Table Of Content18 = Halil Inalctk
state and governing. Acording to him the four virtues a ruler must
possess are'a.dl, lti.lm, sehA' , o.nd hikmet. Speaking of the importance Dervish and Sultan: An Analysis of the Otnmn Ilaba
of ltilm, he transnrits the proverb " Mlirt.ivvet Eeriatryener " (genercls-
Vilnvefitamesi
ity overcornes the slnria), (Tdrihr,r Abu'l-.feth, p. 20).
29. V. Bartholcl, Orto, As7,61TilrkTarihi lnkhnda dcrsler (Istanbul,
1927),p.7 5. On the Karakhanids, see O. Pritsak ,lA,vol. VI, pp. 25I'
73; unfortunately, we have not seen the same author's unpublished
dissertation on the subiect.
30. Arat, KmadguBilig, vol.I, Metin,"Girig," p. XXII; S. M. Arsal, :
ibid., p.94.
3 1 . Kutadgu Bilig, vol. [, Metin, p. XXVII. VnaLmr;er-rip S,l\htEah-tl orSV(tLilTaAyNe ItTnIaumANe,- ia lSsuol traenfeBrarebcal , tow ains cthoetl lprvleotrekd a sin VAiluttg'yuest-t
32. On perfornting iustice as a duty to God in ancient Iran, see the
At-tdc fi altldki 'l-mulfik, attributed to al-C0hiz (Beirut, 1955), 1483 by ong of Baba's dervishes, Ktigtik Abclal, a nickname given by
Otman Baba hirnself.lFrom a reference in tlte rvork we learn that the
pp. 268-70.
author was with Otman Baba in the Dobruja irt 1462. Written by one
33. We prefer "just"for koni here.
of Baba's dervishes who evidcntly collectecl nraterial carefully, and
34. The new edition by T. Tekin, A Grammar of Orkhon Turkic
from Baba's own words, the l/ilri.yetnarre colrstitutes an intportant
(T3h5e. HOang uthei:s M poroubtloenm, ,1 9s6e8e) .H. Inalctk, "Osntanlt Hukukuna giri;," saobudracelis fmo,r aannc la tuhtehe hnitsicto aryc coofu rRlt trorfn BAabbdaa'sll alirfre ,in th gee nSeurfai l.c loAclttrhinoeu gohf
SBF D^ergisi 1312, pp. 102-107;_S. M. Arsal, ibid., pp. 287 -9L
preserrted and interpreted as annno.ktbname, Baba's life ancl extraor-
36. Alrk PagazAde ,Tevdrih-i AI-i Osmdn (Istanbul, 1949),pp. 103- dinary deeds are told in a way that allows us to penetrate the actual
i04: "Bu bdb Osman Gdzt'nin kanunu ahkdmin bildilrtir."
37 . See the publication of H. Darke, p. 162; English translation of hsiatugaiotigornasp haincd lmiteortaivteusre. ,I nasltle oafd thoef sstteorreieosty poebdv ioSttrosrlieys bceolomnmgo tno tBoa sbuac'hs
NizAmtr 'l-Mulk, The Book of Government or Rules of Kings, trans- own experiences. With this characteristic the rvork can be ptlt in the
lated by H.Darke (London, 1960), pp.I27-28.
same category as Manakib al-'Arifin or Manakib-i Gi,ilghetti, ratlter
38. On the great toy after the concluest of Istanbul in 1453, see Ev- than with the Saltukname.2 Here I shall concelltrate on the data u'itlr
liya Qelebl, Seydltatndnte, vol.X, pp. 60-62. regard to Baba's relatiorts with the sultan, leaving a Systenlatic
39 . Ftridrkhh Mehmet, SildhdarTartht, vol. I, ed. A. Refik (Istanbul, examination of this important historical source to another study.
1928), p.271. On this tradition as a public institution in the Turkish Kiigiik Abdal, author of the Vilayetname, being well informed
state, see F. Koprtilti, "IslAnt Atnme hukukundan ayn bir Ti.irk Amme aboutthe Sufi doctrine fronr rvhich Otman Baba's deecls were clerived,
lru4k0u.k Ttr hyiosk pmouidnut rh?a" sI [ b. eT eurn k mT aardi eh Kw uerulll tkayn ot Zwanb tbtlayr tI, .p pK.a 3f e8 3s -o4f l1u 8:. added an introduction with illrrrtrinating colllnlents:
"Selgtrklular," IA, fasc. 105, p. 390. This is the age of vilol'a (davr-i vildya) . . . vilaya is the
41. An English translation of Kutadgu Bilig is now available:
Wisdom of Ro1'sl Glory, [rans., with an introduction and notes, by shepherd of prophethood. Wlioever is s gbj ec t to the appeara nce
of vilaya, he is the promoter of it in the outer and furner worlds,
Robert Dankoff, University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, because prophethood is eltrusted to vilaya. Anyone who is
I 983. against vilaya ancl the holder of vilaya becomes a denier of
prophethood, and therefore an infidel.
2O = Halil Inalctk Dcruish and Sultan = 2l
Ilelow lieaven Gocl has l'tis avliya,' nobody knows whcl When you give a blorv with the hancl of clivine po\ver
they are except Cod hinrself. Now a vall is the man who The oppressor realizes his place befure vou
controls everything in this world bllt needs nobody.
Vilaya becornes absolutely pure and clean. He is the You r-nake the sLrltan of the *,clrld realize his riglrt place
klnhfa. of God irr the universe. . . . He extinguisltes his You take the souls of all cre atures
human limitations in the state of union with God. . . . At this And in the encl yoll remain as the only.orre irr the universe.
stage a true dervish desires nothing but a,l-hakk (the Truth,
the Divinity). FIe enjoys a total freedom from worldly ties. In brief, according to tlie Vilal'etnarne Otrnarr Baba was the frurb
K utb al - A kt ab,t hat i s, God' s emi ss ary ( kha lffa - i khuda ), or "the pole of the universe" in his tirne, ancl so all things inclucling the
is that man who makes happen anything he wishes . . . and Sultan had to recognize and consult him in their acts. The itlea of
for it needs no means or help. . . . The kutbiyya is the kutbiyya is the basic belief in the radical forms of the Islarrric Sufi
higheststage (rnakam)thatmancanreach. . . . Extinguishing doctrine, in particular, in the kolandoriyye ancl abtlaltsm.
all his human linritations a ktttb is in a constant state of In his discourse on vilaya and vali, 'Abcl al-Il.alrrniln Jalni3 tlistin-
errtasis. He sees everything in the universe in his own guislres a particular group of melr of ttila),a (oslmLt al- vilttya r.tr osltalt
being. . . . He is on the throne of kutbiyya in the center of al-sirr) who are supposed to be in a constftnt state <tf conte mplation of
the assembly of souls. A kutb contemplates al-hakk all the God (mushahada). Living in a constant state of entasis (jazba), they
time. The two worlds become a paradise for mankind for his are oblivious of all worldly things. This is the highesr srage in the path
sake. of a Sufi. The sign of prophethoclcl is forever manifest with thern. They
The dlvan-i saltanal (irnperial council), rvhich Otman held by are in control of everything in the universe. Rain fall,s, sultarrs renrain
corrvoking his abdals on special occasions, recalls the "assembly of in power, skies turn in space for the sake of their blessing (ltaraka).
souls." They are not known to people nor recognizable irr their appear-arlce.
