Haji Bayram Veli or

Wali A wali (''wali'' ar, وَلِيّ, '; plural , '), the Arabic word which has been variously translated "master", "authority", "custodian", "protector", is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by the ...

( ar, الحاج بيرم ولي) (1352–1430) was an Ottoman poet, Sufi saint, and the founder of the Bayrami Order.Levine, Lynn A. (editor) (2006) "Hacı Bayram Mosque (Hacı Bayram Camii)" ''Frommer's Turkey'' (4th edition) Wiley, Hoboken, New Jersey
page 371
He also composed a number of

hymns A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

(''ilahi'' in Turkish).

Biography

Early life

He lived between 1352 and 1430. His original name was Numan, he changed it to ''Bayram'' after he met his spiritual leader Somunju Baba during the festival of Eid ul-Adha ''(called Kurban Bayramı in Turkish).'' Haji Bayram was born in small village in

Ankara Province Ankara Province ( tr, , ) is a province of Turkey with the capital city Ankara. Demographics History The site of the modern city has been home to settlements by many historic Anatolian civilizations in antiquity and classical times, in ...

, and became a scholar of Islam. His life changed after he received instruction in

Tasawwuf Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

in the city of Kayseri from Shāikh Hāmeed Hāmeed’ūd-Dīn-ee Wālī, who was actually one of the

murshid ''Murshid'' ( ar, مرشد) is Arabic for "guide" or "teacher", derived from the root ''r-sh-d'', with the basic meaning of having integrity, being sensible, mature. Particularly in Sufism it refers to a spiritual guide. The term is frequently use ...

s of the Sāfav’īyyah

Tariqah A tariqa (or ''tariqah''; ar, طريقة ') is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking '' haqiqa'', which translates as "ultimate truth". ...

Sheikh Khoja Alā ad-Dīn Alī.

Pilgrimage and the foundation of his order

The two mystics, Shāikh Hāmeed’ūd-Dīn-ee Wālī (Somunju Baba) and Haji Bayram, were living in the city of Bursa when they made the Hajj (pilgrimage to

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...

) together. During this holy journey Hāmeed’ūd-Dīn-ee Wālī continued to teach sufism. Shāikh Hāmeed’ūd-Dīn died in 1412 passing his authority to Haji Bayram Wali, who returned to

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

as the sheikh (leader) of a

tariqa A tariqa (or ''tariqah''; ar, طريقة ') is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking ''haqiqa'', which translates as "ultimate truth". ...

called Bayrami.Taji-Farouki, Suha (2007) ''Beshara and Ibn 'Arabi: a movement of Sufi spirituality in the modern world'', Anqa, Oxford, England
page 158
He built a

Dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage i ...

lodge on the site in Ankara where his tomb and mosque stand today. People came to stay there and learn about sufism. The order grew popular with Bayram's successful teaching.

Akshemsaddin and Haji Bayram

The growth of the order perturbed some local authorities; they shared their worries with the Ottoman Sultan

Murad II Murad II ( ota, مراد ثانى, Murād-ı sānī, tr, II. Murad, 16 June 1404 – 3 February 1451) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1444 and again from 1446 to 1451. Murad II's reign was a period of important economic deve ...

, who called Haji Bayram to

Edirne Edirne (, ), formerly known as Adrianople or Hadrianopolis ( Greek: Άδριανούπολις), is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders ...

(the capital of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

at that time). The Sultan wanted to test the opinions, doctrine and the patriotism of the order. At this time in

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

there were many independent Turkish clans with little unity among them. Haji Bayram took another scholar, his

murid In Sufism, a ''murīd'' (Arabic مُرِيد 'one who seeks') is a novice committed to spiritual enlightenment by ''sulūk'' (traversing a path) under a spiritual guide, who may take the title murshid, '' pir'' or ''shaykh''. A ''sālik'' or Su ...

