MANSUR BABA HAZİRESİ’NDEKİ SON OSMANLICA BEKTAŞİ MEZAR TAŞLARI [LAST OTTOMAN TOMBSTONES BELONG TO BEKTASHIES IN MANSUR BABA GRAVEYARD]

• Main Author: H. Dursun GÜMÜŞOĞLU
• Format: Article
• Language: deu
• Published: Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University 2018-03-01
• Series: Türk Kültürü ve Hacı Bektaş Velî Araştırma Dergisi
• Subjects: Ottoman tombstones; Bektashi tombstones; Mansur Baba Graveyard
• Online Access: http://www.hbvdergisi.gazi.edu.tr/index.php/TKHBVD/article/view/2284/1619

It is well known that Ottoman Empire built numerous mosques, masjids, madrasah, inn, hammam and tekkes during its 600 years of history. Especially within the yards of masjids and tekkes, there are special burial grounds or graveyards which are called ‘hazire’ in Turkish. It can be stated that all the historical sites, relics, tombstones, graveyards and epitaphs are founding stones and cultural bridges of our society, connecting the past with the future.During the Ottoman reign, land was granted to Bektashi dervishes and dervishes of the other sects, who participated in conquests of Anatolia and Balkan Peninsula, in order to build their tekkes. One example is the tekke at Merdivenköy – İstanbul, which was granted by Orhan Gazi to Şahkulu Sultan and Mansur Baba who had come from Khorasan in 14th century and participated in the battle of Pelecanum, in order to build their tekke where a mausoleum exists. This graveyard in Merdivenköy, which is known as Mansur Baba Graveyard, is one of the many historical treasures standing against time. In this graveyard there are numerous tombstones, belonging to both Bektashi and other dervishes, written in Turkish but with a modified form of Arabic alphabet, which is generally referred as Ottoman writing. Thierry Zarcone reported in 1991 that there were 69 tombstones in the graveyard; but unfortunately, only 51 remain today, excluding foot-end stones. These tombstones belong to a period of 168 years, from 1753 to 1921 (from 1166 to 1137, according to Islamic calendar). In this study, all the tombstones were photographed; the writings were rewritten with Latin alphabet and then simplified to modern Turkish for a better understanding. Our aim was to create awareness and draw attention to the remaining Ottoman tombstones, surviving despite all the neglect and mistreatment, and sharing their contents. These tombstones bear many traces from the past including thoughts, beliefs and aspects of social life.