Children of Hacı Bektaş Veli

The Bektashi sect, in which Sufism and Shiite belief are intertwined, is divided into two separate branches with different organizational forms: Çelebi branch and Babagan branch. According to the Babagan branch, Haci Bektas Veli, who is accepted as the founder of the sect and gave its name to the sect, is abstract. He only has "path", that is, sect children. The Çelebi branch, that is, the Ulusoy family, claims that they are the "biological" children of Hacı Bektaş Veli. The holiness they possess and the right to represent Hacı Bektaş Veli and to sit in his post and position are made possible by the inheritance they acquired through blood ties and passed on from generation to generation.

This ethnography study, based on Meral Salman Yikmiş's long-term field research, is about the Ulusoy family, which represents the Çelebi branch of Bektashism. Their authority to guide the dedes, fathers and of course the disciples of the lodges affiliated to them in accordance with the rules of the Alevi-Bektashi Path and to regulate the lives of the communities affiliated to them is based on their sacred authority, which is believed to be inherited. The Sons of Hacı Bektaş Veli deals with the sacred authority that the Ulusoy family gained through blood ties, the relationships established with the suitors, the transformations within the family, the changing social roles of the mentors, the dynamics between the Hacibektaş district and the Ulusoy family, throughout the ruptures experienced during the Ottoman and Republican periods.
(From the Promotional Bulletin)



Number of Pages: 287

Year of Printing: 2014


Language: Turkish
Publisher: Iletisim Yayincilik

Number of Pages: 287

First Edition Year: 2014

Language: Turkish