The Stopping of the Bektashi Order and Hamdullah Efendi

Abstract

It is a known fact that there was a strong bond between Bektashism, formed with the Sufi philosophy of Haji Bektash Veli in the 13th century, and the Janissaries, the first Ottoman regular army. One of the most important evidences of this strong bond is, shortly after abolition of the Janissaries, the prohibition of Bektashism in 1826 by Sultan Mahmud II in order to complete his plan to abolish broken military system. In this incident known as the auspicious incident, the Janissaries were exposed to serious mistreatment and the Bektashi order, seen as a reason for the broken military structure, felt the fury of Mahmud II right after the disbanding of military formation. During these events, many Bektashi lodges were destroyed completely, some were ruined and only the tomb parts stayed intact, and some of them considered “ancient” remained untouched and, as required, they were kept under the control of Naqshbandi sheiks. Beside the Bektashism-Janissaries relation and the events known as the auspicious events, this paper will discuss the life and the literay aspect of Hamdullah Efendi, the sheik of the central tekke in Nevshehir/Hajıbektash.