18 = Halil Inalctk

state and governing. Acording to him the four virtues a ruler must
possess are'a.dl, lti.lm, sehA' , o.nd hikmet. Speaking of the importance
Dervish and Sultan: An Analysis of the Otnmn Ilaba
of ltilm, he transnrits the proverb " Mlirt.ivvet Eeriatryener " (genercls-
ity overcornes the slnria), (Tdrihr,r Abu'l-.feth, p. 20). Vilnvefitamesi
29. V. Bartholcl, Orto, As7,61TilrkTarihi lnkhnda dcrsler (Istanbul,
1927),p.7 5. On the Karakhanids, see O. Pritsak ,lA,vol. VI, pp. 25I'
73; unfortunately, we have not seen the same author's unpublished
dissertation on the subiect.
30. Arat, KmadguBilig, vol.I, Metin,"Girig," p. XXII; S. M. Arsal, :

ibid., p.94.
VLr;rrp,l\tE-t S(tLTAN ITIuAN, also referrecl to in the rvork as Viltt'yet-
3 1 .
Kutadgu Bilig, vol. [, Metin, p. XXVII.
name-i ShahlorVilayetname-i SultanBaba, was cotllpleted in August
32. On perfornting iustice as a duty to God in ancient Iran, see the
1483 by ong of Baba's dervishes, Ktigtik Abclal, a nickname given by
At-tdc fi altldki 'l-mulfik, attributed to al-C0hiz (Beirut, 1955),
Otman Baba hirnself.lFrom a reference in tlte rvork we learn that the
pp. 268-70.
author was with Otman Baba in the Dobruja irt 1462. Written by one
33. We prefer "just"for koni here.
of Baba's dervishes who evidcntly collectecl nraterial carefully, and
34. The new edition by T. Tekin, A Grammar of Orkhon Turkic
(The Hague: Mouton, 1968).
from Baba's own words, the l/ilri.yetnarre colrstitutes an intportant
source for an authentic accourlt of Baba's life, the Sufi cloctrine of
35. On this problem, see H. Inalctk, "Osntanlt Hukukuna giri;,"
abdalism, ancl the history of Rtrrn Abdallarr in general. Although
SBF D^ergisi 1312, pp. 102-107;_S. M. Arsal, ibid., pp. 287 -9L
preserrted and interpreted as annno.ktbname, Baba's life ancl extraor-
36. Alrk PagazAde ,Tevdrih-i AI-i Osmdn (Istanbul, 1949),pp. 103-
dinary deeds are told in a way that allows us to penetrate the actual
i04: "Bu bdb Osman Gdzt'nin kanunu ahkdmin bildilrtir." situations and motives. Instead of stereotyped Stories common to such
37 . See the publication of H. Darke, p. 162; English translation of
hagiographic literature, all of the stories obviotrsly belong to Baba's
NizAmtr 'l-Mulk, The Book of Government or Rules of Kings, trans-
own experiences. With this characteristic the rvork can be ptlt in the
lated by H.Darke (London, 1960), pp.I27-28.
same category as Manakib al-'Arifin or Manakib-i Gi,ilghetti, ratlter
38. On the great toy after the concluest of Istanbul in 1453, see Ev-
than with the Saltukname.2 Here I shall concelltrate on the data u'itlr
liya Qelebl, Seydltatndnte, vol.X, pp. 60-62.
regard to Baba's relatiorts with the sultan, leaving a Systenlatic
39 . Ftridrkhh Mehmet, SildhdarTartht, vol. I, ed. A. Refik (Istanbul,
examination of this important historical source to another study.
1928), p.271. On this tradition as a public institution in the Turkish
Kiigiik Abdal, author of the Vilayetname, being well informed
state, see F. Koprtilti, "IslAnt Atnme hukukundan ayn bir Ti.irk Amme
aboutthe Sufi doctrine fronr rvhich Otman Baba's deecls were clerived,
lrukuktr yok mudu r?" I [ . T ur k T ari h K urul tay t Zab ttlar t, pp. 3 8 3 -4 1 8.
added an introduction with illrrrtrinating colllnlents:
40. This point has been made well known by I. Kafesoflu:
"Selgtrklular," IA, fasc. 105, p. 390.
This is the age of vilol'a (davr-i vildya) . . . vilaya is the
41. An English translation of Kutadgu Bilig is now available: is s gbj ec t to the appeara nce
shepherd of prophethood. Wlioever
Wisdom of Ro1'sl Glory, [rans., with an introduction and notes, by
of vilaya, he is the promoter of it in the outer and furner worlds,
Robert Dankoff, University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London,
because prophethood is eltrusted to vilaya. Anyone who is
I 983.
against vilaya ancl the holder of vilaya becomes a denier of
prophethood, and therefore an infidel.
 2O = Halil Inalctk
Ilelow lieaven Gocl has l'tis avliya,' nobody knows whcl
they are except Cod hinrself. Now a vall is the man who
controls everything in this world bllt needs nobody.
Vilaya becornes absolutely pure and clean. He is the
klnhfa. of God irr the universe. . . . He extinguisltes his
human limitations in the state of union with God. . . . At this
stage a true dervish desires nothing but a,l-hakk (the Truth,
the Divinity). FIe enjoys a total freedom from worldly ties.
ary ( kha lffa - i khuda ),
K utb al - A kt ab,t hat i s, God' s emi ss
is that man who makes happen anything he wishes . . . and
for it needs no means or help. . . . The kutbiyya is the
higheststage (rnakam)thatmancanreach. . . . Extinguishing
all his human linritations a ktttb is in a constant state of
errtasis. He sees everything in the universe in his own
being. . . . He is on the throne of kutbiyya in the center of
the assembly of souls. A kutb contemplates al-hakk all the
time. The two worlds become a paradise for mankind for his
sake.
The dlvan-i saltanal (irnperial council), rvhich Otman held by
corrvoking his abdals on special occasions, recalls the "assembly of
souls."
The Vilayetnanrc reproduces Baba's own words exactly as he
pronounced them, revealing an Azeri accent that changed 'k' into
'kh.' According to Kiigtik Abdal, what made Otman Baba different
from other avliya was that he claimed to embody Divine Truth (hakD,
as r.vell as the Prophets Muhanrmed, Jesus, Moses, and Adam. He was
the Prophet's secret mystery , sirr. Baba said: "I am the iron pole from
the earth to the sky," rvhich was obviously a reference to being kutb
or one of the avtad (four poles in the doctrine, see below).
Otman Baba made people beiieve in his divine power by instilling
fear in their hearts, by using his club (ktittlik), and by manifesting his
Imyba and calal (awe-inspiring majesty). In Sufi doctrine, makhafa
(fear) is one of the paths, the other two being mahabba (love) and
ma'ri.ftt (gnosis). Thus, it seems that Otman Baba gave priority to
nrakhafa in his yo,rI(a..Vtla,yetname celebrates his overpowering his
opponents with these verses:
You, power of God, master of the age,
You terke the life of those rvho denv:
Dcruish and Sultan = 2l
When you give a blorv with the hancl of clivine po\ver
The oppressor realizes his place befure vou
You r-nake the sLrltan of the *,clrld realize his riglrt place
You take the souls of all cre atures
And in the encl yoll remain as the only.orre irr the universe.