Akshemsaddin ''(Aqq-Shams’ūd-Dīn)'' (“Ak” means “The Pure White” in Turkish), with him to Edirne to meet the Sultan. Murad soon understood that the complaints against Bayram were merely rumours and Haji Bayram and Akshemseddin stayed for a while in Edirne, lecturing and preaching to the court. He had more private consultations with the Sultan in which they discussed matters of the world, life and the future. In particular the Sultan was concerned with the conquest of

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

, the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

capital that the armies of Islam had struggled to conquer without success. The Sultan asked Bayram directly, "Who will conquer the city?" The reply came: "You will not. But this baby shall. You and I will not be alive at the time of that conquest. But my student Akshemseddin will be there." The baby was the Sultan's son, the future Mehmed II, who would conquer the city (which later became known as Istanbul) in 1453 and receive the title Fatih (meaning ''the conqueror''). Haji Bayram requested that his student Akshemseddin be the teacher of the baby Mehmed, and Sultan Murad agreed. Haji Bayram made a few more trips to Edirne until he died in 1430 in

, passing the leadership of his order to Akshemseddin. His tomb and the mosque dedicated to him are in Ankara.

The evolutionary development of the ''"Bāyrāmī Order"'' throughout Anatolia

The Four Poles of Anatolia

Haji Bayram Veli is considered one of the four poles ('' aqtab'') of

by all

circles, the others being Mawlana Rumi,

Shaban Veli Shaban-i Veli ( tr, Şaban-ı Veli) also written as Sha’ban Wali (d. 976 AH/1569 AD), was an Ottoman Sufi saint from Kastamonu, and founder of the Shabaniyya branch of the Khalwatiyya order. He was trained under and was a ''murid'' (discip ...

, and

Haji Bektash Veli Haji Bektash Veli or Wali ( fa, حاجی بکتاش ولی, Ḥājī Baktāš Walī; ota, حاجی بکتاش ولی, Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli; sq, Haxhi Bektash Veliu) (1209 – 1271) was a Muslim mystic, saint, Sayyid and philosopher from Kh ...

Gallery

File:Ankara Haci Bayram augustus.JPG, The exterior view of Ankara Hacı Bayram Mosque - The wall of the

Monumentum Ancyranum Temple of Augustus and Rome is an augusteum located in Altındağ district of Ankara. It is thought to have been built around 25–20 AD. Besides being one of the most important Roman period ruins in the city, it is also known for ''Monumentum ...

is seen at right. File:Ankara-ulus2.jpg, Hacı Bayram Mosque is located next to

in Ulus ''(Side view)'' File:Hacıbayramcamii.JPG, The minaret of the Hacı Bayram Mosque. File:Hacı Bayram Veli Camisi 2.jpg, The walls of Hacı Bayram Mosque,

Ulus, Ankara Ulus is a quarter in Ankara, Turkey and is located at the center of the capital city. It was once the heart of old Ankara. The name means "tribe, nation" in Turkish. It is now a predominantly a commercial and tourist area made up of banks, mal ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. ''(Exterior view)'' File:Hacı Bayram Veli Camisi 3.jpg, The entire vliew of the building. File:Ankara Haci Bayram.JPG, Interior view of the "Hacı Bayram Mosque". File:Hacı Bayram Veli Türbesi 4.jpg, The entrance door of his

türbe ''Türbe'' is the Turkish word for "tomb". In Istanbul it is often used to refer to the mausolea of the Ottoman sultans and other nobles and notables. The word is derived from the Arabic ''turbah'' (meaning ''"soil/ground/earth"''), which ...

. File:Hacı Bayram Veli Türbesi 3.jpg, The dome of his

. File:Haci Bayram complex 9115.jpg, Hacı Bayram

, Temple, Mosque File:Haci Bayram complex 0241.jpg, Hacı Bayram

File:Haci Bayram complex 9088.jpg, Hacı Bayram Interior File:Haci Bayram complex 9089.jpg, Hacı Bayram Interior File:Bio of Haci Bayram.jpg, Biography of Haci Bayram in Turkish Language File:Night View Of Tomb.jpg, Picture was taken of tomb in night view

External links

Pictures of the Ankara mosque and the mausoleum of the saint

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayram-I Veli, Haci People from Ankara Sufis Sunni Sufis Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam Founders of Sufi orders Bayramiye order Hanafis Turkish Muslims 14th-century poets from the Ottoman Empire 15th-century poets from the Ottoman Empire Ottoman Sufis Sufi saints from the Ottoman Empire Turkish Sufis Poets from the Ottoman Empire Turkish poets 1352 births 1430 deaths Turkic Sufi saints Islamic scholars from the Ottoman Empire