the Council of Ephesus in 431.

Devoll (municipality)

Devoll (municipality)

Devoll is a municipality in Korçë County, southeastern Albania. The municipality consists of the administrative units of Hoçisht, Miras, Progër and Qendër Bilisht with Bilisht constituting its seat. As of the Institute of Statistics estimate from the 2011 census, there were 26.716 in Devoll Municipality. It derives its name from the Devoll River flowing through the valley. The border point Kapshticë/Krystallopigi connects Devoll with the Greek regional units of Florina and Kastoria to the east and southeast. Devoll borders the municipalities of Kolonjë to the southwest, Korçë to the west, Maliq to the northwest and Pustec to the north. The area of the municipality is 453.27 km2.

Pogradec

Pogradec

Pogradec is the eleventh most populous city in Albania and the capital of the eponymous municipality. It is located on a narrow plain between two mountain chains along the southwestern banks of the Lake of Ohrid. Its climate is profoundly influenced by a seasonal Mediterranean and Continental climate. The total population is 61,530, of which 20,848 in the municipal unit Pogradec.

Leskovik

Leskovik

Leskovik is a town and a former municipality in the Korçë County, southeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Kolonjë. It is located right at the Greek-Albanian border. The population at the 2011 census was 1,525.

World Bektashi Congress

Main article: World Bektashi Congress

The World Bektashi Congress, also called the National Congress of the Bektashi, a conference during which members of the Bektashi Community make important decisions, has been held in Albania several times. Since 1945, it has been held exclusively in Tirana. The longest gap between two congresses lasted from 1950 to 1993, when congresses could not be held during Communist rule in Albania. A list of congresses is given below.[36][39]

No. Congress Date Location Notes
1 First National Congress of the Bektashi 14–17 January 1921 tekke of Prishta in the Skrapar region The name Komuniteti Bektashian (Bektashi community) was adopted.
2 Second National Congress of the Bektashi 8–9 July 1924 Gjirokastra
3 Third National Congress of the Bektashi 23 September 1929 tekke of Turan near Korça The Bektashi declared themselves to be a religious community autonomous from other Islamic communities.
4 Fourth National Congress of the Bektashi 5 May 1945 Tirana Xhafer Sadiku Dede was made kryegjysh (or dedebaba), and the influential Baba Faja Martaneshi, a communist collaborator, was made secretary general.
5 Fifth National Congress of the Bektashi 16 April 1950 Tirana
6 Sixth National Congress of the Bektashi 19–20 July 1993 Tirana
7 Seventh National Congress of the Bektashi 23–24 September 2000 Tirana
8 Eighth National Congress of the Bektashi 21 September 2005 Tirana
9 Ninth National Congress of the Bektashi 6 July 2009 Tirana

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World Bektashi Congress

World Bektashi Congress

The World Bektashi Congress, formerly called the National Congress of the Bektashi before the 1990s, is a conference during which leading members of the Bektashi Order make important decisions. It has been held in Albania since 1921.

Tirana

Tirana

Tirana is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea in the distance. Due to its location at the Plain of Tirana and the close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, the city is particularly influenced by a Mediterranean seasonal climate. It is among the wettest and sunniest cities in Europe, with 2,544 hours of sun per year.

People's Socialist Republic of Albania

People's Socialist Republic of Albania

The People's Socialist Republic of Albania was the one-party communist state in Albania from 1946 to 1991 (the official name of the country was the People's Republic of Albania from 1946 until 1976. It succeeded the Democratic Government of Albania.

Skrapar

Skrapar

Skrapar is a municipality in Berat County, southern Albania. It was created in 2015 by the merger of the former municipalities Bogovë, Çepan, Çorovodë, Gjerbës, Leshnjë, Potom, Qendër Skrapar, Vendreshë and Zhepë. The seat of the municipality is the town Çorovodë. The total population is 12,403, in a total area of 832.04 km2. It covers part of the area of the former Skrapar District, without the town Poliçan.

Baba Faja Martaneshi

Baba Faja Martaneshi

Baba Faja Martaneshi was an Albanian Bektashi baba (Sufi) and a resistance leader during the National Liberation War of the Albanian People.

