“Who was Akbaba Sultan?” is a question that lingers in the air around us. Akbaba Türbesi stands as a testament to a Bektashi Sufi baba. He was not just any baba but a participant in the Conquest of Constantinople.
Akbaba Sultan, also known as Akbaba Mehmed Efendi, was a mentor to Ottoman Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror. Imagine the weight of that relationship. Think of the counsel he provided during such a pivotal moment in history.
Following the Conquest in 1453, Akbaba Sultan chose this serene valley, rich with spring waters, as his new home. He established a tekke, a Sufi religious center, with his devoted dervish followers. It became a place of learning and spiritual retreat.
The tekke saw a revival between 1876 and 1889 by the Naqshbandi Shaykh Abdulhakim Efendi of Bukhara. This highlights the enduring legacy and spiritual significance of Akbaba Sultan’s initial establishment.
Canfeda Hatun, a noblewoman attendant of Sultan Murad III’s mother, contributed to the area’s growth. She had a mosque built near Akbaba Türbesi in 1588. The mosque still bears her name.
However, the Sufi complex faced challenging times. It fell into disuse after the Auspicious Incident of 1826. All other Bektashi lodges around Istanbul were closed. The followers were exiled from the area.
After about fifty years of silence, Sultan Abdulhamid II turned it over to Shaykh Abdulhakim. Abdulkadir Pasha, commander of Istanbul, helped rebuild the center. Upon Shaykh Abdulhakim’s death in 1889, he was buried near Akbaba Sultan behind the tekke. This area became known as Akbaba Cemetery.
His son, Ahmed Mansur Mukerrem Efendi, continued his work. But in 1925, all tekkes and zawiyas were declared illegal. This was part of Mustafa Kemal’s reforms.
After the 1950 Turkish general election, religious institutions saw a resurgence. By then, most of the tekke buildings had been destroyed. Only the mosque and harem section remained. The harem became an imam’s office.
In the 2000s, President Erdogan’s AK Party supported religious institutions. The mosque was restored. It was rebuilt in the 2010s. The rebuilt structure kept its original wooden form on a stone foundation. The complex’s borders were reclaimed with landscaping and a stone border wall.
A Rifai tekke once stood nearby. Its building decayed and was demolished for safety. The graveyard of the tekke remains next to the Akbaba Dergah property.
Today, the area around Akbaba Türbesi is known for its lush greenery. It’s even a popular filming location for Turkish TV series. As you leave Akbaba Türbesi, remember Akbaba Sultan’s story. His legacy lives on in this tranquil spot and in the hearts of those who seek spiritual guidance.