Saints and Tombs of Balıkesir

Hacı Ali Rıza al-Bazzaz of Bandırma

A Naqshbandi-Khalidi sheikh of the late Ottoman period, born 1267/1851 in Anchialos (Pomorie, today Bulgaria). A draper (bazzaz) by trade, he became a disciple of Halil Nurullah Zağravi, completed his spiritual path, received the caliphate and settled in Bandırma, turning it into a regional centre of the order. He died in 1330/1912; his successors include Ali Haydar Efendi of Ahıska. (Sources: Acıoğlu, Kültür Araştırmaları Dergisi 2023; Türkiye Gazetesi biography)

Muhyiddin al-Rumi

A disciple (halife) of Emir Sultan of Bursa, traditionally dated to the late 14th–early 15th century and regarded as the spiritual founder of Burhaniye (formerly Kemer). He is said to have overseen the building of the Koca Mosque and endowed a medrese, bathhouse and shops as vakıf. His tomb in the Kocacami quarter holds two sarcophagi, his own and that of his son Hasan Çelebi. (Sources: Kültür Envanteri; Engin Beksaç, Tarihin Işığında Burhaniye)

Sinan Dede

A 14th-century dervish of Central Asian Kızık Turkmen origin, counted among the disciples of Emir Sultan of Bursa. Remembered for spreading Islam in the region and venerated by locals as a 'sage/saint'; tied to the Khorasan-erenler tradition, his order remains uncertain. His tomb in Kızıklı village of Burhaniye is a registered protected site, visited beneath its monumental cypresses. (Sources: Engin Beksaç, tuvart.net; Burhaniye Municipality)

Shaykh Lutfullah Efendi

(may God sanctify his secret)

A Bayrami sufi saint recorded as one of the disciples and the Karesi (Balıkesir) deputy of Hacı Bayram-ı Velî. He is buried in the courtyard (hazire) of the Şeyh Lütfullah Mosque named after him, built in 1429 and renovated in 1907, where about 100 graves stand.