INTRODUCTION (12) (Mukaddime)

In Modern English

Gelmiş nice meczûb-ı İlâhî nice müştâk
Çıkmış oradan dehre nice kâmil ü uşşâk
Gûyâ burada olmuş idi âlem-i mîsâk
Pür-feyz ü himem zâviyedir dâr-ı Amasya

(Many a person carried away by love of God, many a longing soul has come here; from here many perfect men and many lovers have gone out into the world. As if the "world of the covenant," where souls gave their word to God, had been set up here; the homeland of Amasya is a lodge full of grace and aspiration.)

The sheikhs of the Sufi orders raised from the gracious soil of Amasya up to today are very many. When examined for the fame of those who stood out on their own path or who founded a branch of an order with an innovative attitude, it is plainly revealed that Amasya is, as it were, a great lodge of grace.

For when, half a century after its conquest, Amasya became the seat of sovereignty of the Seljuk Sultan Mes'ûd, this sultan had a madrasa and also a hankah, that is, a lodge, built. He set the madrasa aside for the spread and diffusion of the sciences and knowledge, and the hankah for the correction and purification of the community's morals; thus he had striven with all his strength to establish and secure Islamic civilization in Amasya and to repair and put in order the places ruined by the attacks of the Crusader host.

In the last years of this sultan, who had the first hankah in Amasya built, of the sheikhs of the said hankah only the names of "Sirâceddîn Mahmûd bin Alî," known as "Mahmûd Baba," and then of "Alâeddîn Mehmed bin Mahmûd," thought to be his son, could be learned as a result of research and examination; but to which order these belonged could not be fully understood. Later the sheikhship of this hankah gained importance, from the year 628 [1230-31], thanks to the virtue and maturity, the withdrawal from the world and piety, and the great number of followers of "Şücâeddîn Ebu'l-Bekâ İlyâs bin Alî el-Horasânî," known as "Baba İlyâs-ı Horasânî." For this reason the famous "Baba İshâk-ı Kefersûdî" had been able to reach his aims by sheltering in the shadow of this baba's guidance and had proclaimed his false prophethood by making use of his influence.

The order of Baba İlyâs-ı Horasânî, attached to His Excellency Cüneyd-i Bağdâdî, one of the sheikhs of the Sunnis, and spread in accordance with the Sunni school, became known by the name "Babâî Order" and won the general acceptance of the people. Since the said İshak Baba had in essence adopted the "İbâhiyye" way (the way that counts the prohibitions of religion as permissible) and claimed prophethood, his having outwardly entered the Babâî path cannot stain the Babâî order in the people's eyes.

The renown won as Seljuk viziers by Baba İlyâs-ı Horasânî's sons "Şemseddîn Mahmûd Tuğrâî" and "Fahreddîn Alî" led to the spread of the Babâî path. For this reason, just as his third son "Muhliseddîn Mûsâ Baba" was in the sheikhship of the hankah and a resort to which the people applied, the baba's halifes "İbik Baba," "Behlûl Baba" and "Saltuk Baba" also gained extraordinary influence and standing in Anatolia.

At the time İbik Baba was the hankah sheikh in Amasya, "Veliyyeddîn Ahmed Dede," one of the leading figures of the Mevlevî order, was a well-known person. "Alâeddîn Ali Pervâne Bey" had the first Mevlevîhâne built around 714 [1314-15], and thus Mevlevîism appeared in Amasya as the second path. But since "Muhlis Babazâde Alâeddîn Ali Âşık Paşa" was the hankah sheikh, the Babâî path remained dominant. If the important events that took place in Amasya are examined, it is understood that the attitudes the leading figures of these two paths took toward each other were an effective factor in these events.

But the Halvetiyye order, which appeared in Amasya with His Excellency Pîr İlyâs-ı Halvetî's return from Shirvan, encouraged its followers to learning and knowledge to a degree that could serve as an example to the leading figures of the Babâî and Mevlevî paths, urged them to asceticism and piety, and kept them from meddling in the affairs of the emirs and notables and from provoking them. For this reason it won the people's general acceptance and spread very quickly.

Although in the time of His Majesty Sultan Murad Han II the "Zeynî" and "Nakşibendî" paths also became common and spread considerably, because the Halvetîs, from the righteous great ones such as His Excellencies "Habîb-i Karamânî" and "Çelebi Halîfe," won very great fame, these two paths, together with the Babâî and Mevlevî paths, lost their former fame.

But when, in the time of Selim Han I, a mature and high-aspiring guide such as "Sun'ullâh Buhârî," one of the great ones of Naqshbandism, began to spread his order in Amasya, the Naqshbandî grace conquered the hearts of the community, and, illuminating the leading figures of the Halvetiyye as well, spread its light on every side. Although after 960 [1552-53] the "Kâdirî, Celvetî and Şa'bânî" paths also appeared, since their leading figures and followers were few they could not continue for long. In 1047 [1637-38] "Bayram Paşa" revived the Mevlevî path by having the Amasya Mevlevîhâne rebuilt, and [this path] around 1160 [1747] prevailed over all of the Halvetî, Naqshbandî and Mevlevî paths.

When the halifes of "Turhallı eş-Şeyh Mustafa en-Nakşibendî," one of the great hadith scholars, multiplied in the vilayet of Sivas, the Naqshbandî path left all the other paths behind; later the "Mirzâcânî" and "Hâlidî" branches that separated from Naqshbandism gained weight in Amasya and have continued to spread grace to this day. Since the lodges (zaviye) and tekkes that were home to the great ones of these exalted orders are as numerous in Amasya as the number of madrasas of learning, they are written below in alphabetical order:

1. Ak Hasanoğlu Lodge: It adjoins the "Abdullatîf Efendi Library" east of the Sultan Bayezid [Mosque]. This lodge was built in 1245 [1829-30] by the former mütesellim of Amasya (the official who governed the sanjak on the governor's behalf), "Ak Hasanzâde el-Hâc Hâfız Hasan Ağa," who gave its sheikhship to "es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh İbrâhim Hakkı Efendi," one of the leading figures of the Halvetiyye. On his death his halife "es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Mansûr Efendi" became the lodge's sheikh; after his death in 1283 [1866-67] the lodge was made a lecture hall, and in 1303 [1885-86] it was used with six fatwa offices below and a madrasa above.

2. Ehlullah Lodge: It is above the Ok Meydanı, in the Hızır Paşa Quarter. It was built in 1064 [1653-54] by the former mütesellim of Amasya known as "Meydan Ağası," "el-Hâc Hızır Ağa." Since "Hâbilzâde eş-Şeyh Ehlullah Efendi" served as sheikh in this lodge until 1110 [1698-99], it became known by the name "Ehlullah Tekkesi." This lodge belonged to the Halvetîs; "eş-Şeyh Yahyâ Efendi" and "Hamamcızâde eş-Şeyh Mehmed Efendi" became known here as lodge sheikhs.

3. Üçler Lodge: It is in the Üçler Quarter, adjoining the west of the Sa'dî Çelebi Mosque. It had been the house of "Kırımlı eş-Şeyh Îsâ Efendi," one of the Naqshbandî halifes, and in 1238 [1822-23] was converted into a lodge and endowed. Since the right of residence in the house was stipulated for the founder's children, at his death his son became lodge-keeper (zaviyedar), but since he was in the judicial profession the sheikhship remained limited to the founder himself.

4. Çilehâne Lodge: It is inside the Ya'kûb Paşa Complex (mansion) north of the Tomb of His Excellency Pîr İlyâs-ı Halvetî. In 815 [1412-13] the Ottoman emir "Ya'kûb Paşa" had this lodge built for "Gümüşlüzâde Abdurrahmân Çelebi," nicknamed "the mufti of men and jinn"; he set aside its tevliyet (waqf administration) for his halife "Şemseddîn Mehmed Buhârî" and his children, and if their line should die out, for "Müeyyed Çelebi" and his children.