In brief, according to tlie Vilal'etnarne Otrnarr Baba was the frurb
or "the pole of the universe" in his tirne, ancl so all things inclucling the
Sultan had to recognize and consult him in their acts. The itlea of
kutbiyya is the basic belief in the radical forms of the Islarrric Sufi
doctrine, in particular, in the kolandoriyye ancl abtlaltsm.
In his discourse on vilaya and vali, 'Abcl al-Il.alrrniln Jalni3 tlistin-
guislres a particular group of melr of ttila),a (oslmLt al- vilttya r.tr osltalt
al-sirr) who are supposed to be in a constftnt state <tf conte mplation of
God (mushahada). Living in a constant state of entasis (jazba), they
are oblivious of all worldly things. This is the highesr srage in the path
of a Sufi. The sign of prophethoclcl is forever manifest with thern. They
are in control of everything in the universe. Rain fall,s, sultarrs renrain
in power, skies turn in space for the sake of their blessing (ltaraka).
They are not known to people nor recognizable irr their appear-arlce.
Sufi literature elalrorates a dctailecl description of this particular
group. It is said that at the bottorl there are three hundred aklry,l1,y trit1,
the "power of loosing and bindi ng" ( hall wa' I' a kd ),' forty of these are
called abdttl.a Seven of the abdals occupy the seat of bttdulti. ancl four
of the buclall occupy the seat of ay,tad. Anrong thern there are three
nukaba and one kutb. They are all knorvn to eaclr other arrcl each acts
with the knowleclge and agreemerrt of the others. Each of the seven
abdals is assigned by God to take care of one of the seven regions of
the world, and the four awtacl guard the four carclinal points.
The akhyar donot need a guicle (nurshid) toreach kutbiyl,cr.In each
age lives one kutb or gltawth rvho is a successor to the Prophe t irr
calling people to the rmth (hakH. Abclals do nor stay in one place.
They are free from all worldly concerns, so they tlo rrot have fanril1.,
home, or any kind of property. Th ei r tonrbs are wil I rout a tracre. A ll rh is
explains why abdals clo not have, as a nrle, an establi shed. tarike or ir.
shrine. They are not known to ordinary people, who usuall;' 1'L. thern
for fools or for ones possessecl and rnistreat thent. In the 1/iltl.)'etnarnc.
Otman Baba is presented as a kutb al-akta.lt in control of tr',,rt rvorlds
 22 = Halil Ina.lctk Deruish and Sullan = 23

(ta,sarruf-i du jaltan).'fhere are twelve kutbs for each age. Before Our Vilayetname provides a description of arr abclal. When asked
by the cadi of Dirnavi (Trnovo), Otman Baba himself defined abdal
Otnran Baba, Hajji Bekdash and then Sheikh Shudja were kutb in the
as follows. "An abdal is the man who gives up all but Allah (nttl siva
region of Rirrn (Anatolia). Kutb is the center and axis of the world, and
allah), and finds himself absorbeclrvithin the kx,e of the I)ivine'fruth.
all the happenings in this world take place with the knowledge and
At tlris union (vtsal) tliere is no roonr for other things. The abdal finds
irritiative (ikdam) of the kutb. Only rarely does the kutb assunre
hinrself and all things which are written in the Divine -I'ablet (klmtt-
control of both the spiritual and the material worlds. Two intams,
i-tlaht)in God's creatures, and sees nothing but the Divine Tntth (al-
"Abd al-Rabb and "Abd al-Malik, take seats on either side of the kutb
(Otman Baba had two abdals: Deli Umur and Kaymal), and the kutb ha!k) around himself. FIe is the one rvho reacltes (erer.) the stage of
absoltrte and direct knowledge of the Trutlt ('ilnt al-yaktn)." On
supervises the angelic kirrgdom and worldly kingdom through them.
another occasiotr, his abdals, ansrvcring the cacli of Eclirne, clescribing
To follow Otman Baba's deeds (karamat) as told in the Vila1ts1n6m.,
Otrnan Baba as "the old man (kocu)of our age. I Ie is the kutb al- o ktdlt
rve have also to remerlber the Sufi doctrine of the universal man (al-
and the sun in the zodiac of the Divine Truth. And rve are his slaves
irtsdn ol-komil).s Tlre outel nrilcrocosn (ol-za.ltir) includes all indi-
seeking knowledge (mlib banda)." Kiigi"ik Abdal writes: "Ilerc and
vidual beings, and duality is clf tlie nature of this world. Ilut in the sight
hereafter, (the holder of) the vilaya becornes Gocl's favor ancl rcve als
of the Essence the universe appears like a single one. Unity of beings
God's contpassion and power for the rvorld. It is (the holder of) the
ancl things is the essential truth. "Arnong all the beings of this world
nran alone has a vision which in virtuality includes all things. . . . All
Vil[ya who is the master of the world." In fact, Otnrarr Baba's life as
descrjbecl in the Vilayetnanrc by one of his disciples is the rnost
the possibilities which are unfolded in the world are principally
autherttic and reliable picture of wlrat arr abclal is and rvlrat his beliefs
contained in man's intellectual essence." In man, the subjective
are.
polarization of the spirit reaches its culminating point. The global
The Vilayetname refers to Otnran Baba nrost of tlre tirre as kdn-i.
meaning is actualized only in one who has effectively realized all the
vilayet (mine of vilaya), also occasionally as sirr-i llakk (Mystcry of
universal tnrths reflected in his terrestrial form, and who is thus
God), dltat-i bi-rnithal (unrivaled essence), rnoksud-i irtsrht (purpose
identified with the Perfect or Universal Man. Among men, the
of nran), kutb-i alam (pole of the universe) , or kutb al- a ktab (pole of
prophets and the poles (kutb), having realized union or the Supreme
poles). Titles or attributes used by thc rvordly powers, such as sultan,
Identity, becorne the Universal Man. FIe is the Unique Prototype (al-
shah, padishah are also given to hirn to refer to his absolute sovereigrr
arunuzai al-fartd). All of the divine qualities or relationships (nasab)
position in the whole universe.
are integrated in him.6
Abdal activism and its sociopolitical nature beconte clear i.vhen the
For Max Weber, who was iltterested in dervish religion in Islam,T
abdals' actions and social connections are exarnined in light of their
the Otman B aba type of dervish comes under the category of contem-
belief. In their doctrine the paramount principle is to reach and help
plative mystics: The "contemplative mystic is concentrated with
the oppressed and helpless (ma2ltun), those who have left their home
perceiving the essential meaning of the world. . . unity beyond all
and wander about ( ghartb), and the |orverles s (niskrn). They describe
empirical reality. . . . (He) requires of himself the maintenance of his
themselves as gharib and miskin. They declarc they are against "those
state of grace against every pressure of the mundane order."8 The
who oppress people for their love of worldly possessions and vanity."
conternplative mystic believes he is God's instrltntetrt. For him,
In their doctrine "those who have worclly acquisitions are not Gocl's
mystic illumination constitutes "the most notable fonn of an aware-
true slaves."
ness of having executed the divine will." His activism comes from the
Throughout the Vilayetname we find Otman Baba helpirrg the
belief that he has reached the mystical truths which "come to assume
helpless in the fields or the ghazis in their fight against the infidels.
a central position within, and to exert an integrating influence upon,
Helping the helpless at the right nroment is also one of the qualities of
the total view of the world." He becomes what Weber calls a
Hidr and Ilyas, so irt theViltl.l,gtnanrc there is a closc association ancl
"rnystagogue" and a revolutionary.