The Vilayetnanrc reproduces Baba's own words exactly as he Sufi literature elalrorates a dctailecl description of this particular
pronounced them, revealing an Azeri accent that changed 'k' into group. It is said that at the bottorl there are three hundred aklry,l1,y trit1,
'kh.' According to Kiigtik Abdal, what made Otman Baba different the "power of loosing and bindi ng" ( hall wa' I' a kd ),' forty of these are
from other avliya was that he claimed to embody Divine Truth (hakD, called abdttl.a Seven of the abdals occupy the seat of bttdulti. ancl four
as r.vell as the Prophets Muhanrmed, Jesus, Moses, and Adam. He was of the buclall occupy the seat of ay,tad. Anrong thern there are three
the Prophet's secret mystery , sirr. Baba said: "I am the iron pole from nukaba and one kutb. They are all knorvn to eaclr other arrcl each acts
the earth to the sky," rvhich was obviously a reference to being kutb with the knowleclge and agreemerrt of the others. Each of the seven
or one of the avtad (four poles in the doctrine, see below). abdals is assigned by God to take care of one of the seven regions of
Otman Baba made people beiieve in his divine power by instilling the world, and the four awtacl guard the four carclinal points.
fear in their hearts, by using his club (ktittlik), and by manifesting his The akhyar donot need a guicle (nurshid) toreach kutbiyl,cr.In each
Imyba and calal (awe-inspiring majesty). In Sufi doctrine, makhafa age lives one kutb or gltawth rvho is a successor to the Prophe t irr
(fear) is one of the paths, the other two being mahabba (love) and calling people to the rmth (hakH. Abclals do nor stay in one place.
ma'ri.ftt (gnosis). Thus, it seems that Otman Baba gave priority to They are free from all worldly concerns, so they tlo rrot have fanril1.,
nrakhafa in his yo,rI(a..Vtla,yetname celebrates his overpowering his home, or any kind of property. Th ei r tonrbs are wil I rout a tracre. A ll rh is
opponents with these verses: explains why abdals clo not have, as a nrle, an establi shed. tarike or ir.
shrine. They are not known to ordinary people, who usuall;' 1'L. thern
You, power of God, master of the age, for fools or for ones possessecl and rnistreat thent. In the 1/iltl.)'etnarnc.
You terke the life of those rvho denv: Otman Baba is presented as a kutb al-akta.lt in control of tr',,rt rvorlds
22 = Halil Ina.lctk Deruish and Sullan = 23
(ta,sarruf-i du jaltan).'fhere are twelve kutbs for each age. Before Our Vilayetname provides a description of arr abclal. When asked
by the cadi of Dirnavi (Trnovo), Otman Baba himself defined abdal
Otnran Baba, Hajji Bekdash and then Sheikh Shudja were kutb in the
as follows. "An abdal is the man who gives up all but Allah (nttl siva
region of Rirrn (Anatolia). Kutb is the center and axis of the world, and
all the happenings in this world take place with the knowledge and allah), and finds himself absorbeclrvithin the kx,e of the I)ivine'fruth.
irritiative (ikdam) of the kutb. Only rarely does the kutb assunre At tlris union (vtsal) tliere is no roonr for other things. Th-Ie'a balbedt al finds
hinrself and all things which are written in the Divine (klmtt-
control of both the spiritual and the material worlds. Two intams,
"Abd al-Rabb and "Abd al-Malik, take seats on either side of the kutb i-tlaht)in God's creatures, and sees nothing but the Divine Tntth (al-
(Otman Baba had two abdals: Deli Umur and Kaymal), and the kutb ha!k) around himself. FIe is the one rvho reacltes (erer.) the stage of
absoltrte and direct knowledge of the Trutlt ('ilnt al-yaktn)." On
supervises the angelic kirrgdom and worldly kingdom through them.
another occasiotr, his abdals, ansrvcring the cacli of Eclirne, clescribing
To follow Otman Baba's deeds (karamat) as told in the Vila1ts1n6m.,
rve have also to remerlber the Sufi doctrine of the universal man (al- Otrnan Baba as "the old man (kocu)of our age. I Ie is the kutb al- o ktdlt
irtsdn ol-komil).s Tlre outel nrilcrocosn (ol-za.ltir) includes all indi- and the sun in the zodiac of the Divine Truth. And rve are his slaves
seeking knowledge (mlib banda)." Kiigi"ik Abdal writes: "Ilerc and
vidual beings, and duality is clf tlie nature of this world. Ilut in the sight
of the Essence the universe appears like a single one. Unity of beings hereafter, (the holder of) the vilaya becornes Gocl's favor ancl rcve als
ancl things is the essential truth. "Arnong all the beings of this world God's contpassion and power for the rvorld. It is (the holder of) the
nran alone has a vision which in virtuality includes all things. . . . All Vil[ya who is the master of the world." In fact, Otnrarr Baba's life as
the possibilities which are unfolded in the world are principally descrjbecl in the Vilayetnanrc by one of his disciples is the rnost
contained in man's intellectual essence." In man, the subjective autherttic and reliable picture of wlrat arr abclal is and rvlrat his beliefs
are.
polarization of the spirit reaches its culminating point. The global
The Vilayetname refers to Otnran Baba nrost of tlre tirre as kdn-i.
meaning is actualized only in one who has effectively realized all the
vilayet (mine of vilaya), also occasionally as sirr-i llakk (Mystcry of
universal tnrths reflected in his terrestrial form, and who is thus
God), dltat-i bi-rnithal (unrivaled essence), rnoksud-i irtsrht (purpose
identified with the Perfect or Universal Man. Among men, the
prophets and the poles (kutb), having realized union or the Supreme of nran), kutb-i alam (pole of the universe) , or kutb al- a ktab (pole of
poles). Titles or attributes used by thc rvordly powers, such as sultan,
Identity, becorne the Universal Man. FIe is the Unique Prototype (al-
shah, padishah are also given to hirn to refer to his absolute sovereigrr
arunuzai al-fartd). All of the divine qualities or relationships (nasab)
position in the whole universe.
are integrated in him.6
Abdal activism and its sociopolitical nature beconte clear i.vhen the
For Max Weber, who was iltterested in dervish religion in Islam,T
abdals' actions and social connections are exarnined in light of their
the Otman B aba type of dervish comes under the category of contem-
belief. In their doctrine the paramount principle is to reach and help
plative mystics: The "contemplative mystic is concentrated with
the oppressed and helpless (ma2ltun), those who have left their home
perceiving the essential meaning of the world. . . unity beyond all
empirical reality. . . . (He) requires of himself the maintenance of his and wander about ( ghartb), and the |orverles s (niskrn). They describe
state of grace against every pressure of the mundane order."8 The themselves as gharib and miskin. They declarc they are against "those
conternplative mystic believes he is God's instrltntetrt. For him, who oppress people for their love of worldly possessions and vanity."