This lodge was set aside for the Halvetî halifes. Here, in order, in place of His Excellency the pîr, his son-in-law "Gümüşlüzâde Pîr Abdurrahmân Çelebi," then "Pîr Şemseddîn Mehmed Buhârî," then the pîr's son "Pîr Celâleddîn Abdurrahmân Çelebi," in 843 [1439-40] the Sheikh of the Saddlers "Pîr Sun'ullâh-ı Halvetî," then "Pîr Zekeriyyâ el-Halvetî," then "İğnecizâde Pîr Safiyyüddîn Mahmûd el-Halvetî," then "Kubalı Çelebizâde Pîr Abdurrahmân Hüsâmî Çelebi," then in 903 [1497-98] "Gümüşlüzâde Pîr Muhyiddîn Mehmed Çelebi," then in 921 [1515-16] "Buhârîzâde Pîr Mehmed el-Halvetî," then "eş-Şeyh Ya'kûb el-Halvetî," then of the halifes "eş-Şeyh Abdurrahmân-ı Halvetî," then his son "eş-Şeyh İzzeddîn Hasan el-Halvetî," then his other son, His Excellency "eş-Şeyh Hüsâmeddîn Hüseyn-i Halvetî," one of the famous scholars, became sheikhs of exalted rank in this çilehane. Among the Amasya Halvetîs this Halvetî chain was called "Silsiletü'z-Zeheb" (the Golden Chain).

Later "eş-Şeyh Mehmed Efendi," who became sheikh of the çilehane, died in the disturbance of 1099 [1687-88]; "es-Seyyid İbrâhim Efendi" took his place, and when he died in 1116 [1704-05] his son "es-Seyyid Mehmed Efendi" became sheikh and trustee. When "es-Seyyid Mehmed Efendi" died in 1168 [1754-55], "Hâfız es-Seyyid Mahmûd Efendi," one of the scholars, became sheikh, but in 1172 [1758-59] he was removed from office and "Hâfız es-Seyyid Abdullah Efendi" became sheikh and trustee. When this person died at the end of the year 1214 [1799-1800], the tevliyet was given to his daughter "Şerîfe Hâtun," and the sheikhship became an additional duty attached to a professorship.

5. Çevikçe Lodge: It is on the west side of the Ya'kûb Paşa Complex. In the reign of His Majesty Çelebi Sultan Mehmed Han, it was built in 831 [1427-28] by "eş-Şeyh Şemseddîn Mehmed el-Kırtâsî," known as "Çevikçi," who showed skill in the printing and making of the paper (kâime-i nakdiyye) that took the place of money in Amasya; its sheikhship was set aside for the Halvetî halifes and its tevliyet for his own children. This lodge fell into ruin many times and was repaired anew. In 1088 [1677-78] "eş-Şeyh Süleyman Efendi" repaired it and became lodge sheikh; because he took part in the disturbance of 1099, the sheikhship was given to "eş-Şeyh Ömer Efendi," one of the Halvetî halifes. In 1142 [1729-30], on his withdrawing from office, "eş-Şeyh Hüseyin Efendi" became lodge sheikh; in 1180 [1766-67], on his death, His Excellency "Sinânî eş-Şeyh Hasan el-Halvetî," one of the famous scholars, as sheikh revived the hearth anew. When this person died on the sixth of Shawwal of the year 1209 [1795], the Çevikçe sheikhship was given to persons named "Mehmed bin Ali" and "İsmâil bin Ahmed," but when İsmâil was found unfit, "eş-Şeyh Osman Efendi," one of the halifes of the said "eş-Şeyh Hasan Efendi," became sheikh in his place, and in place of "Mehmed bin Ali," in 1246 [1830-31], "Akşehirli İsmâil Efendi," one of the scholars. When "eş-Şeyh Osman Baba" died in 1248 [1832-33] and "İsmâil Efendi" in 1259 [1843-44], the lodge was converted to a madrasa.

6. Hicâbî Lodge: It is in the Ziyâre Quarter, adjoining the Keçioğlu Mosque. "Kırımlı es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Abdülbâkî Hicâbî Efendi," one of the Naqshbandî halifes, living in Ziyâre, had a lodge built in 1212 [1797-98] and served as sheikh here. At his death his halife and son-in-law "es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh İbrâhim Zühdî Efendi" became sheikh; when he died the lodge was made a school.

7. Hızır Paşa Lodge: It is in the Şâmîce Quarter. "Hızır Paşa," of the line of Yörgüç Paşa and one of the beylerbeyis, built it in 971 [1563-64] and arranged its waqfs. At first His Excellency "İlyâs Efendi," one of the famous scholars and of the Halvetî halifes known as "Molla Şeyh," became sheikh; at his death "eş-Şeyh Mehmed Efendi," known as "Memi Dede," then his son "eş-Şeyh İbrâhim Efendi," then "eş-Şeyh Hüsâmeddîn Efendi," one of the great scholars, became sheikhs.

After Hüsâmeddîn Efendi, "eş-Şeyh Mustafa Efendi," one of the scholars, became sheikh as a retirement post. Then the famous preacher "eş-Şeyh Hasan Efendi," then his son "eş-Şeyh Mehmed Efendi" became sheikhs of this lodge, but the lodge burned in the fire of 1143 [1730-31] and wholly vanished; even its site could not be found.

8. Hoca Sultan Lodge: It is above the Dârüsselâm Quarter, on the site of the houses that surround the east and south sides of the place where his grave is today. When Sultan Bayezid Han II was governor of Amasya, "Şemseddîn Ahmed Çelebi," one of the notables and teacher of the prince, in 880 [1475-76] had a great lodge built there, a guesthouse and a kitchen beside it, left sufficient waqfs and kept his name alive, and gave its sheikhship to His Excellency "Cemâlîzâde eş-Şeyh Cemâleddîn Mehmed Çelebi Halîfe," one of the great Halvetîs.

After this person's death his son "eş-Şeyh Bedreddîn Mahmûd Çelebi," then his son "eş-Şeyh Hayreddîn Hızır Çelebi," then of his grandchildren "eş-Şeyh Muhyiddîn Mehmed Çelebi" and "Alâeddîn Ali Çelebi" became sheikhs of this lodge. After Alâeddîn Efendi some persons among the great scholars became lodge sheikhs as a retirement post, and the supervision (nezâret) of the waqf was set aside for the "Çelebizâdes." At the death of "eş-Şeyh Mehmed Efendi" in 1097 [1685-86], "Zanalı es-Seyyid Ahmed Efendi," one of the sayyid scholars, became lodge sheikh and then trustee; at his death in 1141 [1728-29] his son "es-Seyyid Abdullah Efendi" became sheikh and trustee, and then supervisor. Until 1172 [1758-59] his sons the Çelebis "es-Seyyid Mahmûd, Ömer, Osman, Ahmed, Mehmed and Hüseyin" held all the lodge's duties and revenues; at Abdullah Efendi's death the lodge's site and revenues were subjected to partition among the heirs, gradually turned into private property, and wholly disappeared.

9. Sa'deddîn Lodge: It is in the İçeri Şehir, in the Ahi Sa'deddîn Quarter near the Meydan Kapısı. In 871 [1466-67] "Sa'dî Efendi," the sultan's secretary, had it built and arranged its waqfs. The food allocation and guesthouse of this lodge were excellent; very many virtuous persons from among retired scholars became sheikh here. Last, while "eş-Şeyh el-Hâc Mehmed Müştâk Efendi," one of the leading figures of the Halvetiyye, was lodge sheikh, after 1260 [1844-45] the lodge was demolished and its revenues vanished.