List of Dedebabas

This section lists the Dedebabas (Supreme Leaders) of the Bektashi Order.

In Turkey (before 1930)

List of Bektashi Dedebabas (mostly based in Hacıbektaş, Anatolia), prior to the 1925 exodus of the Bektashi Order from Turkey to Albania:[40]

In Albania (1930–present)

Main article: Bektashi Dedebabate

List of Bektashi Dedebabas following the 1925 exodus of the Bektashi Order from Turkey to Albania:

No. Portrait Name Term in office
1 Sali Nijazi Dede (portret).jpg Salih Nijazi
(1876–1941) 		20 March 1930[41] 28 November 1941
11 years, 8 months and 8 days
2 Ali Riza Dede.jpg Ali Riza
(1882–1944) 		6 January 1942 22 February 1944
2 years, 1 month and 16 days
3 Kamber Ali Dede.jpg Kamber Ali
(1869–1950) 		12 April 1944 1945
0 or 1 year
4 Xhafer Sadik Dede.jpg Xhafer Sadik
(1874–1945) 		5 May 1945 2 August 1945
2 months and 28 days
5 Ikonë Bektashiane.svg Abaz Hilmi
(1887–1947) 		6 September 1945 19 March 1947
1 year, 6 months and 13 days
6 Ahmet Myftar Dede.jpg Ahmet Myftar
(1916–1980) 		8 June 1947 1958
9 or 10 years
7 Ikonë Bektashiane.svg Baba Reshat
(1935–2011)
Baba Reshat (nënshkrim).svg 		20 July 1993 2 April 2011
17 years, 8 months and 13 days
8 Baba Mondi 2017.JPG Baba Mondi
(1959)
Baba Mondi (nënshkrim).svg 		11 June 2011 Incumbent
11 years, 9 months and 1 day

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Hacıbektaş

Hacıbektaş

Hacıbektaş, formerly Karahöyük, is a town and district of Nevşehir Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 11,929 of which 5,169 live in the town of Hacıbektaş. Located in Cappadocia, the district covers an area of 697 km2 (269 sq mi), and the average elevation is 1,250 m (4,101 ft), with the highest point being Mt. Kırlangıç at 1,720 m (5,643 ft). The town is named after Haji Bektash Veli, a 13th-century Sufi saint who founded the Bektashi Order.

Bektashi Dedebabate

Bektashi Dedebabate

Bektashi Dedebabate is the religious leadership of Bektashi Islam. The dedebabas are the spiritual and religious leaders of the Bektashi community. Bektashis do not consider them as divinely appointed leaders. The current and eighth Bektashi debebaba is Baba Mondi.

Salih Nijazi

Salih Nijazi

Salih Nijazi was the 1st Dedebaba of the Bektashi Order that was established in Albania in 1930.

Ali Riza Dede

Ali Riza Dede

Ali Riza (1882–1944) was the 2nd Dedebaba of the Bektashi Order.

Kamber Ali

Kamber Ali

Kamber Ali (1869–1950) was the 3rd Dedebaba of the Bektashi Order. He served as Dedebaba for only several months in 1944, and was arrested by the Communists in December 1944 since he had fought for the Balli Kombëtar. He died in prison in Tirana in 1950.

Xhafer Sadik

Xhafer Sadik

Xhafer Sadik (1874–1945) was the 4th Dedebaba of the Bektashi Order. He served as Dedebaba for only 3 months during the summer of 1945.

Abaz Hilmi

Abaz Hilmi

Abaz Hilmi was the 5th Dedebaba of the Bektashi Order.

Ahmet Myftar

Ahmet Myftar

Ahmet Myftar (1916–1980) was the 6th Dedebaba of the Bektashi Order. He was the final dedebaba to have served during the People's Socialist Republic of Albania.

Baba Reshat

Baba Reshat

Reshat Bardhi or Dedebaba Hajji Reshat was an Albanian religious leader who served as the 7th kryegjysh or Dedebaba of the Bektashi Order from 1991 to 2011.

