The Tekke of Akyazılı

Year 1967, Volume: 31 Issue: 124, 593 - 600, 20.10.1967

Semavi Eyice

Abstract

In the travels of Evliya Çelebi while he is telling one of his journeys in 1652, he mentioned the tekke of Akyazılı Sultan which is in the north of Varna. This tekke being considered as one of the important works of Turkish art and history of the Ottoman empire. I was glad to have the opportunity of going there in the summer of 1966. This survey about the tekke of Akyazılı Sultan is being presented with the purpose of bringing out its historical and architectural identity. As Evliya Çelebi relates, this Turkish mystic named Akyazı!ı was one of the disciples of Hoca Ahmed Yesevi' who was an impoı tant head of the Turks in Central Asia. Akyazılı came to Bursa with Hacı Bektaş and later, during the conquest of Rumeli, he settled there. Evliya Çelebi also tells two stories about his vita and miracles. The first story deals with his planting of a horse chestnut tree which was believed to contain the special quality of being curative. The second story is more historical in character. It was supposed that Akyazılı had lived from the reign of Orhan Gazi until the reign of Murat II. He was the moral support of Gazi Mihaloğlu Arslan Bey who was the leader of the great raids in Rumeli. When he died, Arslan Bey built a unique tekke and a tomb for him near this chestnut tree. After describing the architecture of the tomb, Evliya Çelebi also mentions that this place is known for curing sick people. Even, he himself got over his malaria here and for that reason he wrote a couplet on the wall.

Keywords

The Tekke of Akyazılı, Evliya Çelebi, Bulgaria, Varna, Ottoman Empire, Tekke Architecture, Ottoman Art