10. Şamlar Lodge: It is in the Şamlar Quarter, near the Ayas Ağa Mosque. It was built in 951 [1544-45] by "Hoca el-Hâc Sâlih Çelebi," one of the famous notables of the city, and its waqfs were arranged. Very many leading figures of the Halvetiyye served as sheikh in this lodge, and persons of miracles such as His Excellency "eş-Şeyh Sâlih Efendi" became sheikh here. Later "eş-Şeyh Turâbî Ali Efendi," one of the halifes of "eş-Şeyh Yûsuf Nakşibendî," from 1231 [1815-16] as lodge sheikh spread the grace of the Naqshî path.

11. Şehir Kethüdâsıoğlu Lodge: It is in the Acem Ali Quarter, within the dead-end street east of the Acem Ali Pınarı. "Şehir Kethüdâsızâde es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Mehmed Ârif Efendi," halife of "es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Abdülbâkî Hicâbî Efendi," one of the Naqshbandî halifes, had a lodge built beside his house in 1238 [1822-23] and served as sheikh here. Then his son "eş-Şeyh Ahmed Kâmil Efendi," in 1299 [1881-82] his younger son "eş-Şeyh Yûsuf Ziyâeddîn Efendi," and in 1312 [1894-95] his middle son "eş-Şeyh Mehmed Bahâeddîn Efendi" became sheikhs of this lodge.

12. Şehre Küsdü Lodge: It was above the fountain at the westernmost end of the Şehre Küsdü Quarter. It was a lodge built by the disciples of His Excellency "Pîr Sinan-ı Halvetî," one of the great sheikhs, and caused the quarter to arise there. The said pîr was its first sheikh; at his death his halife "Derviş Ali el-Halvetî," then "eş-Şeyh Ahmed Efendi" became lodge sheikhs. Although this lodge remained flourishing until 1241 [1825-26], it then fell into ruin and its site became private property.

13. Şeyhoğlu Lodge: It is within the dead-end street north of the Gümüşlüzâde Quarter, near the Eğri Camii. "Çorumlu Şeyh Hasan Efendizâde Abdullah Vecîh Efendi," one of the famous virtuous persons, in 1190 [1776-77] had a lodge built at the front of the large house he bought from the heirs of the "emîr" (sayyid) professor "es-Seyyid Ahmed Efendi," and the ritual was held here in the Naqshbandî manner. Then his son "eş-Şeyh Ahmed Rüşdî Efendi" became lodge sheikh; at his death his son "eş-Şeyh Hâfız Ali Efendi" became lodge sheikh as a Kâdirî, and in 1312 [1894-95] his son "eş-Şeyh el-Hâc Ali Efendi" took his place.

14. Şeyh Cû'î Lodge: It is on the west side of Amasya, northwest of the Şeyh Cû'î Vineyards, near the lake beneath the Şeyh Cû'î Village. This lodge is a Mevlevîhâne and was built in 817 [1414-15] by the said sheikh.

The sheikh of this Mevlevîhâne was first its builder "Mehmed Cû'î Dede," then his halife known as "Yoğurtçu Baba," "Pîrî Ahmed Dede," then "Ömer Âhî Dede"; very many other persons also became mesnevîhân (reader of the Mesnevî) sheikhs. The sheikhs who came after this became known and were recorded under the name "Mesnevîhân." Of these, in 1154 [1741-42] "İsmâil Dede"; in 1177 [1763-64], at his death, "İbrâhim Dede"; in 1190 [1776-77] "İsmâil Dedezâde Feyzullah Dede"; in 1194 [1780] "es-Seyyid Hasan Dede" and after him "es-Seyyid Mustafa Dede"; in 1204 [1789-90] the sheikh of the Amasya Mevlevîhâne "Ahmed Efendizâde Feyzullah Efendi"; in 1208 [1793-94], on his dismissal, his brother "Abdullah Dede"; in 1209 [1794-95], on his withdrawal from office, "Hacızâde Hüseyin Dede Efendi" and then his brother "Hâfız Mustafa Dede"; in 1220 [1805-06], at his death, his sons "Mehmed and İbrâhim"; and in 1227 [1812], at their deaths, the sheikh of the Amasya Mevlevîhâne "es-Seyyid Mehmed Kâmî Dedezâde es-Seyyid Mehmed Sâbit Dede" became mesnevîhân and lodge sheikhs. But no trace of this lodge remains today.

15. Şeyh Abdul Lodge: It is in the Sofular Quarter, at the westernmost end of the Pîr İlyas Cemetery. It was built in 961 [1553-54] by "eş-Şeyh Abdullah Efendi," one of the Naqshbandî sheikhs, and its waqfs were arranged. Although this lodge fell into ruin many times and, repaired again, was kept until 1271 [1854-55], it then disappeared. When in 1315 [1897-98] "eş-Şeyh Gulâmî Efendi," one of the sheikhs of Sivas, came to Amasya assigned by the Maarif administration, the lodge's waqfs were counted among the lapsed waqfs and taken into the Maarif.

16. Şeyh Kırık Lodge: This is the first lodge built in Amasya and known by the name "Hânkâh-ı Mes'ûdî." It was west of the Küpceğiz Quarter, beneath the Kaşık Pınarı and south of the Çıkrık Quarter. It is written in the Behcetü't-Tevârîh that this hankah was built around 545 [1150-51] by Seljuk Sultan Mes'ûd; its being known by the name "Hânkâh-ı Mes'ûdî" also confirms this record.

No information was found on the first periods of this hankah. But it is known that in 571 [1175-76] "eş-Şeyh Sirâceddîn Mahmûd bin Ali" and in 607 [1210-11] "eş-Şeyh Alâeddîn Mehmed bin eş-Şeyh Mahmûd" were sheikhs of this hankah. "Şücâeddîn İlyâs bin Alî el-Horasânî," who won fame from 628 [1230-31], was known as "Baba İlyâs" because he was sheikh of this hankah. Because his name was stained in the affair of "Baba İshâk-ı Kefersûdî," who claimed in 637 [1239-40] to be this baba's disciple, he was sent to his farm near Amasya, the leaders of his followers were scattered to all sides, and the hankah was closed.

Around 646 [1248-49], through the efforts of his sons "Şemseddîn Mahmûd" and "Fahreddîn Ali," [Baba İlyas] was brought back and the hankah reopened. When he died while serving the second time as hankah sheikh, his nephew "Behlûl Baba" became sheikh; when he too was later exiled to "Suşehri," Baba İlyas's disciple "İbik Baba" succeeded him. Since he opposed "Pervâne Bey," he fled to Egypt around 671 [1272-73], and "Baba İlyasoğlu Muhlis Baba" became sheikh.

İbik Baba, who had used his influence in Pervâne Bey's execution, returned, and since Muhlis Baba entered the path of emirship, İbik Baba became hankah sheikh a second time around 676 [1277-78]. When he too died, his halife "Ahmed Baba" became sheikh. Since it is known that in the rout of 701 [1301-02] the Tatar ruler "Sultan Mahmûd-ı Gâzân Han" suspected "Emîr Muhlis Paşa" and this sheikh, "Emîr Muhlis Paşa" fled to Egypt and Ahmed Baba hid.

At this time "eş-Şeyh Mecdeddîn Îsâ," one of the scholars, became hankah sheikh, but in 703 [1303-04], with the death of Sultan Mahmûd, his brother "Sultan Mehmed Hudâbende Han" ascended the throne, and on the advice of the famous "Tokatlı Burak Baba," Ahmed Baba became hankah sheikh a second time. When this person died in 711 [1311-12], "Muhlis Paşazâde Ali Âşık Baba" took his place and revived the time of his grandfather Baba İlyâs-ı Horasânî. Since he won the favor of "Emîr Çoban," absolute deputy of "Sultan Ebû Saîd Bahadır Han," to an extraordinary degree, he became vizier and adviser to his son "Emîr Timurtaş," who was emir at Sivas.