mystic illumination constitutes "the most notable fonn of an aware- In their doctrine "those who have worclly acquisitions are not Gocl's
true slaves."
ness of having executed the divine will." His activism comes from the
Throughout the Vilayetname we find Otman Baba helpirrg the
belief that he has reached the mystical truths which "come to assume
helpless in the fields or the ghazis in their fight against the infidels.
a central position within, and to exert an integrating influence upon,
the total view of the world." He becomes what Weber calls a Helping the helpless at the right nroment is also one of the qualities of
"rnystagogue" and a revolutionary. Hidr and Ilyas, so irt theViltl.l,gtnanrc there is a closc association ancl
24 = IIa.lil Inalctk Dervish and Sultan = 25
Cooperatiolt bet\veep thepl ancl Baba. 01 the other ltatlcl, restorillg were not clistinguished frorn the frontier ghirzrs. The gltd.zi.y-ti.n are
order and justice on earth girres the group to rvhich the abdals belonged cited by "Agrk Paga-zlde side by side wirh rlre abc{rtlan, as the
its ntilitant character. andthis has a clirect bearing on otlr poillt in this instruments of God to spread His .,vord.13
Bttt now, ghazts were to be founcl only on the distaltt frontiers of the
a'D uarDio eicnr.ra.-t ic) Iep ahndriseht athhes Cfoonllcol ruie'inrogr bheisca unnrep roencee dofe nthtee dm dose et dpso uin'e rIsfulal rannicd edmidp, itrhee. yR heacde ivtoin rge lnyo esxaclalurys,i vaes ltyh eo rsrt athned irlrrgo oatnyn tyh eoyr tchoeu llicrrlr atar-khcc lilrcrl ethrse
liistory'. anci since he imposed upon his subjects, pa.rticularly on the dangerous raids into neighboring Christian .countries. Both groups,
nontads. heavv obli-eatiorts for his inrperial plans, Otrnan Baba, the the ghhzis and abdals, of the same sclcial background, macle a strong
kurb-i 'alant, chose him as the one to challenge' The l/ilat"etname partnership. Jihadr frontier fighting in the path of Gorl, and rlujahada
revolves around the Sufi doctrine of kutbiyya and al-insan al'kamil' of the dervish to concluer the patir leading to God, had a common
and Otrnan Baba as ktttb at-aktab claims control not only of the mystic meaning.ra
strriritual but also of the acttral socio-political life of his time' Abdal To be a dervish exempts one frorn paying taxes, and the income of
ntilitancy explains Otman Baba's aSsociation with Seglllented grottps a nlonastery provicles foocl. For a l)oor peasal)t, who had to leave lris
of Ottorlart societ\'. tlte frorttier ghazts and the Ytirtiks' Their large- father's home because the g:ift lanrl, eithcr bccause of its linritccl size
sc3le relrelliol occun'ed i1 1416 trpcler tfie leadelship of S[eik[Baclr or for any other reason, could not l'eed an expancling l'amily, thc way
al-Din in the silule area \vhere Otman Baba later became active'e The out was to run away. I-Ie could join raiders on the fl'ontier; or he could
Ytirtiksr0 felt strorrgly that they rvere suffering ttnder the centralist- be a wage laborer (irgat);or he could be a siltts (,rofta), rhat is, a
brtreliucratic regime of the Ottotnatt sttltaus' Since the settlecl peas- student at a srnall town rnadrosa,'or he could beconrc: 'r dervish. In all
AntS, lhe re' a-r'ri, coulct rtot be enrployecl for stlch tasks aS conStruction of these endeavors he was freecl from taxes ancl burclrucratic corrtrol.
of bridges ancl fortresses oI wOIk in the tnines, the central bttreaucracy On the otherhand, to rvattder about in the countrysiclc n,as neither easy
rnobilizecl Yiiriiks as readily available labor for such works'11 Yiiriiks or safe. Otman Baba in his wanclerings was taken as a runaway slar,'e
were sr-rbiecteci to variotts military duties Llllder Strict regulations llot several times by ordinary lr4uslim and Christian peasants.
only in these heavy works but also as light footmen or gualds in the Those who joinedOtman Baba as his abdals were mostly shephercls
fortresses or raiclers at the frontier zones. E'xemption from extraordi- from the Yi.iriik population of Dobruja and the eastenr Balkan range .
ltary taxes as compensation was not ellollgh to alleviate the plight of This area, densely populated by Ytiriiks or Tiirkmen (Turcomans),
theie pastoral no,lads, for all the restrictions ancl State regtrlations forefathers of the present-day Turks of Bulgaria, prospered by raising
brougiit unbearable burclens illcompatible with their basic economy sheep and exporting to large cities wool, hiries, ancl c:heese, as r.vell as
cerfladt irzvea1c,l osft alitfee .o Af tphreo fsouulntacnl sh onsratidlitey thtoer' vYair"di ritihkes ionpcreena stoin galtyl yb ruatdeiacua-l tBhaebira c ovaisrsiete wd,o owllaesrt aann din fteplto mrtaarnrut fcaecntutreers <. lYf afenblto mlu,a nounefa ocft uthrien gto wanncsl
propagancla, whether in the eastern Balkans or in Anatolia, where they exported throughout the empire.ls It is interesting to rlote that rvhile
wmeenrets arnvi tihll trpaocilitcaanl tv ipeawrst othfa tt hdee npieodp uthlaet iioeng'rit2im Saoccyi oo-fr tehleig siouultsa nm'so rvuele- jootimneadn hBisa baab dwaalss .i nB aEbdai ronuet,r aag Yeid.i rtthike wbhuotc hberorsu gohf t Eschleirenpe tbo yt htea kcinitgy
or anything represeptirtg tfue present order of the world appealed to lambs rvhich were hanging by their feet ancl throrving thern in the nrucl
thent. Otrlan Baba's abclais, nrainly shepherds-the most destitute in the street. They brought the case to the cacli's court, but he coulcl clo
melnbels of the Yiiri-iks society-joined him and created in hirn the rrothing against Baba. In short, Otrnan appears to have recnrited his
sgpelmali powel challenging the great sultan and everything he clervishes nrostly frclrn anrong the sinrple Ytiriiks <lf the eastenl
"if Balkans, from Yize to the mouth of the Danube.l6 It is to be renrem-
repreSented."DOn't you See," the Vilayetnlme States, sOmeOne
owes his livelihoocl io a worldly ruler (diinya begi), and somehow he bered that the settlement of Yiirtiks and their forrrring of small villages
disagrees with what he orders, they accuse him of rebellion' they was an ongoing process in the area.17 Yiirtiks in Dobruja ancl Deli-
throw hirn in a dungeon and kill hinr." The Ytirliks, in this tradition' Orman served at the sarne time as ghazis or raiders (u.ktnus), uncler
26 = Halil Inalctk
Deruish and Sultan = 27
l'an.totrs frontier begs such as Mihal Oglu 'Ali Beg. In the V[ldyetnune,
'Ali Beg is described as a ghazi beg rvho lecogllizes Otman Baba as Sultan by their unfounded criticisms."2t An irrrportant part of the
il Saint, and becontes a kind of protector. The frontier begs were putrlic treasure goe.s to thousand"s of r/rl. a-gtiyan, who hatl no other
traclitionally autonontous anci centrifugal in the face of the sultatt's fitnction than "sayirrg prayers" for the sultan. But, in fact, these clt{ a.-
centralist government. This conflict became especiaily tetrse during gilyan, who includccl dervishes, were expected to perforpr a rnest
Mehrned the Conqueror's time, since he had embarked upon a fundamental function for the sultan by supporting hirn among the
particularly strong centralist empire. people. Such a function was assumed by deryishes in the countryside.
