Abstract
Abdals are dervish coterie who came to Anatolia with Mongolian raids. They formed the Abdalân-ı
Rum communities and were held in high esteem. Abdals, which are discussed in many dīvāns (poem
collections) in classical Turkish poetry, are processed as symbols of amorousness. In these poems, it
is seen that Abdals have three main feacures such as walking barefoot and open-head, cauterizing the
wound, and using opium. When poems are examined, it is seen that their first essential attributes are
accompanied by the properties of traveling and begging, loneliness, and equating themselves to the
sovereignty of poverty. Abdals made wounds on their bodies and heads in the form of alif (horizontal
line) or horseshoe, and they beat their chests in the form of the mourning ritual of Karbala, which
corresponds to their basic characteristics of cauterizing the wounds. Abdals were not content with
this, they also used methods such as binding meftul (wick) to treat their wounds. They used the opium
they carried in a bowl called jur‘ah to relieve their pain and experienced the drunkenness that it gave
in the form of ecstasy/temptation. Many classical poets discuss this situation in line with the concept
of love and as a symbol of âşık (adorer; folk poet-singer). In this journey, âşık regarded himself as
Abdal and adopted the qualities of Abdal. In this study, being abdal is handled by grouping it within
the framework of its main and complementary qualities. In this context, it is aimed to reveal the
concept of âşık in classical poetry in a holistic and compiled way.