Haji Bektash Wali and Religious-Sufistic Life in Turkey of 13th Century 13. YÜZYIL TÜRKİYE’SİNDE DİNİ-TASAVVUFİ HAYAT VE HACI BEKTAŞ VELİ

© 2022 Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University. All rights reserved.The İslamisation of the Turks developed in varying degrees between settled and semi-nomadic groups. There was an Islamisation in accordance with the religious understanding of the Book, under the auspices of the state and depending on the educational tradition in settlements such as cities and towns. A different Islam from the Kitabi religion, which can be expressed as “popular Islam/folk Islam” became dominant among the semi-nomadic groups. The active role in the development of popular Islam was largely the wandering dervishes who devoted themselves to serving the religion. Some of these wandering dervishes, who were later called Abdalân-ı Rûm/Abdals of Rum, by establishing lodges (islamic monastery) and zawiyas prepared the ground for the semi-nomadic people to get used to the agricultural culture by sedentary life, deserving of Barkan’s characterization as colonizers/settlers. On the other hand, there was a religious life integrating with the member/senior officers of the cult/sect and mystical thought around the lodge and zawiya. After all, the Turks, with their urban and nomads, basically had the same belief forms and motifs that they brought from Central Asia. As a matter of fact, with the spirit of gaza created by this belief structure, all the people with their urbans, peasants and nomads, did not hesitate to fight for the survival of religion and the state. In this article, the dimension of this process that developed in the 13th century, which evolved into Bektashiyya in the person of Haji Bektash Wali, will be tried to be examined. While doing this, first of all, the sects of the period such as Malamatiyya, Yasawiyya, Qubrawiyya, Suhrawardiyya, which extended from Central Asia to Anatolia, will be examined. The reflections of Babaiyya will be discussed in the context of Wafa’iyya in Anatolia and the effects of Akhilik on the religious life of the period will be pointed out taking into account the relationship between Haji Bektash and Akhi Evran. Finally, the basic principles of his religious-mystical understanding will be revealed in the context of Haji Bektash Wali’s works.