In the past, the same policy appears to haveplayed an importantpart The vilayetname, however, bitterly atta'cks all those copforrlist
dervishes:
in the ten'ible insurection of abdals tlnder the leadership of Sheikh
Badr al-Din, in rvhich the frontier population, and their brothers who
were left in the Sarukhan-Izmir area, participated.ls (Interestingly T'hey are afraid of the lords of this rvclrlcl (d[inS,6 begleri),
enough, Otrran Baba's early activities took place in Sarukhan before They invite people ro rhe parh of the Trurh,
he nloved--or was cleported-to the eastern Balkans.) It wils tlnder B,t their follorvers arc rone but boys and w.rnen.
Bay,ezicl I (1389- 1402) that the Ytiri.iks of Sartrkhan were exiled to All they are concernccl about are. rnaterial gains,
Runreli, and the Yiiri.ik rnigration continued later on aS better eco- They have no self-respect or honest1,.
rronric conditions artd ghaza' booty attracted thern'
Historical sources suggest that there was a constant migration of Tlte gror-rp which Otman clenourrced as hypocrites incluclecl ulerrn,
Turconran tribal grollps fronr the east.te They first an'ived in westerll sufis, rlanislunerutCs, and nnsh41,iftlr. Ulema ancl clanishmencls were
Anatolia, and then crossed the Darclanelles to Settle in the eastern particularly hostile, even llore inte-nsely than govctrnment authorities,
Balkans and Macedonia. Baba started his career in Azerbaijan, then toward otman and his abdal:. rvho attacked thcnr because abclals
moved. to western Anatolia, and finally to the eastern Balkans. Ilis believed they were concerned only with zahir.-.- rhe appearances-
center of activities became the area between Misivri, Zagra and and not with the Truth. In the Vilal,synanre, sufi j Are those devout
Babadag. In this regiotr Tanrrdagl, a center of the Ytjrijks knorvn as Muslims who perform only the outwarcl ritual for the sake of favors
Tatnrrdaf Yiirtiklen, was the favorite wandering area of our dervish, in the other world. Mashayikh are those sheikhs of religious orders
and finally his tarlka and tekke were located there. In brief, Otman who acceptwa.kf grants from people or thc sta1o, establish a lnonas*
Baba's ussociation with the Ytirtiks of the eastem Balkans is a key tery, and secure for themselves and their offsprirrg arl easy life. In fact,
point in urtderstanding his social and religious background. many such zaviyes, established for the sheikhs o1'particular orders,
There is a comrnon assLllnption that the oriental ruler has absolute controlledquite large sources of income iri the fonrr of land and. anirtral
po\\/er and that the ruled are totally passive and submissive. But stock free of taxation. Adrninistration of the inconre was in the hancls
advice-to-king literature of the East makes it qr-rite clear that lvithout of the sheikh, who transmittecl it to his offspring. Some of the sheikhs
popular Support a ruler is not Secure on his throue.20 What made were very prosperous indeed.22In their diplornas from the slltan they
dervishes so powerful and defiant was precisely that they were were asked to serve the travelers and the poor ancl to constantly pr.ay
tremendotrsly influential in shaping public opinion in the traditional for the sultan. For the abdals, such conforrnist rnashayikh vvere
hypocrites. As the vtlayetnonrc puts it, "They sell a false ma,rifa,
society in which they lived.
The dervishes, preachers, and rnell of religion in general assumed amass worldly possessions, and pretend to provicle spiritual guici-
ance."
a legitinrizing authority in the Islamic state. The bureaucrat-historian
Mustafa 'Ali advised the sultan to banish those preachers who Without any wakf, Baba perfornred char-itable acts. on the moun-
compared themselves to Bayazid Bistami or Junayd Baghdadi and tain he started building a bridge, inviting others to cooperate in its
misled sinrple-minded people by their demagoguery. "Those so- completion. I-Ie and his abclals livecl on alrns rvhich were given
callecl spirittral guides (nrursltid) cause alienation of people from the voluntarily. In all the stories in tlre l/iloyetnome, Otrnan Baba reacts
violently against those who tr1, to give lrir-r"r gifts, even when the sultan
28 = Holil Inalctk Dervish arrd Sultar^t = 29
offcrs tlrcrn in tcltal hunrility. Sonretinres as a favor (rnu.ruvvrl) he ("Qttnla.nna od trktr.rlar, kagarstn"). 'I'lre sultan becanre angr.y ancl
accepts a gift in order to distribute it iu"nong his abdals and the needy. pulled out his sworcl out. Mahmuci pasha rushecl up arrd saic1, .,My
In the ascetic period of his career he sustained himself by eating leaves lord, this man is not what you think. I{e is a nran of viltiya.Despite the
and the fnrit of rvild trees. But when later on he established his own warning, Mehnred undertook the carnpaigrr, ancl everything otrnal
tartko. and had his oivn abdals, he had to feed them. Apparently he had said came true. Artother tinre, Otrnan interceyrted the sultan on his
never accepted wakfs from the sultan, and when the sultan offered to tour of the city, ancl asked straiglrtarvay: " l'ell nre who is the sultan,
build a monastery for hirn he refused. The Vilayetname tells us, you or I?" The sultan, remenrbcring Baba's wortls about the Belgracle
horvever', that he asked peasants or ghazi begs returning from a booty campaign, dismounted at oncc and kissecl the dervish's hand: ,,you
raid to send sheep as votive offerings (nadhr). Otman Baba and his a-re the pAdishah and the Divine sirr, my belovecl father. I am only your
abdals are described as rernaining absolutely faithful to the Sufi hurnble servanr." Baba said: "yor should knorv that I am pRdisirah,
principle of poverty (fakr), in orcler to distinguish themselves from not you," attd then they exchartged mysterious sign s (nnrntttzti.t).
