Atashbaz-i Wali (Yusuf b. Izzeddin)

Whose real name was Yûsuf b. Izzeddin, Âteşbâz-ı Velî was the cook of the lodge of Mevlânâ Celâleddîn-i Rûmî and a venerated figure in the Mevlevî tradition. According to legend, when the kitchen ran out of firewood, at Mevlânâ's playful remark he cooked the food with flames issuing from his feet; his epithet "âteşbâz" (one who plays with fire) derives from this account. In Mevlevî lodges the kitchen hearth was named after him as the "station of Âteşbâz-ı Velî," and he was remembered with respect in the blessings recited after meals. He died in 684 (1285), and his tomb, built in the Seljuk architectural style, stands near Aşkan hill on the Meram road in Konya. It is regarded as the first shrine in the world raised for a cook.