Ali Âşık Paşa had won fame as vizier of Emir Timurtaş, who declared his independence in Anatolia while he was hankah sheikh. When he became a companion of this emir in the catastrophe of 727 [1326-27], "Zeyneddîn Ya'kûb ez-Ziyârî," one of the scholars, then "Cemâleddîn İbrâhim Aksarâyî," one of the famous jurists, became hankah sheikhs. As "Ca'fer Beyzâde Sultan Eretna Bey," of the kin of "Mu'îneddîn Süleyman Pervâne Bey," gained power and influence in Anatolia, the hankah's old influence vanished; after the death in 739 [1338-39] of the said virtuous person, the hankah fell into a closed state, yet nevertheless was a source of livelihood for some scholars.

But when "Şâdgeldi Paşa" became emir of Amasya, "eş-Şeyh Hüsâmeddîn Hüseyin et-Türkmânî," one of the scholars, then "Sa'deddîn Mevhûb," as hankah sheikhs were also empowered to give fatwas. In 787 [1385-86] "İzzeddîn Hasan Çelebi," son of eş-Şeyh Hüsâm, became sheikh of this hankah, and after him "eş-Şeyh Şemseddîn Ahmed-i Rûmî," known as "Sarı Şeyh" (Yellow Sheikh) among the virtuous, had become sheikh.

It was complained to Timur Han that in 804 [1401-02] [Sarı Şeyh] incited the people against "Kara Devletşah," appointed governor of Amasya by the Tatar ruler "Topal Timur Han," took the Ottoman side to an extraordinary degree, and did not let Kara Devletşah approach Amasya; when Timur sent his son "Kara Sultan Mehmed" to Amasya, [Sarı Şeyh] hid and fled to Aleppo.

When His Majesty Çelebi Sultan Mehmed Han returned from Bolu, he gave the sheikhship of this hankah to "Muhyiddîn Mehmed Çelebi," known as "Şeyh Kırık," student of Sarı Şeyh and son of Şeyh İzzeddîn; the [old] name of the hankah remained only in the quarter, the lodge became known by the name "Şeyh Kırık Tekkesi," and later was wrongly called "Çıkrık Tekkesi."

The sheikhship of this lodge remained with the line of Şeyh Kırık for about a hundred years, and in the time of His Majesty Süleyman the Magnificent was given as a retirement post to scholars grown old in the professorship. Around 1131 [1718-19] the famous scholar of Tokat "es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Mustafa Efendi," then "eş-Şeyh Mehmed Efendi," then "es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh İsmâil Efendi" became sheikhs and trustees. Although the lodge remained in ruin for a time, the mufti "Şeyhzâde es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Osman Efendi," one of the scholars and of the great Naqshbandîs, repaired it and became sheikh and trustee. After this person's death the lodge, toward 1257 [1841-42], vanished to a degree that it could never be re-established. These very brief explanations suffice, in the eyes of the researchers who read them, to determine how historic a lodge this hankah was.

17. Darbhâneci Lodge: It was in the Pervâne Bey Quarter, east of the Bâlî Bey Mosque, within the street going to the Pervâne Bey Quarter, behind the fountain. Today two houses occupy its site. "Şemseddîn Ahmed Çelebi," known as "Ahi Darbhâneci" and mint steward (darphane emini) in Amasya, had this lodge built in 836 [1432-33] and arranged its waqfs. Scholars such as "es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Ahmed Efendi," of the Rifâî sayyids, and the professor "Abdî Efendizâde es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Ali Efendi" served as sheikh in this lodge. Today only its mescit stands, in ruin.

18. Kağnı Lodge: According to the records it was in the Devehâne Quarter. The former mütesellim of Amasya "Kağnı el-Hâc Ali Ağa" had it built around 1017 [1608-09] and set it aside for the Kâdirî sheikhs. The trustee of this lodge "Aydın Paşazâde Ali Bey" repaired the lodge in 1079 [1668-69]; since it burned in 1143 [1730-31] it vanished. In 1226 [1811-12] "Taşköprülü el-Hâc Hâfız Abdullah Efendi," one of the famous scholars and of the great Naqshbandîs, revived the lodge in front of his house and himself carried out its sheikhship; at his death his son "eş-Şeyh Mehmed Ârif Efendi" took his place. This "Taşköprülü Tekkesi" is thought to be on the site of the old Kağnı Tekkesi.

19. Kutub Lodge: It is in the Hacı İlyas Quarter, known as "İmaret Arkası," within the street west of the Sultan Bayezid Madrasa. It was built in 1018 [1609-10] by "eş-Şeyh Ahmed Efendi," known as "Kutub Dede," one of the Halvetî halifes, and its waqfs were arranged. The said Kutub became sheikh here; at his death his halife "eş-Şeyh Mehmed Efendi," then "eş-Şeyh es-Seyyid İbrâhim Efendi," one of the great scholars, became lodge sheikh. Later retired scholars became sheikh; among the valuable persons known as "Çatal Hâfız," "eş-Şeyh Ahmed Efendi," and in 1220 [1805-06], at his death, "Apardızâde es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Ahmed Efendi," known as "Yeşil Şeyh" (Green Sheikh), won fame in the sheikhship of this lodge.

20. Kuşbâz Lodge: It was east of the Ya'kûb Paşa Complex, in a place facing the square. It was built in 961 [1553-54] by "eş-Şeyh Ya'kûb Efendi," one of the Halvetî halifes, its waqfs arranged, and he himself served as sheikh here until his death. Then "eş-Şeyh Abdurrahmân Efendi," at his death the second "Şeyh Ya'kûb Efendi," then "eş-Şeyh Hasan Efendi" became sheikhs. Later it fell into ruin and in 1315 [1897-98] its waqfs were taken into the Maarif.

21. Gülâbî Lodge: It is in the İçeri Şehir, in the Câmi-i Enderûn Quarter. It was built in 973 [1565-66] by the beylerbeyi "Gülâbî Paşa" and its waqfs were arranged. While this lodge too belonged to the Kâdirî path, after 1100 [1688-89] great ones of the Naqshbandîs became sheikhs. Today even its site has been lost.

22. Gümüşlüoğlu Lodge: It is the empty area on the east and south sides of the Gümüşlü Mosque, recorded as "Tâciye." This is the first lodge built for the Halvetîs in Amasya. It is a blessed place that was for more than two hundred years the place of worship of the Gümüşlüzâde family. His Excellency "Gümüşlüzâde Pîr İlyas" first withdrew into retreat here and spread his order; when he died in 813 [1410-11], his halife and son-in-law "Gümüşlüzâde Pîr Abdurrahmân Çelebi," then his son "Gümüşlüzâde Celâl Çelebi," then his son "Pîr Hayreddîn Hızır Çelebi," in 890 [1485-86] "Gümüşlüzâde Sûfî Üveys Çelebi," one of the grandsons of His Excellency the pîr, then "Gümüşlüzâde eş-Şeyh Muhyiddîn Mehmed el-Halvetî," then "Pîr Üveysoğlu Abdurrahmân Çelebi" became sheikh of the Gümüşlüoğlu Lodge and tomb keeper of His Excellency the pîr.