 24 = IIa.lil Inalctk Dervish and Sultan = 25

were not clistinguished frorn the frontier ghirzrs. The gltd.zi.y-ti.n are
Cooperatiolt bet\veep thepl ancl Baba. 01 the other ltatlcl, restorillg
cited by "Agrk Paga-zlde side by side wirh rlre abc{rtlan, as the
order and justice on earth girres the group to rvhich the abdals belonged instruments of God to spread His .,vord.13
its ntilitant character. andthis has a clirect bearing on otlr poillt in this Bttt now, ghazts were to be founcl only on the distaltt frontiers of the
DaDer.
' empire. Receiving no salary, as the standirrg anny or the lirrrar-hcllclers
i in.- ) Ie hnret the Concl ueror becanre one of the mos t pou'erful and did, they had to rely exclusively orr the lrooty they coulcl takc irr the
aurocratic padishahs follori'ing his unprecedented deeds in
Islarnic
pa.rticularly on the dangerous raids into neighboring Christian .countries. Both groups,
liistory'. anci since he imposed upon his subjects,
Baba, the the ghhzis and abdals, of the same sclcial background, macle a strong
nontads. heavv obli-eatiorts for his inrperial plans, Otrnan
The l/ilat"etname partnership. Jihadr frontier fighting in the path of Gorl, and rlujahada
kurb-i 'alant, chose him as the one to challenge' of the dervish to concluer the patir leading to God, had a common
revolves around the Sufi doctrine of kutbiyya and al-insan al'kamil' mystic meaning.ra
and Otrnan Baba as ktttb at-aktab claims control not only of
the
Abdal To be a dervish exempts one frorn paying taxes, and the income of
strriritual but also of the acttral socio-political life of his time' a nlonastery provicles foocl. For a l)oor peasal)t, who had to leave lris
Baba's aSsociation with Seglllented grottps
ntilitancy explains Otman father's home because the g:ift lanrl, eithcr bccause of its linritccl size
of Ottorlart societ\'. tlte frorttier ghazts and the Ytirtiks' Their large- or for any other reason, could not l'eed an expancling l'amily, thc way
sc3le relrelliol occun'ed i1 1416 trpcler tfie leadelship of S[eik[Baclr out was to run away. I-Ie could join raiders on the fl'ontier; or he could
The
al-Din in the silule area \vhere Otman Baba later became active'e be a wage laborer (irgat);or he could be a siltts (,rofta), rhat is, a
Ytirtiksr0 felt strorrgly that they rvere suffering ttnder the centralist-
peas- student at a srnall town rnadrosa,'or he could beconrc: 'r dervish. In all
brtreliucratic regime of the Ottotnatt sttltaus' Since the settlecl of these endeavors he was freecl from taxes ancl burclrucratic corrtrol.
AntS, lhe re' a-r'ri, coulct rtot be enrployecl for stlch tasks aS conStruction
On the otherhand, to rvattder about in the countrysiclc n,as neither easy
of bridges ancl fortresses oI wOIk in the tnines, the central bttreaucracy or safe. Otman Baba in his wanclerings was taken as a runaway slar,'e
rnobilizecl Yiiriiks as readily available labor for such works'11
Yiiriiks
llot several times by ordinary lr4uslim and Christian peasants.
were sr-rbiecteci to variotts military duties Llllder Strict regulations
or gualds in the Those who joinedOtman Baba as his abdals were mostly shephercls
only in these heavy works but also as light footmen
from the Yi.iriik population of Dobruja and the eastenr Balkan range
fortresses or raiclers at the frontier zones. E'xemption from extraordi- .

plight of This area, densely populated by Ytiriiks or Tiirkmen (Turcomans),

ltary taxes as compensation was not ellollgh to alleviate the forefathers of the present-day Turks of Bulgaria, prospered by raising
theie pastoral no,lads, for all the restrictions ancl State regtrlations sheep and exporting to large cities wool, hiries, ancl c:heese, as r.vell as
brougiit unbearable burclens illcompatible with their basic economy their coarse woollert and felt manufactures. Yanbolu, one of the towns
efld rva1, of life. A profouncl hostility tor'vard the increasingly buteau- Baba visited, was an intportarrt center <lf felt manufacturing
radical ancl
cratizecl state of the sultans nrade the Yi"iriiks open to atly exported throughout the empire.ls It is interesting to rlote that rvhile
they
propagancla, whether in the eastern Balkans or in Anatolia, where
move- otman Baba was in Edirne, a Yi.irtik who brought sheep to the city
were an illtpoltant part of the population'r2 Socio-religious joined his abdals. Baba outraged the butchers of Eclirne by taking
rule
ments rvith raciical views that denied the iegitimacy of the sultan's lambs rvhich were hanging by their feet ancl throrving thern in the nrucl
to
or anything represeptirtg tfue present order of the world appealed in the street. They brought the case to the cacli's court, but he coulcl clo
thent. Otrlan Baba's abclais, nrainly shepherds-the most destitute rrothing against Baba. In short, Otrnan appears to have recnrited his
melnbels of the Yiiri-iks society-joined him and created in hirn
the
and everything he clervishes nrostly frclrn anrong the sinrple Ytiriiks <lf the eastenl
sgpelmali powel challenging the great sultan
"if Balkans, from Yize to the mouth of the Danube.l6 It is to be renrem-
repreSented."DOn't you See," the Vilayetnlme States, sOmeOne
bered that the settlement of Yiirtiks and their forrrring of small villages
he
owes his livelihoocl io a worldly ruler (diinya begi), and somehow was an ongoing process in the area.17 Yiirtiks in Dobruja ancl Deli-
disagrees with what he orders, they accuse him of rebellion'
they
Orman served at the sarne time as ghazis or raiders (u.ktnus), uncler
throw hirn in a dungeon and kill hinr." The Ytirliks, in this tradition'
 26 = Halil Inalctk
Deruish and Sultan = 27
l'an.totrs frontier begs such as Mihal Oglu 'Ali Beg. In the V[ldyetnune,
'Ali Beg is described as a ghazi beg rvho lecogllizes Otman Baba as Sultan by their unfounded criticisms."2t An irrrportant part of the
putrlic treasure goe.s to thousand"s of r/rl. a-gtiyan, who hatl no other
il Saint, and becontes a kind of protector. The frontier begs were fitnction than "sayirrg prayers" for the sultan. But, in fact, these clt{ a.-
traclitionally autonontous anci centrifugal in the face of the sultatt's
gilyan, who includccl dervishes, were expected to perforpr a rnest
centralist government. This conflict became especiaily tetrse during
fundamental function for the sultan by supporting hirn among the
Mehrned the Conqueror's time, since he had embarked upon a
people. Such a function was assumed by deryishes in the countryside.
particularly strong centralist empire.