Baba Mondi

Baba Mondi

Hajji Dede Edmond Brahimaj, commonly known as Baba Mondi, is an Albanian religious leader and the eighth Bektashi Dedebaba of the Bektashi Order. He is the world leader of the Bektashi Muslims.

Religious figures

Some notable Bektashi religious and legendary figures are:[36]

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Abaz Hilmi

Abaz Hilmi

Abaz Hilmi was the 5th Dedebaba of the Bektashi Order.

Tekke of Frashër

Tekke of Frashër

The Tekke of Frashër or Nasibî Tâhir Baba Tekke is a Bektashi shrine and Albanian Bektashi tekke founded in 1781 and registered Cultural Monument of Albania, located in Frashër, Gjirokastër County in southern Albania. The tekke was crucial to the Albanian National Awakening, particularly in the nationalist movements of the late 19th century, and it was one of the wealthiest and revered tekkes in Albania.

Abbas ibn Ali

Abbas ibn Ali

Al-Abbas ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, also known as Abu al-Fadl, was son of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Muslim caliph and the first Shia imam. His mother was Fatima bint Hizam, commonly known as Umm al-Banin.

Haji Bektash Veli

Haji Bektash Veli

Haji Bektash Veli was a Muslim mystic, saint, sayyid, and philosopher from Khorasan who lived and taught in Anatolia. He is revered among Alevis for an Islamic understanding that is esoteric, rational and humanistic. Alevi and Bektashi Muslims believe the path of Haji Bektash is the path of Haqq-Muhammad-Ali since they were the source of Bektash's teachings. He was one of the many figures who flourished in the Sultanate of Rum and had an important influence on the culture of Turkish nomads of Asia Minor. His original name was Sayyid Muhammad ibn Sayyid Ibrāhim Ātā. He is also referred to as the "Sultan of Hearts" and the "Dervish of the Dervishes". Haji Bektash Veli was a descendant of Musa al-Kazim, the Seventh Imam of Twelver Shi'a Islam.

Kamber Ali

Kamber Ali

Kamber Ali (1869–1950) was the 3rd Dedebaba of the Bektashi Order. He served as Dedebaba for only several months in 1944, and was arrested by the Communists in December 1944 since he had fought for the Balli Kombëtar. He died in prison in Tirana in 1950.

Salih Nijazi

Salih Nijazi

Salih Nijazi was the 1st Dedebaba of the Bektashi Order that was established in Albania in 1930.

Gallery

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Tetovo

Tetovo

Tetovo is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of 1,080 km2 (417 sq mi) at 468 meters (1,535 ft) above sea level, with a population of 52,915. The city of Tetovo is the seat of Tetovo Municipality.

Gjakova

Gjakova

Gjakova is the seventh largest city of Kosovo and seat of Gjakova Municipality and Gjakova District. The city has 40,827 inhabitants, while the municipality has 94,556 inhabitants.

Vlorë

Vlorë

Vlorë is the third most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surrounded by the foothills of the Ceraunian Mountains along the Albanian Adriatic and Ionian Sea Coasts. It experiences a Mediterranean climate, which is affected by the Ceraunian Mountains and the proximity to the Mediterranean Sea.

Albania

Albania

Albania, officially the Republic of Albania, is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is situated in the Balkans, and is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares land borders with Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east, and Greece to the south. The country displays varied climatic, geological, hydrological, and morphological conditions, in an area of 28,748 km2 (11,100 sq mi). The landscape ranges from the snow-capped mountains in the Albanian Alps and the Korab, Skanderbeg, Pindus, and Ceraunian Mountains, to the hot and sunny coasts of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas along the Mediterranean. Tirana is its capital and largest city, followed by Durrës, Vlorë, and Shkodër.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. Bulgaria covers a territory of 110,994 square kilometres (42,855 sq mi), and is the sixteenth-largest country in Europe. Sofia is the nation's capital and largest city; other major cities are Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas.

World Headquarters of the Bektashi

World Headquarters of the Bektashi

The World Headquarters of the Bektashi or Bektashi World Center is the international headquarters of the Bektashi Order, a Sufi order. It is located on Dhimitër Kamarda Street at the eastern edge of Tirana city, Albania. It serves as the centre of the Albanian Bektashi Order.