In 993 (1585) "Pîr Üveysoğlu el-Hâc Ahmed Çelebi," then "eş-Şeyh Hasan Efendi," then "Abdurrahmân Çelebi"; in 1099, at his death, "Ali Çelebi"; in 1073 [1662-63], at his death, "el-Hâc Mehmed Çelebi"; in 1099 [1687-88] "eş-Şeyh Mustafa Efendi," of the line of the pîr's daughters; in 1114 [1702-03] "eş-Şeyh Mahmûd Efendi"; in 1124 [1712-13], at his death, his son "Hâfız Hüseyin Efendi"; in 1135 [1722-23], at his death, his son "Abdürrahîm Efendi" became sheikh of the Gümüşlüoğlu Lodge, tomb keeper of His Excellency the pîr and trustee. But since Abdürrahîm was not fit, he was under the guardianship of "eş-Şeyh İsmâil Efendi."

In 1150 [1737-38], at this Abdürrahîm's death, the famous tomb keeper "eş-Şeyh İsmâil Efendi" became trustee and sheikh of the Gümüşlüoğlu Lodge. Since "Fâtıma Hanım" of the palace loved this person very much, on his advice and reminder she had an excellent madrasa built in 1153 [1740-41] in place of the Gümüşlüoğlu Lodge and arranged its waqfs. In 1179 [1765-66], on the death of the said sheikh İsmâil Efendi, the professorship of the "Medrese-i Fâtımiyye" and the tomb keepership of His Excellency the pîr were separated from each other.

After this, "Mehmed Efendi," known as "Yeğen Halîfe," in 1179 took İsmâil Efendi's place as trustee and tomb keeper; of the other children of the family, "Abdullah Efendi ibn Mehmed Efendi" became tomb keeper in 1191 [1777-78], while "Yeğen Mehmed Efendi" remained in the tevliyet. In 1215 [1800-01], at [Abdullah Efendi's] death, "Abdurrahmân Efendizâde Mehmed Efendi," and in 1220 [1805-06], at his death, "es-Seyyid Ahmed Efendi" became tomb keeper. In 1222 [1807-08] the trustee Yeğen Mehmed Efendi also died, his son "eş-Şeyh Ali Efendi" [became trustee], then on his withdrawal from office "es-Seyyid Hâfız Abdullah Efendi" became trustee and in 1223 [1808-09], at the death of the tomb keeper es-Seyyid Ahmed Efendi, also took on the tomb keepership. In 1231 [1815-16] "es-Seyyid Ömer Efendi bin es-Seyyid Mehmed Halîfe"; in 1247 [1831-32], at his death, his son "es-Seyyid Mehmed Efendi"; in 1275 [1858-59], at his death, his brother "es-Seyyid Abdullah Efendi"; in 1280 [1863-64] "es-Seyyid eş-Şeyh Mansûr Efendi," one of the Halvetî halifes, became trustee and tomb keeper, and this person died in the month of Muharram of the year 1284 [1867].

23. Mehmed Paşa Lodge: It is south of the Mehmed Paşa Mosque, on the road. It was built by the said pasha in 890 [1485-86] for His Excellency "Habîb-i Karamânî," one of the leading figures of the Halvetiyye, and its waqfs were arranged. This sheikh served as sheikh here until his death and worked to guide the people.

At his death his halife "eş-Şeyh Seydeddîn Ali el-Halvetî," known as "İmamzâde Seydî Halîfe"; at his death "Habîb-i Karamânîzâde eş-Şeyh Hasan Efendi"; then his son "eş-Şeyh Mehmed Efendi," known as "Yamak Şeyh"; in 961 [1553-54], when he moved to Istanbul, his brother "eş-Şeyh Ömer Efendi"; then of his children "eş-Şeyh Mehmed Efendi"; in 1078 [1667-68], at his death, his son "eş-Şeyh Abdurrahmân Efendi"; in 1107 [1695-96], at his death, his son "eş-Şeyh Ömer Çelebi"; in 1151 [1738-39], at his death, his son "es-Seyyid Mehmed Çelebi"; in 1202 [1787-88], at his death, his son "es-Seyyid Ahmed Efendi"; in 1210 [1795-96], at his death, his sons the Efendis "es-Seyyid Ömer, Ali and Mehmed," and in 1225 [1810-11] his other son "es-Seyyid Abdullah Efendi" became sheikhs and trustees. But since these passed to the sheikhship as heirs, the real sheikhship duty was carried out by persons who were their deputies; in 1296 [1878-79], with the settling of immigrants, the lodge was turned into a private residence.

24. Mahmûd Çelebi Lodge: It is in the İçeri Şehir, in the Karatay Quarter. "İmâdzâde Bedreddîn Mahmûd Çelebi," one of the famous judges, built it in 807 [1404-05] and arranged its waqfs. Its guesthouse was excellent, its food allocation abundant, and it was set aside for the Naqshbandî path. When His Excellency "Hoca Rükneddîn Mahmûd Buhârî," one of the great halifes of His Excellency "Hoca Bahâeddîn Mehmed Nakşbend," came to Amasya, the said judge had this lodge built and gave its sheikhship to this hoca.

But in the time of His Majesty Sultan Bayezid Han II the Halvetîs served as sheikhs in this lodge and continued the "hatm-i hâcegân" (collective dhikr and prayer) procedure [of the Naqshbandîs] and, besides, applied Halvetî customs. "eş-Şeyh Hayreddîn Hızır Tokâdî," one of the halifes of His Excellency "Çelebi Halîfe," became sheikh in this lodge; then "eş-Şeyh Mehmed Efendi," then of his grandchildren "eş-Şeyh Hızır Efendi" became postnişin (head) of the Halvetî order in this lodge.

Later "Arpacızâde el-Hâc Osman Efendi"; in 1097 [1685-86] "İsmâil Efendi," one of the scholars; in 1115 [1703-04], on his withdrawal from office, his son "Mehmed Efendi"; in 1132 [1719-20], at his death, again his father "İsmâil Efendi"; in 1137 [1724-25] his grandson "es-Seyyid Abdurrahmân Efendi"; in 1140 [1727-28], at his death, "Arpacızâde eş-Şeyh Osman Efendi bin Abdurrahmân Efendi"; in 1151 [1738-39], at his death, his sons "İbrâhim," "Abdülgafûr" and "Abdülhamîd" became lodge sheikhs jointly.

But since these were not fit, at Abdülhamîd's death a month later [in his place] "Hâfız Süleyman Efendi"; in 1166 [1752-53], when Hâfız İbrâhim was dismissed, "el-Hâc Mustafa Efendi," one of the famous scholars, became lodge sheikh, while Abdülgafûr Efendi was left in his post. At Hâfız Süleyman Efendi's death in 1159 [1746-47] "Abdülkerîm Efendi"; in 1160 [1747], when he too was dismissed, "Ahmed Efendi," one of the scholars; in 1193 [1779-80], on his withdrawal from office, "Abdüsselâm Efendi"; in 1217 [1802-03], at his death, his younger son "Mehmed Ârif Efendi"; in 1223 [1808-09], at his death, "Ali Efendi" became lodge sheikhs.

When the other sheikh el-Hâc Mustafa Efendi died in 1173 [1759-60], his son "Hâfız Abdullah Efendi"; when he too died in 1179 [1765-66], "Halîl Çelebi," who came, was dismissed after a month and Hâfız Abdullah Efendi's sons "Hâfız Mehmed" and "Abdurrahmân" became sheikhs. At Hâfız Mehmed Efendi's death in 1192 [1778-79] his sons "Ahmed and İbrâhim" [became sheikhs]; in 1200 [1785-86], when they, and in 1201 [1786-87], when their uncle Hâfız Abdurrahmân Efendi withdrew from office, "es-Seyyid el-Hâc Ömer Çelebi," son of "Zînetzâde es-Seyyid Ali Efendi," one of the scholars; in 1220 [1805-06], at his death, his sons known as "Hacı Yûsufzâde," the Çelebis "es-Seyyid Mehmed, Ali, Sâbit, Selîm and Ahmed," became lodge sheikhs.

