Salih Nijazi (15 March 187628 November 1941) was Dedebaba of the Bektashians from 1930 until his death in 1941. He was the last Dedebaba of Turkey and the first Dedebaba of Albania.

Biography

Early life

Salih Nijazi was born on 5 March 1876 in Starja, a village in the Kolonja region of southeastern Albania, which was then in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. He and his family emigrated to

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

when he was young. He received a Bektashi education at the '' pir evi'' of

Haji Bektash Veli Haji Bektash Veli (; ; ; ) was an Islamic scholar, Mysticism, mystic, Wali, saint, sayyid, and philosopher from Greater Khorasan, Khorasan who lived and taught in Anatolia.C. Olsen: Celibacy and Religious Traditions. Oxford University Press. 1st ...

Religious leadership

In 1897, Salih Nijazi served as a ''muhib'' under Fejzi Dede of Maricaj. In 1908, he rose to the rank of ''baba'', and was then sent to serve in Albania. When he returned to the ''pir evi'' of Haji Bektash Veli, he was appointed as a ''gjysh'' (dede). In 1916, Salih Nijazi was appointed Dedebaba (kryegjysh) of the Bektashi Order, succeeding Fejzi Dede. However,

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...

banned all

dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from ) 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 is found particularly in Persi ...

orders and their

tekkes A Sufi lodge is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood or ''tariqa'' and is a place for spiritual practice and religious education. They include structures also known as ''khānaqāh'', ''zāwiya'', ''ribāṭ'' ...

in 1925 as part of the secularization of Turkey. He unsuccessfully appealed to Atatürk, saying that the Bektashis had helped him gain power in Turkey. As a result, the Bektashis were forced to move outside Turkey and soon operated primarily from

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

. In 1930, Sali Njazi Dede Baba
(Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane) Salih Nijazi established the

World Headquarters of the Bektashi The World Headquarters of the Bektashi or Bektashi World Center (; often simply known in Albanian as the ) is the international headquarters of the Bektashi Order, a Sufi order. It is located on Dhimitër Kamarda Street at the eastern edge of ...

movement () in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

. Nijazi himself became dedebaba reportedly on 20 March 1930.90-vjetori i ardhjes në Shqipëri të Kryegjyshit Botror të Bektashinjve, Sali Niazi Dedei
/ref> The construction of the headquarters was finished in 1941 during the

Italian occupation of Albania Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

. In Albania, he introduced major Bektashi ceremonies that were traditionally held at well-known tekkes in places such as

Hacıbektaş Hacıbektaş (historically Sulucakarahöyük) is a town and district of Nevşehir Province in the Central Anatolia Region, Turkey, Central Anatolia region of Turkey. It is the seat of Hacıbektaş District.Dimetoka Didymoteicho ( ) is a town located on the eastern edge of the Evros regional unit of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, in northeastern Greece. It is the seat of the municipality of the same name. The town (pop. 8,681 in 2021) sits on a plain and ...

(

Didymoteicho Didymoteicho ( ) is a town located on the eastern edge of the Evros (regional unit), Evros regional unit of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, in northeastern Greece. It is the seat of the municipality of the same name. The town (pop. 8,681 in 2021 ...

) in

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

(Greece),

Karbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...

in Iraq, and also

Göztepe, Kadıköy Göztepe is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Kadıköy, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 40,858 (2022). The name, literally meaning "eye hill" in English, was coined to honor ''Gözcü Baba'' ("Father Watchman"), the ...

Death

Stamp of Albania - 2001 - Colnect 370833 - Sali Njazi Dede 1876-1941 Albanian cleric and patriot

On 28 November 1941, Salih Nijazi Dede was murdered by unknown people. His murder remains unsolved, with Albanians claiming that he was murdered by

Italian fascists Italian fascism (), also called classical fascism and Fascism, is the original fascist ideology, which Giovanni Gentile and Benito Mussolini developed in Italy. The ideology of Italian fascism is associated with a series of political parties le ...

as part of a terror campaign against the Albanian National Liberation Movement, while

Italians Italians (, ) are a European peoples, European ethnic group native to the Italian geographical region. Italians share a common Italian culture, culture, History of Italy, history, Cultural heritage, ancestry and Italian language, language. ...

claimed that he was murdered by

brigand Brigandage is the life and practice of highway robbery and plunder. It is practiced by a brigand, a person who is typically part of a gang and lives by pillage and robbery.Oxford English Dictionary second edition, 1989. "Brigand.2" first record ...

s (''see also''

World War II in Albania In Albania, World War II began with its invasion by Italy in April 1939. Fascist Italy set up Albania as its protectorate or puppet state. The resistance was largely carried out by Communist groups against the Italian (until 1943) and then ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nijazi, Salih 1876 births 1941 deaths Bektashi dedebabas Albanian Sufis People from Kolonjë