those "hypocrite" dervishes and mashayikh. Nevertheless, Otman Later, when the sultan sent ornran Baba golcl pieces with one of his
Baba r.vas against begging. Charities can be accepted, he said, only soloks, the dervish becarrrc angrv ancl shoutecf at rlte solak. ,,Do 1ot
u,lterr the1, n1. givert absolutely volurttarily try the donor. bring this filth close to nte." Thus, aftcr the Ilelgracle carnpaign the
Otrlan Raba neither rejectecl rror directly challenged the porver and sultan had complete faith in Otnran, s wiltt1t11.
thc authority c'll the great ghilzr sultan l\4chnrect the Conclueror, Lrut he It was tltc cttstorrt with Otfomun sultans to rvalk around thc city in
made hinr believe and adrnit tliat Otman Baba himself was responsible disguise to hear',vhat was said about them and. to surprise wrorrgdoers.
for all his ghaza victories, because he was the axis (kutb) of the world When the sultan was touring the citr,'s monasteric.s to fincl out wlat
in the age, the Divine J'ruth, and the one and only ptlwer in the people were saying about hirn, Raba recognizccl hinr ancl askrrd:
turtiverse rvhich determined things to happen both here and in the "Now, tell n-re at once, who is otrnan, you or I?,'J'he strltpn, startlecl
hereafter. Sultan Mehnred claimed to be the forentost ghazi of his age, by this cluestion, repliecl: "My bel.vecl father, olrnan, is y.u, I anr
as expressed in his victory letter to the sultatt of Egypt after the not." Baba said: "You nrust believe that I arn otman ancl Jv ou are mv
collquest of Cclnstantinople. Later, he declared to the world that the sorl." J
sword of ghaza was in his hand. After the conquest, when Ak Shams The most drarnatic Stor5r in the Vilayettnnre is the one ciescribilg
al- Din, his spiritual mentor, said that the conquest was the work of the hor'v the dervish irnposed himself as a mentor of the sultan. The story
awiLlts, Mehrnet replied: "It was my srvorcl that took the city." Now begins with the arrival of Otman Baba in Eclirne u,itlr his three hunclred
Otrnan Baba, the spiritual guide of the frontier ghazis, came and abdals in late 1414. By their appcarance ancl behavior Baba ancl his
shou,ecl tlre ghazi sultan that rvithout his knowledge and support he abdals stunned the torvnspeople: "'rhel,dicl not lclok like an1, group ef
could achieve nothing. people in this world." Crowcls nrshecl to see these strange clerviihes
What makes ctur 1/ilayetnanrc of special interest is that unlike most "with the awe-inspiring huge lna." at their head. with a club in his
of the rnanakibnames it chronicles the career of the saint in close hand otman Baba rvas chasing the crorvcl, shouting, .,you ugly
relation with that of Mehmed the Conqueror, and associates the saint's townsmen, shall I have to be afiaicl of yo,? No, beca'se I a*r Gocl's
most spectacular rniracles with the sultan. The Vilayetnarzre follows, Mystery (sirr) lvitho.t a sign." Their presence i. the citv causcrl
rvith remarkable accurac)'itt chronology, the sultan's deecls and the people to argue and becorne clividecl arnong themselves. Ii appears
irrlportant e\/ents of his tinre. that the sirnple people fearecl ancl showecl an intense hostilitl,; aricl tle
One day,, Otn-ran Baba, sitting at Silivr-i-Kapr in Istanbul, overheard adnrinistrators, cadi ancl subcrslu,tried to get rid of these trorrblemak-
the sultan express his intention to capture Belgrade front the l-lurtgar- ers as soon as possible. Otrnart Ilaba's public statements macle the
ians, while walking and discussing the carnpaign with Mahmud ulema furious. He declarecl: "It is I who cieated this city, I anr the sign
Pasira. The den'ish rvarned the sultan not to undertake this canipaign: of rruth (hakk).I am the Prophets Adanr, Muhammad, Jesus, ancl
"The1, shall squeeze fire in the bells and you rvill have to flee" Moses' I have no fear of yo.. . . . with Gocl's cornmanci I horci in nrv
30 = llalil Ina.lctk
Dclish and Sultan = 3l
hands the souls of all of you." The ulerna decided that by uttering these
rvords he proved hintself an infidel. The cadi, threatening to put all in unaware of the sultan's change of nrind, hacl nracle preparations to
jail, urged them to leave the city; otherwise, he said, he would report irnpale or srike thent on hooks at the At- I\4ei'clarrr, but thought that
they shotrld have the sultan's final orcler.'I<l thcir arnazenrent, thc
to the sultan.
Ornran Baba and his abdals left in the direction of their original sultan orclered irtsteacl that Otnran Baba ancl his abclals shoulcl be
horuelancl in the eastern Balkans, but they had to retum from Krrk- settled in the Krhq-Manastlrl (ne ar Silivri-Kapr). T'he abclals believecl
Kilise (rrow Krrklareli) to Edirne. The reason given in the Vilayetname this was a rniracle by Otrnan Baba. On the part of thc sultan it rvas the
is that there Baba, throwing a look (nazar) in the direction of Istanbul, correct decision, if one considers rvhat the poptrlar reaction rvould.
received the inspiration to go to "the City of Hasan and Husayn." The have been throughout his realm to such a ntass execution of the abclals.
The ulerna, however, not bound by such concerns, insisterl that their
sante source makes it clear a bit later that the sultan had ordered that
heresy should be elinrinatecl frorn the earth.
Baba and his abcials be sent to Istanbul in custody." At this point a
dtlrreisa not rdctreer a. nIrnt bthy eo nder eoaf mth,e fa|rbcd larilsla syheotrnvasr nheor vr etlhaetey sa, catu nallalyn f ewlti tahb othtret a reTghiernIreilnat,,: 'catnrtdd rtnhea tt ethlles tuhsr ethaatt rtvhaes n slotinlla tslrteerrey. wIna sl usttgilel rs, uOnotmunacnle Rcl abbay
appearaltce of 'Ali descends frolrt the sky wearing red headgear (ktztl then struck the ground with his club ancl shoutecl: "Look, I anr the Olcl
bork)and holding a sword, atrcl addresses Otrnan Baba,saying: "You, Man of the Last Age in this rvorld. I shall show 1,ou rvho I arn by
the sirr of the two worlds. do me a favor and let me massacre these demolishing your palace oVer 1,11111 head. " Then a tcrrible storm broke
ottt in Istanbr,rl. The sultan was rt'rrning frorn one conter to another in
hypocrites." Otman replies thatit is not the time, and says to be patient.
The nran front the sky says: "How can we be patient in the face of such ahissk peadl aacbeo. Outn t hthies nuenxut sduaayl , phhee crroonmvoekneocnl .t lr"e'l 'ihmepyc rtioallc lc ohuinnrc,i"l atrhrcel
oppression and injustice, already beyond endurance?"