The vilayetname, however, bitterly atta'cks all those copforrlist
In the past, the same policy appears to haveplayed an importantpart
dervishes:
in the ten'ible insurection of abdals tlnder the leadership of Sheikh
Badr al-Din, in rvhich the frontier population, and their brothers who
T'hey are afraid of the lords of this rvclrlcl (d[inS,6 begleri),
were left in the Sarukhan-Izmir area, participated.ls (Interestingly
They invite people ro rhe parh of the Trurh,
enough, Otrran Baba's early activities took place in Sarukhan before
he nloved--or was cleported-to the eastern Balkans.) It wils tlnder
B,t their follorvers arc rone but boys and w.rnen.
All they are concernccl about are. rnaterial gains,
Bay,ezicl I (1389- 1402) that the Ytiri.iks of Sartrkhan were exiled to
They have no self-respect or honest1,.
Runreli, and the Yiiri.ik rnigration continued later on aS better eco-
rronric conditions artd ghaza' booty attracted thern'
Tlte gror-rp which Otman clenourrced as hypocrites incluclecl ulerrn,
Historical sources suggest that there was a constant migration of
sufis, rlanislunerutCs, and nnsh41,iftlr. Ulema ancl clanishmencls were
Turconran tribal grollps fronr the east.te They first an'ived in westerll
particularly hostile, even llore inte-nsely than govctrnment authorities,
Anatolia, and then crossed the Darclanelles to Settle in the eastern toward otman and his abdal:. rvho attacked thcnr because abclals
Balkans and Macedonia. Baba started his career in Azerbaijan, then
believed they were concerned only with zahir.-.- rhe appearances-
moved. to western Anatolia, and finally to the eastern Balkans. Ilis
and not with the Truth. In the Vilal,synanre, sufi j Are those devout
center of activities became the area between Misivri, Zagra and
Muslims who perform only the outwarcl ritual for the sake of favors
Babadag. In this regiotr Tanrrdagl, a center of the Ytjrijks knorvn as
in the other world. Mashayikh are those sheikhs of religious orders
Tatnrrdaf Yiirtiklen, was the favorite wandering area of our dervish,
who acceptwa.kf grants from people or thc sta1o, establish a lnonas*
and finally his tarlka and tekke were located there. In brief, Otman
tery, and secure for themselves and their offsprirrg arl easy life. In fact,
Baba's ussociation with the Ytirtiks of the eastem Balkans is a key
many such zaviyes, established for the sheikhs o1'particular orders,
point in urtderstanding his social and religious background.
controlledquite large sources of income iri the fonrr of land and. anirtral
There is a comrnon assLllnption that the oriental ruler has absolute
stock free of taxation. Adrninistration of the inconre was in the hancls
po\\/er and that the ruled are totally passive and submissive. But
of the sheikh, who transmittecl it to his offspring. Some of the sheikhs
advice-to-king literature of the East makes it qr-rite clear that lvithout
were very prosperous indeed.22In their diplornas from the slltan they
popular Support a ruler is not Secure on his throue.20 What made
were asked to serve the travelers and the poor ancl to constantly pr.ay
dervishes so powerful and defiant was precisely that they were
for the sultan. For the abdals, such conforrnist rnashayikh vvere
tremendotrsly influential in shaping public opinion in the traditional
hypocrites. As the vtlayetnonrc puts it, "They sell a false ma,rifa,
society in which they lived.
amass worldly possessions, and pretend to provicle spiritual guici-
The dervishes, preachers, and rnell of religion in general assumed
ance."
a legitinrizing authority in the Islamic state. The bureaucrat-historian
Without any wakf, Baba perfornred char-itable acts. on the moun-
Mustafa 'Ali advised the sultan to banish those preachers who
tain he started building a bridge, inviting others to cooperate in its
compared themselves to Bayazid Bistami or Junayd Baghdadi and
completion. I-Ie and his abclals livecl on alrns rvhich were given
misled sinrple-minded people by their demagoguery. "Those so- voluntarily. In all the stories in tlre l/iloyetnome, Otrnan Baba reacts
callecl spirittral guides (nrursltid) cause alienation of people from the
violently against those who tr1, to give lrir-r"r gifts, even when the sultan
 28 = Holil Inalctk
offcrs tlrcrn in tcltal hunrility. Sonretinres as a favor (rnu.ruvvrl) he
accepts a gift in order to distribute it iu"nong his abdals and the needy.
In the ascetic period of his career he sustained himself by eating leaves
and the fnrit of rvild trees. But when later on he established his own
tartko. and had his oivn abdals, he had to feed them. Apparently he
never accepted wakfs from the sultan, and when the sultan offered to
build a monastery for hirn he refused. The Vilayetname tells us,
horvever', that he asked peasants or ghazi begs returning from a booty
raid to send sheep as votive offerings (nadhr). Otman Baba and his
abdals are described as rernaining absolutely faithful to the Sufi
principle of poverty (fakr), in orcler to distinguish themselves from
those "hypocrite" dervishes and mashayikh. Nevertheless, Otman
Baba r.vas against begging. Charities can be accepted, he said, only
u,lterr the1, n1. givert absolutely volurttarily try the donor.
Otrlan Raba neither rejectecl rror directly challenged the porver and
thc authority c'll the great ghilzr sultan l\4chnrect the Conclueror, Lrut he
made hinr believe and adrnit tliat Otman Baba himself was responsible
for all his ghaza victories, because he was the axis (kutb) of the world
in the age, the Divine J'ruth, and the one and only ptlwer in the
turtiverse rvhich determined things to happen both here and in the
hereafter. Sultan Mehnred claimed to be the forentost ghazi of his age,
as expressed in his victory letter to the sultatt of Egypt after the
collquest of Cclnstantinople. Later, he declared to the world that the
sword of ghaza was in his hand. After the conquest, when Ak Shams
al- Din, his spiritual mentor, said that the conquest was the work of the
awiLlts, Mehrnet replied: "It was my srvorcl that took the city." Now
Otrnan Baba, the spiritual guide of the frontier ghazis, came and
shou,ecl tlre ghazi sultan that rvithout his knowledge and support he
could achieve nothing.
