Hajji Bektash Wali (Arabic/Persian: حاجی بکتاش والی ‎ Ḥājī Baktāš Wālī; Turkish: Hacı Bektaş Veli) was a Muslim mystic, humanist and philosopher from Khorasan, who lived approximately from 1209-1271 in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). Arabic ( or just ), is the largest member of the family of Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew, Amharic, and Aramaic. ... -1... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... Mysticism from the Greek μυστικός (mystikos) an initiate (of the Eleusinian Mysteries, μυστήρια (mysteria) meaning initiation[1]) is the pursuit of achieving communion or identity with, or conscious awareness of, ultimate reality, the divine, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, or insight; and the belief that such experience is an... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Khorasan (Persian: خراسان) (also transcribed as Khurasan and Khorassan; Horasan in Turkish) is a region located in eastern Iran. ... Events Albigensian Crusade against Cathars (1209-1218) the Franciscans are founded. ... For broader historical context, see 1270s and 13th century. ... Anatolia lies east of the Bosphorus, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Anatolia is a peninsula of Western Asia which forms the greater part of the Asian portion of Turkey, as opposed to the European portion (Thrace, or traditionally Rumelia). ...

Origins

Originally from Neyshabur (Iran), Hajji Bektash was most likely of Persian origin.^[1][2] A follower of the Yasawi Sufi order that was very active in Central Asia doing missionary work among the Turkish tribes of the area, he was sent by his sheikh, Ahmad Yasawi, to Anatolia. Hajji Bektash remained there until his passing away - probably because of the Mongol attack on his homeland Khorasan^[1] - and a Sufi order soon developed based upon his teachings. Nishapur (or Neyshâbûr; نیشابور in Persian) is a town in the province of Khorasan in northeastern Iran, situated in a fertile plain at the foot of the Binalud Mountains, near the regional capital of Mashhad. ... The Persians are an Iranian people who speak the Persian language and share a common culture and history. ... Sufism (Arabic تصوف taṣawwuf) is a system of esoteric philosophy commonly associated with Islam. ... Map of Central Asia showing three sets of possible boundaries for the region Central Asia located as a region of the world Central Asia is a vast landlocked region of Asia. ... Khorasan (Persian: خراسان) (also transcribed as Khurasan and Khorassan; Horasan in Turkish) is a region located in eastern Iran. ...

Spread of Bektashism

Bektashism spread from Anatolia during the Ottoman period primarily into the Balkans, where its leaders (known as dedes or babas) helped convert many to Islam. The Bektashi Order remained very popular among Albanians, and Bektashi tekkes can be found throughout Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania to this day. During the Ottoman period Bektashi tekkes were set up in Egypt and Iraq, but the order did not take root. The Bektashi order (Turkish: BektaÅŸi) is a syncretic religious order related to Shia Alevi faith, and is generally considered to be a Shia Sufi sect (Tarika). ... Anatolia lies east of the Bosphorus, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Anatolia is a peninsula of Western Asia which forms the greater part of the Asian portion of Turkey, as opposed to the European portion (Thrace, or traditionally Rumelia). ... Motto: دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–1922 Mehmed VI... Balkan peninsula with northwest border Isonzo-Krka-Sava The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe a region of southeastern Europe. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the Quran, its principal scripture, whose followers, known as Muslims (مسلم), believe God (Arabic: الله ) sent through revelations to Muhammad. ... Tekke is a Turkish word which corresponds to the Arabic word Zawya or the Persian Dergah. ... For other uses of the name Kosovo, see Kosovo (disambiguation). ... Motto: دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–1922 Mehmed VI...

Different orders within Alevism

The Bektashi order was most popular among rural segments of Anatolia and in the southern Balkans, in contrast to the Mevlevis, who generally attracted artisans, or the Naqshbandi or Halveti (Khalwati) orders, who attracted theologians and government officials. It was also during the Ottoman period that many Alevi Muslims in Turkey attached themselves to the veneration of Hajji Bektash, a move which may have further polarized the tension between Alevism and the mainstream Sunni ideology of the Ottoman empire. Whirling Dervishes perform near the Mevlevi Museum in Konya, Turkey. ... Naqshbandi (Naqshbandiyya) is one of four major Sufi orders (tariqa) of Islam. ... Halveti (as it is known in Turkey but is more commonly known as Khalwati) is one of the most widespread orders in Sufi Islam and after the Naqshbandi, Qadiri and Shadhili is perhaps the most popular. ... Alevis (Turkish: Aleviler) are adherents of a specific strand of Islam, with influences that include Anatolian traditions and ancient Turkic Shamanism . ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ...

Shift from Turkey to Albania

The Bektashi Sufi order was also the official order of the elite Janissary corps, and when they were abolished in 1826 by Sultan Mahmud II the Bektashis suffered the same fate. The babas of the tekkes and their dervishes were banished to staunchly Sunni villages and towns, and their tekkes were closed or handed over to Sunni Sufi orders (mostly Naqshbandi; for example, the Göztepe Tekke in Istanbul was given to the Naqshbandis during this period). Chamberlain of Sultan Murad IV with janissaries The Janissaries (or janizaries; in Ottoman Turkish: يكيچرى (yeniçeri, meaning new soldier); in Greek: Γενίτσαροι; (Yenitsari) in Bulgarian: еничари (enichari) or яничари (yanichari); in Bosnian: Janjičari; in Serbian: Јањичари or Janjičari; in Romanian: ieniceri; in Arabic: الانكشارية) comprised infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultans... Mehmed II Mehmed II (March 30, 1432 – May 3, 1481; nicknamed el-Fatih, the Conqueror) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to 1446, and later from 1451 to 1481. ... A Turkish dervish, in the 1860s. ... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: Konstandinúpoli, historically known in English as Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and economic center. ...

Although the Bektashi order regained many of its lost tekkes during the Tanzimat period, they, along with all other Sufi orders, were banned in Turkey in 1925 as a result of the country's secularization policies and all Bektashi tekkes were closed once more along with all others. As a result the headquarters of the order was moved to Tirana, Albania, where it remains today. Graphical timeline Caricature; changes in the form, not in the mind The Tanzimat was a period of reform in the Ottoman Empire that lasted from 1839 to 1876. ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Skanderbeg Square (Photo by Marc Morell) Tirana (Albanian: Tiranë or Tirana) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Albania. ...

The main Bektashi tekke is in the town of Hacıbektaş in Central Anatolia. It is currently open as a museum and his resting place is still visited by both Sunni and Alevi Muslims. Large festivals are held there every August. Also the Göztepe and Şahkulu tekkes in Istanbul are now used as meeting places for Alevis, not for Bektashis.

See also

• Hajji

Hajji (Arabic: ‎ , pilgrim) is an honorific title given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca, and is often used to refer to an elder, since it takes time to accumulate the wealth to fund the travel. ...

Notes and references

1. ^ ^{a b} H. Algar, "Khorāsanian Sufī Hāji Bektāŝ", Encyclopædia Iranica, v, p. 117, Online Edition 2006, (LINK)
2. ^ Köprülü, "Hacı Bektaş Veli", p. 295, 1920