Such a rebellious mood reflects how Sheikh Badr al-Diti's abdals, pVoilwayeer tonft itnhee wsah1o'sl,e " tuhnAivt eyrosue crhvoitolrs teh cto t wfigehntt )a,-gfoauinrs tt hao rulrsaann wclh por ohpahcle tthse.
and later Shah-Kulu's follorvers,2o felt about the Ottoman govern-
Otman Baba sits on the zodiac of both prophethoocl ancl sainthoocl
lnent. Irt fact, Baba challenged even the sultan. When the sultan's
e"hmisis saarvrye,- ina skpui1ri,n agr rimveadje tsot yt"a k(eln hyibma vtoa Isjatalanbl)u:"l Win hao c oias cthh,a ht em saani dy,o iun hy(noutuntbdrucrervovdwa t hnao naudnsc avl ntidlha ryomanee).n t,ro fh teyh eow ugo rufoelcullln cudrp.u"os Thn h 1he,io muul elevrnvitaeh,n oh rrovreuit ,hehav aenncr,l aarrtnrmgde ybd ro itnfh gea
call Mehmed?" and waved his club in the air. He dissipated his abdals' sultan to execute at least sonre of the abclals as an exanrple to ,'those
fears and led them to Istanbul. The Vilayetname tells that his journey who rnight atternpt to cause disscnsion arnong the Muslims." In
to Istanbul served to enhance his fame ancl prestige. At Baba-Eskisi, reading theVtlaT'etrutnrc one senses the extrenrely tense atmospherc
for exanrple, tlie people rvelcomed him, kissing his hands and slaugh-
in Istanbul at that tirne. These events happcnecl just after the executiorr
tering sacrificial sheep for him. Even the kul, evidently a Janissary,
of Mahmnd Pasha, whom public opinion, in opposition to the exces-
confessed that his headgear (bork) canre from Hajji "Bekdash." When
sively atltocratic rule of thc conqueror, hacl nracle a ntartyr. Finally, the
the company came in sight of Istanbul at Ktigiik-Qekmece, Baba told sttltalt sent to the rrronastery the Grand Vizir Sinan Pasha with the
his abdals: "Halt, let us take this fortress and massacre the almy of the kadl'ttsker, then the heacl of the ulenra, r,vith a large conlpany.
jealous ones, and cut the breasts of the atheists." The Vilayetnarne
Surrottncled by his abdals Otman Baba challengecl tlrenr also. Irinalll,,
interprets these words as follows: Sultan Mehmed and the Muslims
he had to leave tlre citt,.
living in this city conquered and made it Muslim only in appearance
Gentile Bellini was in I\4ehnrecl the Conqueror's service in IstanLlul
(zahir) ; but no"v it rvas the age of vila1,a, and the city should be the
during the period 1480 to 1481. The sultan askecl him to painr rhe
scerle of its rniracles. portrait of a dervish. Gian-Maria Angiolello, then a page at rhe
When Otrnan Baba and his abdals entered the city, crowds came to
seraglio, tells us that the sultan rvas not pleased with the dervisfu, ancl
rvatch thern. While some people found them odd and srange, others
prohibited him front praising hinr by relating his concluests at the
were deeply impressed, taking them for holy men. The authorities,
Bazaar.zs When the painting was completeit the sultan askecl Bellini
32 = Halil Ina.lctk Dervish ancl Sultan = -13
rvhat he thought of thc dervish. Upon his insistellce' the pairtter atheist abclals, clervishes, and rslrrks "in tlre area cast of I;ililrc ancl
expressecl his canclicl opinion and said: "FIe ntust be a madtttatl." The Zagra,and punish, after inve.stigation ancl hcarings, tlrose anlong thenr
sultan replieci: "But I do not wanf to be lauded by a nraclnlAn." Bellitti uttering blasphemous words."28 Accorclingly, the cacli nracle investi-
said, "then why don't you make hirn your chief dervish?" and the gations and an'ested a few of "the followers of Othrnan Decle, rvho
sultan acted accordingly. Angiolello adds that, in fact, "the Conqueror was a possessed ntan (majzub), and exccuted thcm by trtrture. Another
did not believe in an1' religion, and that was everybody's opinion'" group of forty or fifty dervishes were put to t()r tul'e, arrd trvo of thenr
From this interesting conversation it may be inferred that the sultan who were found guilty under the shar'I larv rvere hanged. 'I'he rest of
showed the clervish reverence not out of sincere conviction but for the derryishes were deported to Anatcllia."
pfactical reasolts, although letters discovered in the -l'opkapr Palace The chronicle, written for sirnple peclple, then relates a rniracle
archives inclicate that Mehmed II consulted holy men about the performed by a dervish in Istanbul. This dervish crossed the se a frorn
outconle of his undertakings. Perhaps he, thought this was unavoid- Davud-Pasha-Kapusu to the other sicle of the rvater sitting on his
able, attcl even useful, in the envirottntent in rvhich he lived. In his cloak. The chronicle aclcls: "There is rro rvonder, there are and the re
youth his teacher was the noted Molla Khosraw, who was known as will be among people abclals, ntajztTlts, cre)$ antl r:c/is. Thc ordcr of
a legist of positive thinkirrg. But the dervish referred to in this story this trrtiverse clepertds ott tlterrr. But err:rrs cclnccnl thenrselves fi'rtnr
cilllnot be. oturan Baba. people and rvandcr about unkrtorvn. They clo not 'ulrke their uriracles
Accordirtg to the I/ila)'ctrtrlrnc, Otntart Baba died on 8 Rc.ieb 883/ known to the public. T'hey rarely nrake thenr :tp1rt1r'cnt."
5 OctoLrer I4TS.We are able to follorv his legacynotin rheVilayetname, The abdals of the eastern Balkans survived thc 1 494 purge, horv-
rvhich Stops with his death, but in a popular anollytllous chronicle.26 evet.2e The khalifas and da"rs of Shah Isnta'il founcl follorvers antong
The assassiltation attempt against Bayezid II in the summer of 1492 them in the area in the last anarchical years of Sultan Bayezid II. and
mft1, [s related to Otman Baba's abdals. The chronicle says, tunder Selirn I.30
Returning frorn his canrpaign in Albania, Bayezid came
over to Mottastir wltere he stayed a few days. The same day NOTES
he set out frorrr Monastir. When he was crossing a stream,
a cursed man of heresy and unbelief, clad in felt, maybe a 1. The author tells us that Otnran Baba hintsell' askecl solne of his
I-Iaydari dervish, with rings on his neck and ears, an ull- abduls to recast his deeds.The work was entrusted to KiiEtik Abclal
circr.rmcised infidel, attacked the sultan to kill him. Waiting The rnanuscript was originally a rvakf of ihe library of Hircr Bektag in
for the sultan on his w?!, and thinking it was the right time Krrgehir. It is a unicunt copied by Sheikh Onrer ("[Jnrar') b. f)arvislr
to attack, he suddenly assaulted him. Shouting "I anl the Ahmed, cornpleted in August 1759. At the present tiure it bckrngs tcr
I\4ahcli" (menem lv[altdl) and pulling a sword frorn inside his tlre Ankara Genel l{iitriphanesi (no. 6aT; I have usecl the photocopy
felt cloak, he ruslied against the sttltan. Those cowardly preserved at the i\4illi Ki"ittiphanc, Ankara, microfilm no. A22.
cltaushes who were marching in front of the sultan dis- 2. Sharns al-Din Ahmad al-Aflaki, Manakib al-"Arifin, erl, T.
persed when the dervish approached to attack him. At this Yaztct (2 vols.; Ankara: Ti,irk rarih Kurumu [TTK], 1959); Muhyi-i
moment Iskender Pasha, one of the sultan's viziers who Giilqeni, Manakib-i Ibrahim Gtilgeni, ecl. T. Yazrcr (Ankara: 'l'TK,
happened to be there, rushed and struck the man with his 1987); E,bu'l Hayr Runri, Saltukname, ed. Fahir Iz, Sources of
mace so hard that he instantly rolled over his crushed head. oreintal Languages and Literarurcs, r'lo. 4 (Cambriclge: 1974-84).