What makes ctur 1/ilayetnanrc of special interest is that unlike most
of the rnanakibnames it chronicles the career of the saint in close
relation with that of Mehmed the Conqueror, and associates the saint's
most spectacular rniracles with the sultan. The Vilayetnarzre follows,
rvith remarkable accurac)'itt chronology, the sultan's deecls and the
irrlportant e\/ents of his tinre.
One day,, Otn-ran Baba, sitting at Silivr-i-Kapr in Istanbul, overheard
the sultan express his intention to capture Belgrade front the l-lurtgar-
ians, while walking and discussing the carnpaign with Mahmud
Pasira. The den'ish rvarned the sultan not to undertake this canipaign:
"The1, shall squeeze fire in the bells and you rvill have to flee"
Dervish arrd Sultar^t = 29
("Qttnla.nna od trktr.rlar, kagarstn"). 'I'lre sultan becanre angr.y
ancl
pulled out his sworcl out. Mahmuci pasha rushecl up arrd saic1, .,My
lord, this man is not what you think. I{e is a nran of viltiya.Despite the
warning, Mehnred undertook the carnpaigrr, ancl everything otrnal
had said came true. Artother tinre, Otrnan interceyrted the sultan
on his
tour of the city, ancl asked straiglrtarvay: " l'ell nre who is the sultan,
you or I?" The sultan, remenrbcring Baba's wortls about the Belgracle
campaign, dismounted at oncc and kissecl the dervish's hand: ,,you
a-re the pAdishah and the Divine sirr, my belovecl father.
I am only your
hurnble servanr." Baba said: "yor should knorv that I am pRdisirah,
not you," attd then they exchartged mysterious sign s (nnrntttzti.t).
Later, when the sultan sent ornran Baba golcl pieces with one of his
soloks, the dervish becarrrc angrv ancl shoutecf at rlte solak. ,,Do 1ot
bring this filth close to nte." Thus, aftcr the Ilelgracle carnpaign the
sultan had complete faith in Otnran, s wiltt1t11.
It was tltc cttstorrt with Otfomun sultans to rvalk around thc city in
disguise to hear',vhat was said about them and. to surprise wrorrgdoers.
When the sultan was touring the citr,'s monasteric.s to fincl out wlat
people were saying about hirn, Raba recognizccl hinr ancl
askrrd:
"Now, tell n-re at once, who is otrnan, you or I?,'J'he
strltpn, startlecl
by this cluestion, repliecl: "My bel.vecl father, olrnan, is y.u, I anr
not." Baba said: "You nrust believe that I arn otman ancl vou are mv
J J
sorl."
The most drarnatic Stor5r in the Vilayettnnre is the one ciescribilg
hor'v the dervish irnposed himself as a mentor of the sultan.
The story
begins with the arrival of Otman Baba in Eclirne u,itlr his three hunclred
abdals in late 1414. By their appcarance ancl behavior Baba ancl his
abdals stunned the torvnspeople: "'rhel,dicl not lclok like an1, group
ef
people in this world." Crowcls nrshecl to see these strange clerviihes
"with the awe-inspiring huge lna." at their head. with a club in his
hand otman Baba rvas chasing the crorvcl, shouting, .,you
ugly
townsmen, shall I have to be afiaicl of yo,? No, beca'se I a*r
Gocl's
Mystery (sirr) lvitho.t a sign." Their presence i. the citv causcrl
people to argue and becorne clividecl arnong themselves. Ii
appears
that the sirnple people fearecl ancl showecl an intense hostilitl,; aricl
tle
adnrinistrators, cadi ancl subcrslu,tried to get rid of these trorrblemak-
ers as soon as possible. Otrnart Ilaba's public statements macle
the
ulema furious. He declarecl: "It is I who cieated this city, I anr
the sign
of rruth (hakk).I am the Prophets Adanr, Muhammad, Jesus, ancl
Moses' I have no fear of yo.. . . . with Gocl's cornmanci I horci in nrv
 30 = llalil Ina.lctk
hands the souls of all of you." The ulerna decided that by uttering these
rvords he proved hintself an infidel. The cadi, threatening to put all in
jail, urged them to leave the city; otherwise, he said, he would report
to the sultan.
Ornran Baba and his abdals left in the direction of their original
horuelancl in the eastern Balkans, but they had to retum from Krrk-
Kilise (rrow Krrklareli) to Edirne. The reason given in the Vilayetname
is that there Baba, throwing a look (nazar) in the direction of Istanbul,
received the inspiration to go to "the City of Hasan and Husayn." The
sante source makes it clear a bit later that the sultan had ordered that
Baba and his abcials be sent to Istanbul in custody." At this point a
dreant ctre anrt by one of the abdals shorvs horv they actually felt abotrt
tlris order. In the dream, f|rc lrilayetnarne relates, a nlan with the
appearaltce of 'Ali descends frolrt the sky wearing red headgear (ktztl
bork)and holding a sword, atrcl addresses Otrnan Baba,saying: "You,
the sirr of the two worlds. do me a favor and let me massacre these
hypocrites." Otman replies thatit is not the time, and says to be patient.
The nran front the sky says: "How can we be patient in the face of such
oppression and injustice, already beyond endurance?"
Such a rebellious mood reflects how Sheikh Badr al-Diti's abdals,
and later Shah-Kulu's follorvers,2o felt about the Ottoman govern-
lnent. Irt fact, Baba challenged even the sultan. When the sultan's
emissary, a ku1, arrived to take him to Istanbul in a coach, he said, in
"his arve-inspiring majesty" (lnybava jalal):"Who is that man you
call Mehmed?" and waved his club in the air. He dissipated his abdals'
fears and led them to Istanbul. The Vilayetname tells that his journey
to Istanbul served to enhance his fame ancl prestige. At Baba-Eskisi,
for exanrple, tlie people rvelcomed him, kissing his hands and slaugh-
tering sacrificial sheep for him. Even the kul, evidently a Janissary,
confessed that his headgear (bork) canre from Hajji "Bekdash." When
the company came in sight of Istanbul at Ktigiik-Qekmece, Baba told
his abdals: "Halt, let us take this fortress and massacre the almy of the
jealous ones, and cut the breasts of the atheists." The Vilayetnarne
interprets these words as follows: Sultan Mehmed and the Muslims
living in this city conquered and made it Muslim only in appearance
(zahir) ; but no"v it rvas the age of vila1,a, and the city should be the
scerle of its rniracles.