Finally "Hacı Yûsuf Ağazâde es-Seyyid el-Hâc Ali Ağa," the former mütesellim of Amasya, who in 1241 [1825-26] gathered into his hands, together with all the shares of his brothers, the shares of the other shareholder Ali Efendi, was killed in 1244 [1828-29], and the sheikhship duty remained to his sons the Efendis "es-Seyyid Abdurrahmân Eşref" and "Mehmed Râşid." In their names "Canikli el-Hâc Mehmed Efendi," one of the famous scholars, then his son "el-Hâc Ahmed Efendi," and for a time the former mufti "Gürcü el-Hâc Osman Efendi," served as sheikh first by deputation and then in his own right and recited the hatm-i hâcegân.

25. Müftüoğlu Lodge: It is recorded that it was built in 1012 [1603-04] by Tâceddîn Efendizâde Ahmed Efendi, one of the muftis of Amasya; but since it burned in the fire of 1099 [1687-88], there is no information as to where it was. This lodge belonged to the Halvetîs. "eş-Şeyh Ali Efendi," one of the halifes of His Excellency "Hüdâyî Mahmûd Efendi," was first sheikh of this lodge; at his death his halife "eş-Şeyh Mustafa Efendi," then "eş-Şeyh Ramazan Efendi," then "eş-Şeyh Ya'kûb Efendi" served as sheikh here.

Notes and Research

Old Words in the Text

• meczûb: a person carried away by love of God
• âlem-i mîsâk: the primordial moment at which souls are believed to have given God their pledge of servanthood at creation
• hânkâh / zâviye / tekke: an order's building where dervishes gather and which at times lodges travelers
• meşîhat: the office of sheikh
• tevliyet / mütevellî: waqf administration / waqf administrator
• nezâret / nâzır: the duty of supervising a waqf / supervisor
• halîfe: the authorized disciple to whom a sheikh gives permission to teach the order
• irtihâl / fevt: death
• ref': dismissal from office
• kasr-ı yed: withdrawal from office
• ber-vech-i tekâ'üd: as a retirement post (a duty given to aged professors for livelihood)
• mütesellim: the official who governed a sanjak on behalf of the governor
• ta'âmiyye: a lodge's allocation for food
• hatm-i hâcegân: the collective dhikr and prayer performed by the Naqshbandîs
• mesnevîhân: the person who teaches and comments on Mevlânâ's Mesnevî
• evlâd-ı benât: the line descended from daughters
• evkâf-ı münderise: waqfs whose trace has been effaced, that have ceased to function
• İbâhiyye: the heretical path that counts the prohibitions of religion as permissible
• Silsiletü'z-Zeheb: "the Golden Chain"; an unbroken and distinguished ring of sheikhs
• Ma'ârif: the administration responsible for education in the Ottoman state

Was Babaism an Order?

Hüsameddin begins this section by building the Sufi history of Amasya as a sequence of orders: first the Babâîs, then the Mevlevîs, then the Halvetîs and Naqshbandîs. The first link of this sequence is the part most debated today. The author says that Baba İlyâs-ı Horasânî founded a path under the name "Babâî Order," that this path was an order attached to Cüneyd-i Bağdâdî and in accord with the Sunnis, and that the uprising of 1240 arose only from Baba İshak's heresy. This view differs greatly from the conclusions reached by present research.

According to Ahmet Yaşar Ocak, the term "Babaî" first appears in İbn Bîbî, a historian contemporary with the event, and there describes only those who took part in the revolt; it is not used as the name of any order. The first to use the term as the name of an order was Taşköprizâde in the sixteenth century. Later writers adopted this usage, and, as Ocak expressly states, Hüseyin Hüsâmeddin, author of Amasya Tarihi, was one of them. According to Ocak, Baba İlyas did not found an order in his own name; as sheikh of the Vefâiyye order to which he was attached, in the lodge he opened in the village of Çat near Amasya (today's İlyas village), he offered the semi-nomadic and illiterate Turkmens an understanding of Sufism suited to their structure. That Baba İlyas was a Vefâî is also recorded by Âşıkpaşazâde, who came from the same line.

The movement Hüsameddin describes as "in accord with the Sunnis" Ocak describes as a structure not conforming to Sunnism, in which old Turkish beliefs, partly Ismaili influences and other remnants of belief encountered in Anatolia were combined under an Islamic cover. The sources mention Baba İlyas as a mahdi, even "Baba Resûlullah," in the eyes of the Turkmens. According to Ocak the one who planned the uprising was not Baba İshak but Baba İlyas himself; Baba İshak, as his foremost halife, led the movement in his name. Hüsameddin's sharp line between the two sheikhs, that is, the interpretation "the fault is Baba İshak's, the path of Baba İlyas is clean," is therefore not accepted in present research. Ocak also notes that the claim that Baba İshak was in fact a Greek convert from the Komnenos dynasty of Trebizond belongs to Hüsameddin, that it was put forward without citing a source in the second volume of the work and is supported by no evidence, and that it can be assessed only as a possibility.

The Death of Baba İlyas and the Fate of the Hankah

What Hüsameddin tells in the entry on the Şeyh Kırık Lodge surprises the careful reader at first glance. According to the author, Baba İlyas was sent after the events of 1240 to his farm near Amasya, returned around 646 [1248-49] through his sons' efforts, served a second time as sheikh at the hankah and died there. Yet according to the contemporary sources compiled by Ocak, Baba İlyas took refuge in the Amasya Fortress during the uprising, was cornered and seized here by the forces of Mübârizüddin Armağanşah, and was executed. Baba İshak, marching on Konya to avenge him, was defeated and killed on the Malya plain near Kırşehir.

What explains somewhat the gulf between these two accounts is the Menâkıbü'l-kudsiyye written in 1358-59 by Baba İlyas's grandson Elvan Çelebi. According to this hagiography, Baba İlyas was seized and shut in the Amasya Fortress, and on his fortieth day in the dungeon the wall of his cell split, his dun horse came, took him and vanished from sight. It is seen that in the family's own tradition lives the belief that the sheikh did not die but disappeared. Hüsameddin's account that Baba İlyas later returned and became sheikh again may be a reflection of this tradition; but since the author does not state his source, this is only a possibility.

There is also a small difference on the founding of the hankah. Hüsameddin, relying on the Behcetü't-Tevârîh, says that Sultan Mes'ûd built the hankah around 545 and that the order of the first sheikh Sirâceddîn Mahmûd bin Ali is not known. Kadir Özköse, relying on Seyfullah Kara's study, writes that Sultan Mesud I founded a settlement named Simre in Amasya, appointed Sirâceddin Mahmud b. Ali el-Hocendî as sheikh to the Hankah-ı Mesudiye he had built there, and that Alâeddin Keykubad I brought Tâceddin Ebü'l-Vefâ el-Harezmî to the sheikhship of this hankah. This name "Ebü'l-Vefâ" is an interesting clue when thought together with the Vefâiyye line to which Baba İlyas was attached; but no record establishing a direct link between the two was found.

Âşık Paşa and His Successors

"Muhlis Paşazâde Ali Âşık Baba," whom Hüsameddin counts among the hankah sheikhs, is Âşık Paşa, the poet of the Garibnâme, one of the oldest Sufi masnavis of Turkish literature. In some sources it is recorded that he was born in Kırşehir in 670 [1272], that his real name was Ali and his pen name Âşık. His father Muhlis Paşa is Baba İlyas's youngest son. According to the hagiography, during the uprising the infant Muhlis in the cradle was rescued from the village of Çat set on fire, taken to Egypt at the age of seven, and returned to Anatolia seven years later. It is known that Âşık Paşa was vizier of Timurtaş Paşa, governor of Anatolia, went to Egypt because he became involved in certain political events, and, falling ill in Kırşehir on the way back to Amasya, died there on 13 Safar 733 [3 November 1332]. Hüsameddin's saying "in the catastrophe of 727 he became a companion of the emir" agrees with the poet's going to Egypt after Timurtaş's fall. The Garibnâme of twelve thousand couplets, written in 730 [1330], reached a broad readership over centuries because it was composed in plain Turkish with the aim of educating the people. That this poet, mentioned as sheikh of a hankah in Amasya, produced one of the first great works of Anatolian Turkish is a detail easily overlooked between the lines of the text.