Some brave rnen rvho were close hastened and tore the 3. "Abd al-Rahrtran b. Alrnracl al-Janri, Nafalyrt ttl-tJns min llrtzttrLlt
attacker into pieces with their srvords.2? a.l-Kuds, ed. Mahcli Tar.vhidipur (Tchran: Sa'cli, 1957), pp. 9- 15. In lris
Two years later, rvhen there was great anxiety as a result of translation (Terciirne-i Nafahirt al-Uns Istanbtl, l2l0lt 853), Sheikh
preparations for a crusade in Rome with Jenr Sultan, pretellder to the Mahmud Lanri'i exparrded Janri's renrarks on kalanclaris, cl.v.
Ottonran throne, Bayezid ordered the cadi of Edirne to round trp all T. Yazrct, "Kalandarivya," E[2, ,1. 4]3-7 4.
34 = I'{alil Inalctk Dcrvish and Sultan = 35
17. For the process of settlement in tlris area ancl its characte ristics,
4. Ji1r"ni, NaJ-al.tat, p. 20, sumnrarizes Ibn al-'Arabi, al-Futul.tat al- the sixteenth-century Ottoman suryey registcrs (taltrlr de.fterleri) <tf
It4 o kki .tt,a, chapter 3 1 . Nigbolu (Nicopolis), preserverl in tlre Bagbakanlrk Arclrives, Istanbul,
5. T. Burckhalclt, An Introtluctiort to St(i Doctrine, Lrans. D. M.
provide extelrsive nraterials, particLtlarly Tapu nos. 775, 625, 439,
Matheson (Lahore: M. Ashraf, 1963), pp. 89-95.
416; compared to Bulgariarr villages Ytiri"ik villages are strikingly
6. Brrrckhardt, p. 94; also see A. Schimmel, M1,511cal Dintensions
small.
of lslatrt (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, I9l5), 18. Sheikh Badr al-Din, who declared hinrself "Malik Mahdi."
Index, s.v. "Perfect Mart." joined his "Sufi" followers in Agag-l)enizi (Deli-Onnan) and macle
7. Max Weber, Ecortortty and Soctery, ed. G. Roth and C. Wittich
the Zagra Plain his center of activities. The commotr original source
(Berkelel,: University of California Press, 1978), I,pp. 541-49.
for Ottoman accounts on Badr al-Din comes dorvn to us in the least
8.lbid, p. 548.
9. On Skeikh Badr al-Din (Becireddin) see note 18 below. edid s. toFr.t eGdi efosne n( Binr ethsela aun, o1n9yZmZo)u, ps pch. r5o3n- 5ic4 le. sIn T vaawraio r ut ks I rv ei tr\s Ii -o in' Os t olmf mth ins,
10. See FI. Inalcrk, "The Yiiriiks: Their Origins, Expansion and
tradition Badr al-Din's followers were torlo.k, or tslttk, names used
Ecorromic Role, " Orie ntnl Carpet andTextile Studies II: Ca,rpets of
pejoratively for the abdals. In the salne sources merrtion is nrade also
ilrc Mediterroneott Cotmtries, 1400-1600, ed. R. Pinner and W. D.
of frontier raiders anrong his rlen ',vho were seeking ti.mar; on Badr
Denny (London: IlALI Maga.zirtc,1986), pp. 39-65.
ll.lltid, al-Din, see A. G0lprnarh and I. Sungurbey, Sarnavrn Kcrtltst oglu$eylt
pp.53-5a.
Bedreddin (Istanbul: Eti, 1966); I{. J. Kissling, "Badr al-Din ," EI2 ,I,
12. Ibid., pp. 44-47.
869; there is no doubt that Baclr al-Din espouserl kalandari doctrine
13. See'Agrk Paga-zirde irt OsnanhTarilileri, ed. Atsrz (lstanbul:
and became one of the most active lc aders of abdal activi srn rlurin g the
Ttirkiye Pub., 1941), pp.237-238.
period of intensified struggle benveen the central power ancl the fron-
1zl. On the role of the abdals in early Ottoman history, see M. F. tier, following the restoration of the centralist govemrnent under
Kdpriilii, "Abdal ," Turk Halk E,debiyan Ansiklopedisi, I (Istanbul, Iv{ehmed I (1413-21); N. Filipovii, Princ Musa i $ejh Rerlredclin
1935), 23-56; I, M6likoff, "Les babas Turcomans contemporains de
(Sarajevo , 79J 1) is the ntost conrprehensive r.vork on Raclr al-Din.
It{evlAnA," Uluslararsr Mevl0nd Semineri (Ankara, 197.1), pp. 268- 19. Inalcrk, "The Ytirtiks." pp.44-45; ident, "Arab CarnelDrivers in
74; Qelebi Elvan, Manakibu'I-Kudstyyefi Menasibtt'I-Unsiyye, ed. I. Western Anatolia in the lrifteenth Ccntury," RevLtc d'I{istoire
E,. Ertinsal and A.Y. Ocak (Istanbul: Edebiyat Faktiltesi, 1984); A.Y. Maghr(.birre, nos. 3l-32 (Tunis, 1983), 210.
Oc ak, " Kalencleriler ve B akta gilik," D o ! tununun I 0 0 . Y t I do nundinde 20. See H. Inalcrk,"AdAletnAmeler," B elgeler,2 (Ankara, 1967), 49-
Atat[irk' e Anna.!an (Istanbul: Istanbul Universitesi Edebiyat Faki,iltesi, 63.
1981); Hatib-i Farisi, Menakilt-i Cannl al-Dln-i SavI, ed. T. Yazrct
(Ankala: TTK, 1972); A.Y. Ocak, "Qr-relques remarques sur le role A2k1a.d Ae.n Triiaet,zI9eT, 9M)u, stetaxfta 1'A4l9t', t,sr aCnosu. n5s6e.l.for Sultans of I581, I (Vienna:
des den,iches kalencleris dans les mouvements populaires et les 22. S. Faroqlii, "XVI-XVIIL ytizyrllarda Orta Arradolu'da
acti\/it6s anarchiques au XV" et XVI" sidcles dans I'empire $eyh
ottonran ," Thc .lotrrnl of Ottornq.n Studies, 3 ( 1982) , 69-80; C. OAi.le Olekryi,a" rT aiirnkdil, eU .ik Ntisaalbt aTnadroilgtll uS u(nAinrrekrai r, aM, e1t9in7le5r),, 2T2a5rt;t sindtearlna,r ,D eedr.