When Otrnan Baba and his abdals entered the city, crowds came to
rvatch thern. While some people found them odd and srange, others
were deeply impressed, taking them for holy men. The authorities,
Dclish and Sultan = 3l
unaware of the sultan's change of nrind, hacl nracle preparations to
irnpale or srike thent on hooks at the At- I\4ei'clarrr, but thought that
they shotrld have the sultan's final orcler.'I<l thcir arnazenrent, thc
sultan orclered irtsteacl that Otnran Baba ancl his abclals shoulcl be
settled in the Krhq-Manastlrl (ne ar Silivri-Kapr). T'he abclals believecl
this was a rniracle by Otrnan Baba. On the part of thc sultan it rvas the
correct decision, if one considers rvhat the poptrlar reaction rvould.
have been throughout his realm to such a ntass execution of the abclals.
The ulerna, however, not bound by such concerns, insisterl that their
heresy should be elinrinatecl frorn the earth.
TheIrila,:'ctrtdrne tells us that the nlonastery was still sunounclecl by
a regirnent, and that the threat rvas still tlrere. In lutger, Otman Raba
then struck the ground with his club ancl shoutecl: "Look, I anr the Olcl
Man of the Last Age in this rvorld. I shall show 1,ou rvho I arn by
demolishing your palace oVer 1,11111 head. " Then a tcrrible storm broke
ottt in Istanbr,rl. The sultan was rt'rrning frorn one conter to another in
his palace. On the next day, he convokecl tlre impcrial council arrcl
asked about this unusual pherromenon. "'l'hey tolcl hinr," the
Vilayetntine sa1's, "thAt you choose to fight against a rlran who hacl the
power of thewhole universe rvitlr thc twent),-four thousancl prophets.
Otman Baba sits on the zodiac of both prophethoocl ancl sainthoocl
(nttbuvva and vilaya). rf you fell upon him even rvith an army of a
hundred thousand men, he woulcl crush 1,ou lvith orre hancl and bring
yourcrown ancl throne to the ground." The ulerna, hou,ever, rtrged the
sultan to execute at least sonre of the abclals as an exanrple to ,'those
who rnight atternpt to cause disscnsion arnong the Muslims." In
reading theVtlaT'etrutnrc one senses the extrenrely tense atmospherc
in Istanbul at that tirne. These events happcnecl just after the executiorr
of Mahmnd Pasha, whom public opinion, in opposition to the exces-
sively atltocratic rule of thc conqueror, hacl nracle a ntartyr. Finally, the
sttltalt sent to the rrronastery the Grand Vizir Sinan Pasha with the
kadl'ttsker, then the heacl of the ulenra, r,vith a large conlpany.
Surrottncled by his abdals Otman Baba challengecl tlrenr also. Irinalll,,
he had to leave tlre citt,.
Gentile Bellini was in I\4ehnrecl the Conqueror's service in IstanLlul
during the period 1480 to 1481. The sultan askecl him to painr rhe
portrait of a dervish. Gian-Maria Angiolello, then a page at rhe
seraglio, tells us that the sultan rvas not pleased with the dervisfu, ancl
prohibited him front praising hinr by relating his concluests at the
Bazaar.zs When the painting was completeit the sultan askecl Bellini
 32 = Halil Ina.lctk
rvhat he thought of thc dervish. Upon his insistellce' the pairtter
expressecl his canclicl opinion and said: "FIe ntust be a madtttatl." The
sultan replieci: "But I do not wanf to be lauded by a nraclnlAn." Bellitti
said, "then why don't you make hirn your chief dervish?" and the
sultan acted accordingly. Angiolello adds that, in fact, "the Conqueror
did not believe in an1' religion, and that was everybody's opinion'"
From this interesting conversation it may be inferred that the sultan
showed the clervish reverence not out of sincere conviction but for
-l'opkapr Palace
pfactical reasolts, although letters discovered in the
archives inclicate that Mehmed II consulted holy men about the
outconle of his undertakings. Perhaps he, thought this was unavoid-
able, attcl even useful, in the envirottntent in rvhich he lived. In his
youth his teacher was the noted Molla Khosraw, who was known as
a legist of positive thinkirrg. But the dervish referred to in this story
cilllnot be. oturan Baba.
Accordirtg to the I/ila)'ctrtrlrnc, Otntart Baba died on 8 Rc.ieb 883/
5 OctoLrer I4TS.We are able to follorv his legacynotin rheVilayetname,
rvhich Stops with his death, but in a popular anollytllous chronicle.26
The assassiltation attempt against Bayezid II in the summer of 1492
mft1, [s related to Otman Baba's abdals. The chronicle says,
Returning frorn his canrpaign in Albania, Bayezid came
over to Mottastir wltere he stayed a few days. The same day
he set out frorrr Monastir. When he was crossing a stream,
a cursed man of heresy and unbelief, clad in felt, maybe a
I-Iaydari dervish, with rings on his neck and ears, an ull-
circr.rmcised infidel, attacked the sultan to kill him. Waiting
for the sultan on his w?!, and thinking it was the right time
to attack, he suddenly assaulted him. Shouting "I anl the
I\4ahcli" (menem lv[altdl) and pulling a sword frorn inside his
felt cloak, he ruslied against the sttltan. Those cowardly
cltaushes who were marching in front of the sultan dis-
persed when the dervish approached to attack him. At this
moment Iskender Pasha, one of the sultan's viziers who
happened to be there, rushed and struck the man with his
mace so hard that he instantly rolled over his crushed head.
Some brave rnen rvho were close hastened and tore the
attacker into pieces with their srvords.2?
Two years later, rvhen there was great anxiety as a result of
preparations for a crusade in Rome with Jenr Sultan, pretellder to the
Ottonran throne, Bayezid ordered the cadi of Edirne to round trp all
Dervish ancl Sultan = -13
atheist abclals, clervishes, and rslrrks "in tlre area cast of I;ililrc ancl
Zagra,and punish, after inve.stigation ancl hcarings, tlrose anlong thenr
uttering blasphemous words."28 Accorclingly, the cacli nracle investi-
gations and an'ested a few of "the followers of Othrnan Decle, rvho
was a possessed ntan (majzub), and exccuted thcm by trtrture. Another
group of forty or fifty dervishes were put to t()r tul'e, arrd trvo of thenr
who were found guilty under the shar'I larv rvere hanged. 'I'he rest of
the derryishes were deported to Anatcllia."
The chronicle, written for sirnple peclple, then relates a rniracle
performed by a dervish in Istanbul. This dervish crossed the se a frorn
Davud-Pasha-Kapusu to the other sicle of the rvater sitting on his
cloak. The chronicle aclcls: "There is rro rvonder, there are and the re
will be among people abclals, ntajztTlts, cre)$ antl r:c/is. Thc ordcr of
this trrtiverse clepertds ott tlterrr. But err:rrs cclnccnl thenrselves fi'rtnr
people and rvandcr about unkrtorvn. They clo not
'ulrke their uriracles
known to the public. T'hey rarely nrake thenr :tp1rt1r'cnt."