In the hankah's later history, Sarı Şeyh's taking the Ottoman side against Kara Devletşah, appointed by Timur, and fleeing to Aleppo, and Çelebi Mehmed's giving the sheikhship to his student, is a record that sheds light on the political choices of Amasya's religious circles after the Battle of Ankara (1402). No information on Sarı Şeyh was found in other sources. Hüsameddin's explanation that the name "Çıkrık Tekkesi" is a corruption of "Şeyh Kırık" is also the author's own interpretation.

Amasya and Halvetîism

More than half of the twenty-five lodges Hüsameddin lists were at one time in the hands of the Halvetîs; this proportion alone shows the importance the city holds for Halvetî history. According to Süleyman Uludağ, the Halvetiyye was brought to Anatolia by the Amasyan Pîr İlyas, one of the halifes of Sadreddîn-i Hiyâvî. For this reason Kadir Özköse too says that the center where Halvetîism first sprouted in Ottoman lands was Amasya; he does not find correct the view that the order entered Amasya only in the period of Bayezid II's governorship. The real spread of the order in Anatolia, however, took place through the halifes of Seyyid Yahyâ-yı Şirvânî (d. 868/1463-64), counted its second pîr. Of these, Habîb-i Karamânî came to Amasya, guided people until his death in the lodge Hızır Paşazâde Mehmed Paşa had built for him in 890 [1485], and after he died was buried in the lodge's garden. Cemâl-i Halvetî, known as Çelebi Halîfe, received the close interest of Prince Bayezid, and the prince even attached himself to him.

The sources do not agree on Pîr İlyas's date of death. Hüsameddin gives this date as 813 [1410-11]. İsmail İpek writes that the date 837 [1433-34] appears in the Lemezât and that, since Pîr İlyas and Yahyâ-yı Şirvânî were disciples of the same sheikh and close to each other in age, this second date seems more correct. Özköse uses the date 833 [1429]. The date Hüsameddin gives also creates difficulty because it falls almost half a century before the death in 860 [1455] of Sadreddîn-i Hiyâvî, accepted as Pîr İlyas's sheikh. A similar uncertainty applies to his son-in-law Gümüşlüzâde Abdurrahman Çelebi: Baha Tanman gives his death as 903 [1497-98], Özköse as 827 [1424].

Among the buildings in the list, the most important that stands today is the Çilehâne, that is, the Yâkub Paşa Lodge. According to Baha Tanman, its waqf deed was registered in Zilkade 815 [February 1413] by the judge of Amasya Mevlânâ Rükneddin Mahmud, nicknamed Sarı Kadı; it was founded by Pazarlıoğlu Yâkub Paşa, Beylerbeyi of Ankara, with the condition that it be for the Halvetiyye. The sheikhs Hüsameddin lists as the "Silsiletü'z-Zeheb" largely agree with the list Tanman gives. Tanman also records that in 1031 [1622], to resolve the dispute over the sheikhship that arose between Vâiz Şeyh Hüsâmeddin Efendi and Şeyh Abdi Efendi, a madrasa was opened in the mescit and halvethane section of the building, and the lodge function was continued in the other sections. Hüsameddin's saying "the sheikhship became an additional duty to a professorship" must describe a later stage of this dual use.

The building also carries a separate value in architectural history. On the two sides of the mescit are lined six windowless halvethanes in which the dervishes withdrew into retreat (halvet) and six windowed dervish cells; the lodge's popular name "Çilehâne" comes from this. Tanman finds it surprising that the plan scheme of this rare order building, which has reached our day in its original form from the early Ottoman period, was not continued in other Halvetî lodges in the following centuries. The wrought-iron door of the tomb, signed "amel-i Ramazan el-Kastamonî," is a distinguished example of early Ottoman metalwork. The building was damaged in the 1939 Erzincan earthquake and repaired in 1967. It is relayed from Hasan Karataş's thesis that because very many Halvetî sheikhs were raised here the building was called a "dervish factory." The Pîr İlyas Tomb close by also stands today in the Pirler Park; in this tomb, built in 1486, renewed in 1688, and destroyed after the earthquake of 1895 and rebuilt, together with Pîr İlyas lie his son-in-law and grandson.

A few details Özköse relays about the other Halvetî lodges add life to Hüsameddin's dry lists of sheikhs. Sâlih Efendi, sheikh of the Şamlar Lodge, is a person believed to have healed the mentally ill, and his grave is in the last room on the east side of the Bîmarhâne. Pîr Sinan (d. 957/1550), founder of the Şehre Küsdü Lodge, was forbidden to preach because he criticized Prince Mustafa, governor of Amasya, in his sermons, and, taking offense, left all his duties and withdrew into seclusion; the quarter's name "Şehre Küsdü" is tied to this event. It is also a record relayed from Necdet Yılmaz that Rasul Efendi, who became sheikh at the Hoca Sultan Lodge at the beginning of the seventeenth century, was removed from office in 1017 [1608] on the ground that a debt was found against him in the waqf accounting, while the people attributed this to the judge's malice. Özköse also mentions a Halvetî lodge Hüsameddin does not include in this list, the Meydan Lodge built in 1467 by Ehl-i Hatun, granddaughter of Şâdgeldi Paşa, again relying on later pages of Amasya Tarihi.

The Entry of Naqshbandism into Anatolia

The entry on the Mahmûd Çelebi Lodge touches directly on a disputed question of Turkish Sufi history. According to Hüsameddin, the judge İmâdzâde Bedreddîn Mahmûd Çelebi had this lodge built in 807 [1404-05] for Rükneddîn Mahmûd Buhârî, one of the halifes of Bahâeddîn Nakşbend. Relying on this record, Özköse mentions the lodge as "the first Naqshbandiyya lodge in Anatolia." Hasan Demirtaş notes that the general acceptance in scholarly circles is that Naqshbandism entered Anatolia in the second half of the fifteenth century through Simavlı Molla Abdullah İlâhî, while some studies tie the order's entry to the Naqshbandî sheikhs who were in Timur's army at the Battle of Ankara and put forward that the first lodge was founded in Amasya in 1404-1405 by Bedreddin Mahmud Çelebi. Demirtaş assesses the previously unpublished waqf deed of Şeyh Hâce İshak er-Rûmî dated 1381, from the Saruhanids period, as a document adding new data to this debate.

The date of the lodge's founding falls only two years after the Battle of Ankara. That a Bukharan Naqshbandî sheikh came to Amasya in precisely these years may be connected with Timur's Anatolian campaign; but no record confirming this could be reached. Hüsameddin's saying that in the time of Bayezid II the Halvetîs in this lodge both continued the hatm-i hâcegân and applied Halvetî customs is also noteworthy: this detail, showing the procedures of two orders living together under the same roof, suggests that the boundaries between the orders in Amasya were not as definite as supposed. Hüsameddin's saying in the introductory part that Sun'ullah Buhârî with the Naqshbandî grace also "illuminated" the great ones of the Halvetîs completes the same picture.

