Saints and Tombs of Hatay

Sheikh Ahmad al-Qushayri

Sheikh

A saint of the Halveti (Khalwati) Sufi order and the Shafi'i school of law, who received his ijaza from his father Sheikh Abdurrahman in 1520. During the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent he built a dervish lodge, madrasa, mosque and fountains in the Quseyr (today Şenköy) region. He died in 1549; his tomb stands in Şenköy (Yayladağı, Hatay) and also contains the graves of seventeen members of his family.

Habib al-Najjar (Habib the Carpenter)

Identified by Quranic exegetes as the believer of Antioch whose story is told in Surah Yasin (36:13-29); he was the first to believe the messengers sent to the city and was martyred while calling his people to faith. Known as a carpenter (najjar), his tomb is traditionally located within the Habib-i Neccar Mosque in Antakya, one of the oldest mosques in Anatolia.