Tirana

Tirana

Tirana is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea in the distance. Due to its location at the Plain of Tirana and the close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, the city is particularly influenced by a Mediterranean seasonal climate. It is among the wettest and sunniest cities in Europe, with 2,544 hours of sun per year.

Source: "Bektashi Order", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, March 4th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bektashi_Order.

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Further Reading

Haji Bektash Veli

Baba Rexheb

Arabati Baba Teḱe

Zall Tekke

Baba Mondi

Baba Shemin

Tekke of Melan

Salih Nijazi

Ali Riza Dede

Kamber Ali

Xhafer Sadik

Ahmet Myftar

World Headquarters of the Bektashi

Bektashism in Albania
See also
References

Notes

  1. ^ Arabic: بكتاشى; Albanian: Tarikati Bektashi; Turkish: Bektaşi

Citations

  1. ^ a b "Encyclopedia Iranica, "BEKTĀŠĪYA"". Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  2. ^ "Encyclopedia Iranica, "ḤĀJĪ BEKTĀŠ"". Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  3. ^ a b "ʿALĪ AL-AʿLĀ (d. 822/1419), also known as Amīr Sayyed ʿAlī, principal successor of Fażlallāh Astarābādī, founder of the Ḥorūfī sect". Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  4. ^ "Encyclopedia Iranica, "ASTARĀBĀDĪ, FAŻLALLĀH" (d. 796/1394), founder of the Ḥorūfī religion, H. Algar". Archived from the original on 17 May 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  5. ^ "Encyclopedia Iranica, "HORUFISM" by H. Algar". Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  6. ^ Gibb, H. A. R.; Kramers, J. H.; Lévi-Provençal, E.; Schacht, J.; Lewis, B. & Pellat, Ch., eds. (1960). "Bektāshiyya". The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume I: A–B. Leiden: E. J. Brill. p. 1162. OCLC 495469456.
  7. ^ Moosa, Matti (1 February 1988). Extremist Shiites: The Ghulat Sects. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-8156-2411-0.
  8. ^ Norman H. Gershman (2008). Besa: Muslims who Saved Jews in World War II (illustrated ed.). Syracuse University Press. p. 4. ISBN 9780815609346.
  9. ^ a b c d e Chtatou, Dr Mohamed (23 April 2020). "Unveiling The Bektashi Sufi Order – Analysis". Eurasia Review. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
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  12. ^ "The Bektashi Shi'as of Michigan: Pluralism and Orthodoxy within Twelver Shi'ism". shiablog.wcfia.harvard.edu. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  13. ^ Ayhan Kaya (2016) The Alevi-Bektashi order in Turkey: syncreticism transcending national borders, Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, 16:2, 275-294, DOI: 10.1080/14683857.2015.1120465
  14. ^ a b Algar 1989.
  15. ^ DOJA, ALBERT (2006). "A Political History of Bektashism from Ottoman Anatolia to Contemporary Turkey". Journal of Church and State. 48 (2): 423–450. doi:10.1093/jcs/48.2.423. ISSN 0021-969X. JSTOR 23922338.
  16. ^ J. K. Birge (1937), The Bektashi Order of Dervishes, London.
  17. ^ a b c d "The Effects of the abolition on the Bektashi - METU" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 July 2017.
  18. ^ Nicolle, David; pg 29
  19. ^ Miranda Vickers (1999), The Albanians: A Modern History, London: I.B. Tauris, p. 22, ISBN 9781441645005, archived from the original on 19 May 2016, retrieved 20 October 2015, Around that time, Ali was converted to Bektashism by Baba Shemin of Kruja...
  20. ^ H.T.Norris (2006), Popular Sufism in Eastern Europe: Sufi Brotherhoods and the Dialogue with Christianity and 'Heterodoxy' (Routledge Sufi), Routledge Sufi series, Routledge, p. 79, ISBN 9780203961223, OCLC 85481562, archived from the original on 29 June 2016, retrieved 20 October 2015, ...and the tomb of Ali himself. Its headstone was capped by the crown (taj) of the Bektashi order.