The Amasya Mevlevîhâne and Şeyh Cû'î

The short information Hüsameddin gives about Mevlevîism fits into a more detailed frame in Abdülhalim Durma's article on Mevlevîism in Amasya. According to Durma, Alâeddin Ali Pervâne Bey had the first Mevlevîhâne built in 1314 and arranged its waqfs; the content of the lost waqf deed has been reconstructed from the oral statements of those who saw it. But the Mevlevîs' presence in Amasya is older than this: according to the old documents Hüsameddin saw, in 1276 Veliyüddin Ahmed Dede, in 1284 Alâeddin Ali Dede, and in 1300 Celâleddin Mehmed Dede were in Amasya as Mevlevî sheikhs. In 1602 the Mevlevîhâne burned; the sheikh Mehmed Ârif Dede reported the situation to the former grand vizier Bayram Paşa, and Bayram Paşa in 1637 brought water at his own expense to Amasya, which was suffering from a water shortage, and had the Mevlevîhâne rebuilt together with a caravanserai. The date Hüsameddin gives, 1047, coincides with this.

The Mevlevîhâne was near the Hükümet Bridge, on the bank of the Yeşilırmak. Durma writes that the building last hosted in 1919 the meeting held to announce to the people a circular Mustafa Kemal sent from Havza, that one of its sheikhs, Cemaleddin Efendi, was among the delegation that invited Mustafa Kemal from Havza to Amasya, and that he was among the founders of the Amasya Association for the Defense of Rights. It is probable that the building was demolished when today's Yavuz Selim Square was opened after the abolition of the orders in 1925.

Mehmed Cû'î Dede, founder of the Şeyh Cû'î Mevlevîhâne mentioned in fourteenth place in the list, served as sheikh in the Amasya Mevlevîhâne in the time of Şâdgeldi Paşa, then withdrew to his own village, had a Mevlevîhâne, lodge, school and fountain built there in 1414, and endowed all the village's land to the Mevlevîhâne. The date 817 Hüsameddin gives corresponds to this year. Hüsameddin says "no trace remains" of the lodge; the village was for a long time called Şeyhcui and, although its official name is today Yuvacık, is still known by its old name among the people. In some sources it is recorded that Şeyh Cû'î's tomb is beside the village mosque and that the fountain he had built still stands today; this information could not be confirmed on the spot.

The Müftüoğlu Lodge and Celvetîism

In the last entry Hüsameddin says that the Müftüoğlu Lodge belonged to the Halvetîs, but presents its first sheikh as a halife of "Hüdâyî Mahmûd Efendi." Aziz Mahmud Hüdâyî (d. 1038/1628) is the founder of the Celvetiyye order. From this contradiction Özköse concludes that the lodge, though built for the Halvetiyye, was run by Celvetî sheikhs. Yet it is not easy to separate the two orders by definite lines. According to Hasan Kâmil Yılmaz the chain of the Celvetiyye merges with the Bayramiyye, but Hüdâyî's sheikh Üftâde and Hüdâyî himself have ties with Halvetî circles; Hüdâyî said, "Our path is both Halvetî and Celvetî." Hüsameddin's characterization is in this respect not wholly wrong; considered together with his counting Celvetîism in the introductory part among the short-lived paths seen in Amasya after 960, it can be said that the Müftüoğlu Lodge is perhaps the only concrete trace of this brief Celvetî period.

The Fate of the Lodges

Hüsameddin's list, read through, looks less like a date of founding than a date of dissolution. An important part of the lodges had vanished before the author's own time: the Hızır Paşa and Kağnı lodges burned in the fire of 1143 [1730-31], the Müftüoğlu Lodge in the fire of 1099 [1687-88]; the Hoca Sultan Lodge was divided among heirs and became private property; on the site of the Gümüşlüoğlu Lodge the Fâtıma Hanım Madrasa was founded in 1153; the Çevikçe and Ak Hasanoğlu lodges were converted to madrasas, the Hicâbî Lodge to a school. At the end of the nineteenth century the waqfs of the Kuşbâz and Şeyh Abdul lodges were transferred to the Maarif, and when Caucasian immigrants were settled in the Mehmed Paşa Lodge in 1296 [1879], the building became a private residence and was never able to return to its real function. What is seen is that the sheikhship's turning into a source of income passing from father to son and divided into shares was one of the chief causes of this dissolution; Hüsameddin too in many places speaks of heir sheikhs dismissed "because they were not fit." The lodges that remained standing wholly lost their function with the closing of the tekkes and zaviyes in 1925.

Some Difficulties in the Text

The editor of the book notes, in the entry on the Gümüşlüoğlu Lodge, that the date "1099" given for the death of Abdurrahmân Çelebi must be a printing error, since it should come before the date 1073 that follows. In the entry on the Mahmûd Çelebi Lodge too the date 1166 is mentioned before 1159 and 1160; it is either a printing error or a confusion of order arising from the author's following the events sheikh by sheikh separately. The subject of the sentence in the introductory part, after Bayram Paşa's rebuilding of the Mevlevîhâne in 1047, "around 1160 it prevailed over all the Halvetî, Naqshbandî and Mevlevî paths," is not clear; the sentence reads as if it says Mevlevîism prevailed over itself. That the next sentence tells that Naqshbandîism left the other paths behind suggests that there may be an omission or typesetting error here. The expression "kâime-i nakdiyye" (paper taking the place of money) used for the founder of the Çevikçe Lodge Özköse understood as "valuable paper making"; the founder's epithet "Kırtâsî" (paper-maker) also shows that he was engaged in paper making. The "storm of 1099" Hüsameddin mentions in various entries appears in Özköse as "the events of the year 1099/1688"; no information on the nature of this confusion was found.

Bibliography

Primary sources

• Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 1, p. 148–155. amasya.bel.tr

Academic studies

• Ahmet Yaşar Ocak, "Baba İlyas", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 4, 1991, p. 368. https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/baba-ilyas
• Ahmet Yaşar Ocak, "Baba İshak", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 4, 1991, p. 368-369. https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/baba-ishak
• Ahmet Yaşar Ocak, "Babaîlik", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 4, 1991, p. 373-374. https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/babailik
• Günay Kut, "Âşık Paşa", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 4, 1991, p. 1-3. https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/asik-pasa
• M. Baha Tanman, "Yâkub Paşa Tekkesi", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 43, 2013, p. 285-286. https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/yakub-pasa-tekkesi
• Süleyman Uludağ, "Halvetiyye", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 15, 1997, p. 393-395. https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/halvetiyye
• Hasan Kâmil Yılmaz, "Celvetiyye", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 7, 1993, p. 273-275. https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/celvetiyye
• Hasan Kâmil Yılmaz, "Aziz Mahmud Hüdâyî", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 4, 1991, p. 338-340. https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/aziz-mahmud-hudayi
• Kadir Özköse, "Amasya'da Bulunan Halvetiyye Tekkeleri", Akademiar Dergisi, no. 5, Ankara 2018, p. 91-118. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/606666
• İsmail İpek, "Amasya'da Halvetîlik ve Pir İlyas Şücâeddin'in Hayatı", Uluslararası Amasya Âlimleri Sempozyumu Bildiriler Kitabı, I, Amasya 2017. https://isamveri.org/pdfdrg/G00226/2017/2017_IPEKI.pdf
• Hasan Demirtaş, "Nakşibendîlik'in Anadolu'da Ortaya Çıkışının Belgesi: Şeyh Hâce İshak er-Rumî Vakfiyesi", Vakıflar Dergisi, no. 50, 2018, p. 23-46. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/vakiflar/article/506506

Official sources

• Pir Şücaeddin İlyas Türbesi, Kültür Portalı (Amasya İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü).

Other sources

• Abdulhalim Durma, "Amasya'da Mevlevilik", semazen.net.
• Taylan Köken, "Şeyh Cui Baba Türbesi / Amasya – Merkez – Yuvacık Köyü", Sosyo Denemeler, 2013.