Omar Dede Sikkini (Bichakchi Omar Dede)

A Sufi regarded as the founding master (pir) of the Malami branch of the Bayramiyya. His birth date is unknown; sources differ between Göynük and Bursa as his birthplace. The earliest source is Abdurrahman al-Askari's Mir'at al-Ishq; he was popularly known as Bichakchi Emir Dede, and the name "Omar" was first recorded by Tashköprizade. His byname "Sikkini" comes from his craft of knife-making. He is held to have entered Sufism in the circle of Somunju Baba in Bursa and completed his path under Haji Bayram Wali, becoming his khalifa; after his master's death he settled in Göynük. According to legend, a disagreement with Akshamsaddin over outward tokens such as the crown and cloak led him to step into fire wearing them — only the tokens burned. His renunciation of outward insignia is counted as the beginning of Bayrami-Malamism. He died in 880/1475 in Göynük, where his octagonal freestanding tomb stands; his path was continued by his khalifa Bünyamin Ayashi. (Sources: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam; Dictionary of Names in Turkish Literature; Culture Portal.)