  21. ^ Robert Elsie (2004), Historical Dictionary of Albania, European historical dictionaries, Scarecrow Press, p. 40, ISBN 9780810848726, OCLC 52347600, archived from the original on 28 April 2016, retrieved 20 October 2015, Most of the Southern Albania and Epirus converted to Bektashism, initially under the influence of Ali Pasha Tepelena, "the Lion of Janina", who was himself a follower of the order.
  22. ^ Vassilis Nitsiakos (2010), On the Border: Transborder Mobility, Ethnic Groups and Boundaries along the Albanian-Greek Frontier (Balkan Border Crossings- Contributions to Balkan Ethnography), Balkan border crossings, Berlin: Lit, p. 216, ISBN 9783643107930, OCLC 705271971, archived from the original on 5 May 2016, retrieved 20 October 2015, Bektashism was widespread during the reign of Ali Pasha, a Bektashi himself,...
  23. ^ Gerlachlus Duijzings (2010), Religion and the Politics of Identity in Kosovo, New York: Columbia University Press, p. 82, ISBN 9780231120982, OCLC 43513230, archived from the original on 29 April 2016, retrieved 20 October 2015, The most illustrious among them was Ali Pasha (1740–1822), who exploited the organisation and religious doctrine...
  24. ^ Stavro Skendi (1980), Balkan Cultural Studies, East European monographs, Boulder, p. 161, ISBN 9780914710660, OCLC 7058414, archived from the original on 2 May 2016, retrieved 12 November 2015, The great expandion of Bektashism in southern Albania took place during the time of Ali Pasha Tepelena, who is believed to have been a Bektashi himself
  25. ^ a b c d e Elsie, Robert (2019). The Albanian Bektashi: history and culture of a Dervish order in the Balkans. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-78831-569-2. OCLC 1108619669.
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  30. ^ Elsie 2001, "Tomor, Mount", pp. 252–254.
  31. ^ Borges, Jason (19 November 2019). "Haji Bektash Veli". Cappadocia History. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  32. ^ "Bektashiyyah | Islamic sect". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  33. ^ Algar, Hamid. The Hurufi Influence on Bektashism: Bektachiyya, Estudés sur l'ordre mystique des Bektachis et les groupes relevant de Hadji Bektach. Istanbul: Les Éditions Isis. pp. 39–53.
  34. ^ Bektashi literature in the world. Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane. Accessed 19 September 2021.
  35. ^ Bektashi literature in Albania. Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane. Accessed 19 September 2021.
  36. ^ a b c d e Elsie, Robert (2019). The Albanian Bektashi: history and culture of a Dervish order in the Balkans. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-78831-569-2. OCLC 1108619669.
  37. ^ Bektashi Quarters (Gjyshatat). Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane. Accessed 19 September 2021.
  38. ^ Office in Brussels. Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane. Accessed 19 September 2021.
  39. ^ Kongreset Bektashiane. World Headquarters of the Bektashi. Accessed 19 September 2021. (in Albanian)
  40. ^ Kryegjyshët Botëror. Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane. Accessed 19 September 2021.
  41. ^ Çuni, Nuri. "Kryegjyshata Botrore Bektashiane/ Sot, 90-vjetori i ardhjes në Shqipëri të Kryegjyshit Botror të Bektashinjve, Sali Niazi Dedei. Kryegjyshi Botror, Haxhi Dede Edmond Brahimaj: Sot në Korçë zhvillohet aktiviteti për "Nderin e Kombit". Ja historia e plot e klerikut atdhetar". Gazeta Telegraf (in Albanian).

Bibliography

Further reading
  • Elsie, Robert (2019). The Albanian Bektashi: history and culture of a Dervish order in the Balkans. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-78831-569-2. OCLC 1108619669.
  • Yürekli, Zeynep (2012). Architecture and hagiography in the Ottoman Empire : the politics of Bektashi shrines in the classical age. Farnham, Surrey Burlington, VT: Ashgate. ISBN 978-1-4094-1106-2. OCLC 776031990.
  • Frashëri, Naim Bey. Fletore e Bektashinjet. Bucharest: Shtypëshkronjët të Shqipëtarëvet, 1896; Reprint: Salonica: Mbrothësia, 1909. 32 pp.
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