Türk Kültürü ve Hacı Bektaş Velî Araştırma Dergisi (Sep 2019)
HACI BEKTAŞ VELİ’NİN HALİFELERİNDEN KOYUN BABA’NIN BALKANLAR’DAKİ İZLERİ
Abstract
The main aim of this article is to investigate the life and teachings of the wali known as Koyun Baba in Turkish-Islamic culture. The other aim of this study is to investigate the existence and effects of Koyun Baba in the Balkan region. The researcher personally visited most of the tombs that are believed to belong to Koyun Baba in Turkey during the study. In particular, tomb of Koyun Baba in Çorum Osmancik province was emphasized since all of the handwritten manuscripts of Koyun Baba usually point there. The researcher also visited tomb of Koyun Baba near the village of Sipkoviça, Kalkandelen in Macedonia twice in different years while investigating Koyun Baba’s traces in the Balkans. As a result of literature review, the identity, teachings and traces of Koyun Baba in the Balkans were tried to be uncovered.Ottoman Explorer Evliya Çelebi talks about Koyun Baba in his travelbook Seyahatname: “Koyun Baba, personally is the caliph of Haci Bektash Veli.” As a result of the legends about him, it is understood that Koyun Baba was born in Khorasan. His real name is Seyyid Ali and he is accepted as 12th son of the imam-sect leader Rıza. Koyun Baba left Khorasan and after visiting Karbala, he went to pilgrimage to Mecca after which he came to Anatolia and visited the city of Bursa. There he became a shepherd of a wealthy person called Abdullah and he made a deal with this wealthy man: when a sheep gave a birth to twins Koyun Baba had the right to obtain one of them. After a while, he came to Osmancık with forty sheep he had received in Bursa. Koyun Baba’s fame has reached the present day as a result of his 30 miraculous deeds and anecdotes. In so-called ‘velâyetname’ books which are about the lives of walis like Otman Baba and Piri Baba Koyun Baba was mentioned. In addition, the anecdotes about the Koyun Baba were written in both verse and prose which have reached the present day as manuscripts. One can find lots of Koyun Baba Tombs all over Turkey. However, there are two Koyun Baba tombs in the Balkans, one in Romania and the other inMacedonia. After mentioning Koyun Baba’s life, doctrine and research carried out on him, we will talk about sending his evlat (son) Erişti Ali for spiritual and ethic guide to the Balkans from Çorum, Osmancık and his influence in the Balkans. We will first talk about the Koyun Baba tomb in Romania and then the one in Tetovo, Macedonia, making comparisons with the narratives in Turkey.
