The Place of Gulbaba in Balkan Bektashism and Traces Of Bektashism- Hurufism in His Fayznameh

It is well known that Sufi thought in Ottoman era was closely linked to Anatolia and Balkans. Despite the varying social, political, geographical, economic and cultural conditions of the time, the Sufi line did not change: The themes in Ahmad Yassawi’s poetry were repeated by Yunus Emre and the same message was echoed in Edirne, Sofia, Skopje, Belgrade and Bosnia, thanks to the efforts of hundreds of Sufis. In the 13th century, Haji Bektash Wali’s ideas were being transferred to Oghuz social units namely oymaks, ashirats and obas, while the proponents of the same ideas arrived in Balkans. The rise of this tradition in Balkans is concurrent with its advance in Anatolia. Gulbaba was a very famous Sufi in Balkans and finally became a martyr in the Battle of Buda during the reign of Suleiman I. This paper deals with the life of Gulbaba and his place in Balkan Bektashism and includes a content analysis of his “Fayznamah-e Misal-e Gulbaba” with a focus on the traces of Bektashism in it. The work in question is remarkable for describing the tenets of Hurufi doctrine and for its plain literary style. There are only two academic works on this opus and they are limited to translation and textual study. It is believed that concerning his reputation in Balkans and the rest of the Ottoman lands during the reign of Suleiman I and the fact that he is still much more popular in Hungary than he is in Turkey, the information on Gulbaba needs to be presented in an organized manner and his impact on Balkan Bektashism needs to be uncovered. Making a content analysis of “Fayznamah-e Misal-e Gulbaba” and introducing the details of Gulbaba’s ideas to the academic community are also important tasks. The aim of this paper is to categorize, classify and perform text analysis on the topics dealt with in Gulbaba’s opus and to show Gulbaba’s influence in the Balkans. Hence, this paper is a piece of qualitative research. The data is collected through document analysis method and then examined further. The paper reveals that Gulbaba is well-known in the Balkans and especially in Hungary, he is still loved, paid respect and followed as an example by Bektashis, his tomb is visited by a considerable number of people both from Balkan countries and from outside of Balkans and that in his opus, he tackles in verse, topics such as the secrets of man’s creation, the purpose of man’s creation and the tenets of Islam.

Keywords

Misâlî, Fayznamah, Hurufîsm, Gulbaba, Bektashism, Balkans.