The abdals of the eastern Balkans survived thc 1 494 purge, horv-
evet.2e The khalifas and da"rs of Shah Isnta'il founcl follorvers antong
them in the area in the last anarchical years of Sultan Bayezid II. and
tunder Selirn I.30
NOTES
1. The author tells us that Otnran Baba hintsell' askecl solne of his
abduls to recast his deeds.The work was entrusted to KiiEtik Abclal
The rnanuscript was originally a rvakf of ihe library of Hircr Bektag in
Krrgehir. It is a unicunt copied by Sheikh Onrer ("[Jnrar') b. f)arvislr
Ahmed, cornpleted in August 1759. At the present tiure it bckrngs tcr
tlre Ankara Genel l{iitriphanesi (no. 6aT; I have usecl the photocopy
preserved at the i\4illi Ki"ittiphanc, Ankara, microfilm no. A22.
2. Sharns al-Din Ahmad al-Aflaki, Manakib al-"Arifin, erl, T.
Yaztct (2 vols.; Ankara: Ti,irk rarih Kurumu [TTK], 1959); Muhyi-i
Giilqeni, Manakib-i Ibrahim Gtilgeni, ecl. T. Yazrcr (Ankara: 'l'TK,
1987); E,bu'l Hayr Runri, Saltukname, ed. Fahir Iz, Sources of
oreintal Languages and Literarurcs, r'lo. 4 (Cambriclge: 1974-84).
3. "Abd al-Rahrtran b. Alrnracl al-Janri, Nafalyrt ttl-tJns min llrtzttrLlt
a.l-Kuds, ed. Mahcli Tar.vhidipur (Tchran: Sa'cli, 1957), pp. 9- 15. In lris
translation (Terciirne-i Nafahirt al-Uns Istanbtl, l2l0lt 853), Sheikh
Mahmud Lanri'i exparrded Janri's renrarks on kalanclaris, cl.v.
T. Yazrct, "Kalandarivya," E[2, ,1. 4]3-7 4.
 34 = I'{alil Inalctk
4. Ji1r"ni, NaJ-al.tat, p. 20, sumnrarizes Ibn al-'Arabi, al-Futul.tat al-
kki .tt,a, chapter 3 1 .
It4 o
5. T. Burckhalclt, An Introtluctiort to St(i Doctrine, Lrans. D. M.
Matheson (Lahore: M. Ashraf, 1963), pp. 89-95.
6. Brrrckhardt, p. 94; also see A. Schimmel, M1,511cal Dintensions
of lslatrt (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, I9l5),
Index, s.v. "Perfect Mart."
7. Max Weber, Ecortortty and Soctery, ed. G. Roth and C. Wittich
(Berkelel,: University of California Press, 1978), I,pp. 541-49.
8.lbid, p. 548.
9. On Skeikh Badr al-Din (Becireddin) see note 18 below.
10. See FI. Inalcrk, "The Yiiriiks: Their Origins, Expansion and
Ecorromic Role, " Orie ntnl Carpet andTextile Studies II: Ca,rpets of
ilrc Mediterroneott Cotmtries, 1400-1600, ed. R. Pinner and W. D.
Denny (London: IlALI Maga.zirtc,1986), pp. 39-65.
ll.lltid, pp.53-5a.
12. Ibid., pp. 44-47.
13. See'Agrk Paga-zirde irt OsnanhTarilileri, ed. Atsrz (lstanbul:
Ttirkiye Pub., 1941), pp.237-238.
1zl. On the role of the abdals in early Ottoman history, see M. F.
Kdpriilii, "Abdal ," Turk Halk E,debiyan Ansiklopedisi, I (Istanbul,
1935), 23-56; I, M6likoff, "Les babas Turcomans contemporains de
It{evlAnA," Uluslararsr Mevl0nd Semineri (Ankara, 197.1), pp. 268-
74; Qelebi Elvan, Manakibu'I-Kudstyyefi Menasibtt'I-Unsiyye, ed. I.
E,. Ertinsal and A.Y. Ocak (Istanbul: Edebiyat Faktiltesi, 1984); A.Y.
Oc ak, " Kalencleriler ve B akta gilik," D o ! tununun I 0 0 . Y t I do nundinde
Atat[irk' e Anna.!an (Istanbul: Istanbul Universitesi Edebiyat Faki,iltesi,
1981); Hatib-i Farisi, Menakilt-i Cannl al-Dln-i SavI, ed. T. Yazrct
(Ankala: TTK, 1972); A.Y. Ocak, "Qr-relques remarques sur le role
des den,iches kalencleris dans les mouvements populaires et les
acti\/it6s anarchiques au XV" et XVI" sidcles dans I'empire
ottonran ," Thc .lotrrnl of Ottornq.n Studies, 3 ( 1982) , 69-80; C.
Itnber, "The Wandering Dervishes," Ma.sltiq, Proceedings of
tlrc Eastern Mediterranean Seminar (Unlersity of Manches-
ter, 1971-7 8), pp. 36-50.
15. Inalcrk, "The YiJriiks," pp. 51-56.
i6. T.Gdkbilgin, Rumeli'de Yirukler,'fatarlar ve Evldd-i Fdtthdn
(Istanbul: Istanbul Universitesi Edebiyat Fakiiltesi, 1957); Inalcrk,
"The Ytiri.iks," p. 64, n. 86; for abdal/Ytiriik identity, see Koprillti,
"Abdal," pp. 38-53.
Dcrvish and Sultan = 35
17. For the process of settlement in tlris area ancl its characte ristics,
the sixteenth-century Ottoman suryey registcrs (taltrlr de.fterleri) <tf
Nigbolu (Nicopolis), preserverl in tlre Bagbakanlrk Arclrives, Istanbul,
provide extelrsive nraterials, particLtlarly Tapu nos. 775, 625, 439,
416; compared to Bulgariarr villages Ytiri"ik villages are strikingly
small.
18. Sheikh Badr al-Din, who declared hinrself "Malik Mahdi."
joined his "Sufi" followers in Agag-l)enizi (Deli-Onnan) and macle
the Zagra Plain his center of activities. The commotr original source
for Ottoman accounts on Badr al-Din comes dorvn to us in the least
di storted fonn in the anonymou s chron ic les T awa r t k I r i t\ I - i' O t lm m n,
ed. F. Giese (Breslau, 19ZZ), pp. 53-54. In various versions of this
tradition Badr al-Din's followers were torlo.k, or tslttk, names used
pejoratively for the abdals. In the salne sources merrtion is nrade also
of frontier raiders anrong his rlen ',vho were seeking ti.mar; on Badr
al-Din, see A. G0lprnarh and I. Sungurbey, Sarnavrn Kcrtltst oglu$eylt
Bedreddin (Istanbul: Eti, 1966); I{. J. Kissling, "Badr al-Din ," EI2 ,I,
869; there is no doubt that Baclr al-Din espouserl kalandari doctrine
and became one of the most active lc aders of abdal activi srn rlurin g the
period of intensified struggle benveen the central power ancl the fron-
tier, following the restoration of the centralist govemrnent under
Iv{ehmed I (1413-21); N. Filipovii, Princ Musa i $ejh Rerlredclin
(Sarajevo , 79J 1) is the ntost conrprehensive r.vork on Raclr al-Din.
