A Section of the Presence of Bektashism in the Mediterranean: Antalya Bektashi Lodges in the Ottoman Period

Abstract

This study focuses on the Bektashi lodges established in Antalya during the Ottoman period. The Bektashis, known to have built their lodges in rural areas, had two lodges in Antalya. One is called the Koyun Baba Tekkesi located outside the walls of Antalya castle, while the other is called the Açıkbaş / Mustafa Baba Tekkesi. This lodge is in the Meydan neighborhood, located in the east of the city where agricultural activities were intense. Although the establishment and disappearance of the Koyun Baba Tekkesi cannot be clearly dated, it certainly did not reach the 19th century. The Açıkbaş / Mustafa Baba Tekkesi is noteworthy because it was one of the lodges opened during the period of détente after the abolition and prohibition of the Bektashi order, when the Bektashis were able to act with relative ease. In this lodge, where the influence of Albanian Bektashism was pervasive, there was a struggle between Bektashi and Naqshi sheikhs in accordance with the conjuncture of the period. This study discusses the motives for the establishment and collapse of these two Bektashi lodges in Antalya and the conditions that affected them during the period in which they operated.