Itnber, "The Wandering Dervishes," Ma.sltiq, Proceedings of
Bektasclti-Orden in Anarolien (Yienna: WZKM. 198 l), pp. 49-75.
tlrc Eastern Mediterranean Seminar (Unlersity of Manches-
23. ln |444,during Mehmed II's first sultanate, Orkharr, an Ottoman
ter, 1971-7 8), pp. 36-50.
pretender, had fourrd support amorlg the frontier raiders and heretics
15. Inalcrk, "The YiJriiks," pp. 51-56. of Deli-Orman: see I-I. Inalcrk, Fotih Dettri IJzerinde Tetkikler ve
i6. T.Gdkbilgin, Rumeli'de Yirukler,'fatarlar ve Evldd-i Fdtthdn
I/esikalar (Ankara: TTK, 1954), pp. 37-38: I{. Inalcrk ancl I\,1. O[uz,
(Istanbul: Istanbul Universitesi Edebiyat Fakiiltesi, 1957); Inalcrk,
Gazavdt-i,SultanMurddb. A4ehnune d IIan (Ankara: TTK, 1978), pp.
"The Ytiri.iks," p. 64, n. 86; for abdal/Ytiriik identity, see Koprillti, 37 -39;Deli-Ornran ancl Dobru ja bccame classic tcrrains of heresy anci
"Abdal," pp. 38-53.
36 = Halil Ina.lctk
rcbellion in the Ottonralr Erupire; the last violent uprising occurrecl itt
1555, rvltert an adventurer preteltding to be the executed Prince
N4ustafa rvas able to organize an anny of rebels, made up mostly of The ottornan succession ancl Its Relation to the
discortterrtedraiders and sipahis atrd heretics, see $. Turan, Kanunt' nin Tirrkish Conccpt of Sovereignty
Oglu $elntttle Bat,eztd l/ak'a.st (Arrkara: TTK, 1961), pp.37-44.
24. See Q. Ulugay, "Yavuz Selim Nasrl Padigah Oldu?" Tarilt
Dergisi VI (1954),61-74; VII (1955), 117-31.
25. Donado da Lezze, HistoriaTurclrcsca(1300-1514)ed. I. Ursu
(Bucharest: Academiei Romane, 19 10), pp. 120-IZI.
of 2th6i.s T ca,hv raornlkichl-e i, Ah l o- iu' sOe td h namt tnh,e e Bd.iFb.l ioGtihesbeq,q pe . 1N2a6t;i oa ndaeltea,il ePda rvise r(sMioSn A o.o*.s at the tree of the Ottoman Sultans rvill shorv rhat until the
Suppl. no. 1047, folios 103-104), gives the following chronologl': death of Ahmed I (1603- 1617) the throne alrvays passcd f rorl father
The sultan celebratecl the ttlu-bayv61nt at Depe-Delen (July 26-28), to son; it is only after that clate that rve see the accessiclrr of brothers.
tlren nroved to Monastir ivhere he stayed a few clays (birkaE giin);he Joseph von Flamrner-Purgstallattempted to e xplain this pheponrerlos
then left the torvn to re tunt to Edirne. The sanle day that the sultan left in the following manner: the ottornans followed the sc:rriority prin-
Ir,lonastir the attack occurred rvhile lte rvas crossing a creek near ciple, inherited from the tirne of chinggis Khan, rvher.eby theihrone
HN4. oJrr.a Kstiisr's. lHineg r,v aSsu ilnta End Birndeje oznid '1s i Dil hBue'i-zkieal"ud,ma9g8e7n lz4u SMepatrekmgbraefr F1r4a9n2'; odledveostl vleivdin fgir srte luaptivoe' tohfe theeld relesct esaosne do rr,u ilfe rt.h, eRree cwauesree noof tsheo .p, ruapctoicne thoef
ccsco II von Gonzaga (Municli: Max Flueber, 1965), p.12, says fratricide, however, the need to invoke the latter proviso dicl not arise
Ba1'ezid Stal;sd at "Tepedelen" during the month of Ramadan, which until 1617 when, for the first time upon the death of a Sultan, a brgtSer
star-ted on January 28, 1495. was found to be still living. Rejecting this explanation, Frieclrjch
27 . For the identity of haydari and abdal, see Kopriilti, "Abdal," pp. Giese put forth the view that there was no larv or principle governing
28-31. sultanic succession among the ottomans.'similariy, wirheln Radloff
28. Deportation occurred in the year 900 of the Hegira, which had earlier given examples showing rhat n<; established rules for
started October 2, 1494; cf. Kissling p. 39, note 87. The event is put succession prevailed arnong any of the Turkish peoplcs., Fi'ally,
iri the Tat;arlkh before the miracie of the dervish that took place irt the Ldszlo Ferenc vierved the ploblem frorn a wider perspective, statilrg
rt-torrth of Jumada I, which started on January 28,1495. Jern Strltan conclusively that alltollg the Turks, "every nrerrrber clf t6e lrlipg
die d orr 29 Jumada I, 900/25 February, 1495. dynasty has a clainr on trre right to rule, there exists neither a
29. Followers of Otn'rarr Baba called Bedreclditri were for-rnd in prirnogenttura nor A seri.ctratus pri^ciple of succession.,',
Krrklarili still in 1894; see V. L. Sa1cr, "Trakya'da Tiirk Kabileleri, I: More recently, proponents of both the senioratlts principle,
Anrtrca Kabilesi," Ttirk Antact,I/7 (January 1943),311-15 (repro- whereby the eldest member of the ruling farnily assulnes tlre throne,
dXuXceXd) ;in i nA . 1G8d9l4p rsnoanrhre aondf tIh. eSiur nleguardbeerys, Swaenrtea venxailKeadd ttsot ,Lppib. yaX. XSValIc-r tahnde orfig thhet ptort msuocgceeendit,u hraavperi nccoimplee ,f orvnhvearredb.y zoeirklyi vtheel iedlic le'rsot gsao,n, hfaosr
reports that they believed Otman Baba to be "the Divinity of Rain" and instance, statecl that "because the title of great khan p,,rr..l to the
fh,ing as a cloud. He took over functions attributed to Flidr. eldest brother, the area of his resiclence would beconre the center of
30. See Q. UluEay, "Yavuz Selim Nasrl Padigah Oldu?" r-nentiotred the state. This practice r.vas prevalent also among the Karakhanicls,
irr note 24 above. successors to the Kok riirks."' Togan elservhere stated, rather am_
biguuusly, "Among the Karakhanids the right to Kaghanship, accorcl-
ing to old Turkish traclitions, belonged to the eldest prinie of that
segment of the family which was predominant.", osrrran Turan statecl