19. Inalcrk, "The Ytirtiks." pp.44-45; ident, "Arab CarnelDrivers in
Western Anatolia in the lrifteenth Ccntury," RevLtc d'I{istoire
Maghr(.birre, nos. 3l-32 (Tunis, 1983), 210.
20. See H. Inalcrk,"AdAletnAmeler," B elgeler,2 (Ankara, 1967), 49-
63.
21. A. Tietze, Mustafa'Alt' ,s Counsel.for Sultans of I581, I (Vienna:
Akadenria,I9T9), text 149, trans. 56.
22. S. Faroqlii, "XVI-XVIIL ytizyrllarda Orta Arradolu'da $eyh
Aileleri," Tiirkil,e iktisat Tariltl Sunineri , M etinler, Tarttsntalar, ed.
O. Okyar and U. Nalbandoglu (Arrkara, 1975),225; idern, Der
Bektasclti-Orden in Anarolien (Yienna: WZKM. 198 l), pp. 49-75.
23. ln |444,during Mehmed II's first sultanate, Orkharr, an Ottoman
pretender, had fourrd support amorlg the frontier raiders and heretics
of Deli-Orman: see I-I. Inalcrk, Fotih Dettri IJzerinde Tetkikler ve
I/esikalar (Ankara: TTK, 1954), pp. 37-38: I{. Inalcrk ancl I\,1. O[uz,
Gazavdt-i,SultanMurddb. A4ehnune d IIan (Ankara: TTK, 1978), pp.
37 -39;Deli-Ornran ancl Dobru ja bccame classic tcrrains of heresy anci
 36 = Halil Ina.lctk
rcbellion in the Ottonralr Erupire; the last violent uprising occurrecl itt
1555, rvltert an adventurer preteltding to be the executed Prince
N4ustafa rvas able to organize an anny of rebels, made up mostly of The ottornan succession ancl Its Relation to the
discortterrtedraiders and sipahis atrd heretics, see $. Turan, Kanunt' nin
Tirrkish Conccpt of Sovereignty
Oglu $elntttle Bat,eztd l/ak'a.st (Arrkara: TTK, 1961), pp.37-44.
24. See Q. Ulugay, "Yavuz Selim Nasrl Padigah Oldu?" Tarilt
Dergisi VI (1954),61-74; VII (1955), 117-31.
25. Donado da Lezze, HistoriaTurclrcsca(1300-1514)ed. I. Ursu
(Bucharest: Academiei Romane, 19 10), pp. 120-IZI.
26. T a,v arlkh- i A l - i' O t hnmn, ed.F. Giese, p . 126; a detailed version
A o.o*.s at the tree of the Ottoman Sultans rvill shorv rhat until the
of this chronicle, housed at the Bibliothbqqe Nationale, Paris (MS
death of Ahmed I (1603- 1617) the throne alrvays passcd f rorl
Suppl. no. 1047, folios 103-104), gives the following chronologl': father
to son; it is only after that clate that rve see the accessiclrr of
The sultan celebratecl the ttlu-bayv61nt at Depe-Delen (July 26-28), brothers.
Joseph von Flamrner-Purgstallattempted to e xplain
tlren nroved to Monastir ivhere he stayed a few clays (birkaE giin);he this pheponrerlos
in the following manner: the ottornans followed the sc:rriority prin-
then left the torvn to re tunt to Edirne. The sanle day that the sultan left
ciple, inherited from the tirne of chinggis Khan, rvher.eby theihrone
Ir,lonastir the attack occurred rvhile lte rvas crossing a creek near
devolved first upo' the eldest son or, if there were no so., upon
N4orrastir'. He rvas in Edirne on 1 i Dhu'i-ka"da987 l4 September 1492; the
oldest living relative of the rleceased ruler., Recause of the practice
H. J. Kissling, Sultan Bdjezid's il Bezielu,mgen zu Markgraf Fran' of
fratricide, however, the need to invoke the latter proviso dicl not
ccsco II von Gonzaga (Municli: Max Flueber, 1965), p.12, says arise
until 1617 when, for the first time upon the death of a Sultan, a brgtSer
Ba1'ezid Stal;sd at "Tepedelen" during the month of Ramadan, which
was found to be still living. Rejecting this explanation, Frieclrjch
star-ted on January 28, 1495.
Giese put forth the view that there was no larv or principle governing
27 . For the identity of haydari and abdal, see Kopriilti, "Abdal," pp.
sultanic succession among the ottomans.'similariy, wirheln Radloff
28-31.
had earlier given examples showing rhat n<; established rules
28. Deportation occurred in the year 900 of the Hegira, which for
succession prevailed arnong any of the Turkish peoplcs., Fi'ally,
started October 2, 1494; cf. Kissling p. 39, note 87. The event is put
Ldszlo Ferenc vierved the ploblem frorn a wider perspective,
iri the Tat;arlkh before the miracie of the dervish that took place irt the statilrg
conclusively that alltollg the Turks, "every nrerrrber clf t6e lrlipg
rt-torrth of Jumada I, which started on January 28,1495. Jern Strltan
dynasty has a clainr on trre right to rule, there exists neither a
die d orr 29 Jumada I, 900/25 February, 1495.
prirnogenttura nor A seri.ctratus pri^ciple of succession.,',
29. Followers of Otn'rarr Baba called Bedreclditri were for-rnd in
More recently, proponents of both the senioratlts principle,
Krrklarili still in 1894; see V. L. Sa1cr, "Trakya'da Tiirk Kabileleri, I:
whereby the eldest member of the ruling farnily assulnes tlre throne,
Anrtrca Kabilesi," Ttirk Antact,I/7 (January 1943),311-15 (repro-
and of the prtmogenituraprinciple, rvhereby oirly the elclest
duced in A. Gdlprnarh and I. Sungurbey,SantavnaKadtst,pp. XXVI- son has
the right to succeed, have come fonvard. zeki velidi 'roga,, for
XXX); in 1894 sonre of their leaders were exiled to Libya. Salcr
instance, statecl that "because the title of great khan p,,rr..l to the
reports that they believed Otman Baba to be "the Divinity of Rain" and
eldest brother, the area of his resiclence would beconre the center of
fh,ing as a cloud. He took over functions attributed to Flidr.
the state. This practice r.vas prevalent also among the Karakhanicls,
30. See Q. UluEay, "Yavuz Selim Nasrl Padigah Oldu?" r-nentiotred
successors to the Kok riirks."' Togan elservhere stated, rather
irr note 24 above. am_
biguuusly, "Among the Karakhanids the right to Kaghanship, accorcl-
ing to old Turkish traclitions, belonged to the eldest prinie of that
segment of the family which was predominant.", osrrran Turan statecl