Saints and Tombs of Sivas

Mustafa Taki Efendi

An Ottoman scholar (müderris/dersiâm) born in Sivas in 1873, expert in fiqh, hadith, tafsir and sira, and a Naqshbandi-Khalidi sheikh. He succeeded Mustafa Hâkî Efendi (d. 1920) — the silsile İhramcızâde İsmail Hakkı Toprak would later inherit. He served as a Sivas deputy in the First Grand National Assembly (1920-1923). He died in Gürün in 1925 and is buried beside the Abdülvehhâb Gazi tomb/cemetery in Sivas. (Sources: TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi 'Toprak, İsmail Hakkı'; DergiPark 'Mustafa Takî Efendi'; TBMM Parliamentary History.)

Receb Sivasi

Nephew, son-in-law and khalifa of Şemseddîn-i Sivâsî, founder of the Halveti-Şemsi order, and son of his brother İbrâhîm-i Sivâsî. He served Şemseddin for some fifty years and, after the death of Şemseddin's son Pîr Mehmed Efendi, became head (postnişin) of the Şems lodge in Sivas and imam-hatip at the Meydan Mosque. He authored the 'Necmü'l-hüdâ', the principal first-hand hagiography of Şemseddin's life. He is buried in the Şemseddin Sivâsî tomb / Meydan Mosque cemetery in Sivas (death date given variously as 1013/1604 and 1008/1599). (Sources: TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi 'Şemseddin Sivâsî'; N. Çetin, 'Sivâsî Tekkesi', DergiPark.)

Numan Sabit Efendi

A Sivas mufti, müderris and poet of the Sârıhatipzâde scholarly family, son of the mufti-poet Ahmed Hamdi Efendi. He wrote poetry under the pen name 'Sâbit' and was popularly called 'Yılancık Evliyâsı'; in 1758 he built a library and fountain beside the Grand Mosque (the present Numan Efendi Public Library bears his name). He died in 1182/1768-69 and is buried in central Sivas in his family cemetery (Sârıhatipzâde) west of the Grand Mosque. (Sources: TEİS 'SÂBİT, Nu'mân', Yesevi Univ.; H. Yekbaş, 'Sârıhatipzâdelerden Numan Sabit Efendi', Cumhuriyet Univ.)

Sheikh Merzuban al-Wali

A sayyid Sufi (of the Prophet's lineage) whose given name was Mahmûd b. Alî al-Husaynî al-Baghdâdî. Following the Vefâiyye tradition he came to Anatolia from Khorasan/Baghdad and settled in the Seljuk period at Tekke village near Zara; tradition holds that Sultan Alâeddin Keykubad granted him land for a madrasa. He is regarded as the spiritual patron of Zara and is said to have died in 1306. His tomb stands at Tekke village about 5 km from Zara and was restored in 2021. (Sources: Kültür Portalı; Kültür Envanteri; Doğan Kaya, 'Horasan Merkezli Anadolu Erenleri', Çukurova Univ.)

Ahi Emir Ahmed

A leading figure of the Ahi (futuwwa guild) organization in 13th-14th century Sivas; of Khorasani origin, he settled in Anatolia (first Bayburt, then Sivas). He was both an Ahi leader and a devotee of the Mevlevi path, with documented friendships with Mevlana's son Sultan Veled and grandson Ulu Ârif Çelebi. He is known as a wealthy benefactor whose endowment (waqf) is recorded; he died c. 1333 (734 AH). His tomb is an octagonal cut-stone mausoleum built c. 1332-33 in the Tokmakkapı quarter of central Sivas. (Sources: Kültür Portalı; Türkiye Turizm Ansiklopedisi; Visit Sivas.)

Sheikh Coban Veli

A Sufi sheikh nicknamed 'Çoban' (the shepherd, râî) for tending his father's herds, said by tradition to belong to the Vefâiyye line attached to Ebü'l-Vefâ; he is held to have lived around the 12th-13th century. His death date is uncertain (some records give 772/1371); the fountain inscription of his complex (tomb, mosque, fountain, zaviye) is dated 723/1323. His tomb stands in the Kaleardı quarter of central Sivas, a single-domed cut-stone structure in the Ilkhanid style. (Sources: Kültür Portalı; Kültür Envanteri; S. Gülten, 'Şeyh Çoban ve Evladına Dair', isamveri.org.)

Ihramcizade Ismail Hakki Toprak

A Naqshbandi-Khalidi spiritual guide from Sivas. He completed his Sufi training under Mustafa Haki and then Mustafa Taki in Tokat and received authorization (hilafet). He died in Sivas on 2 August 1969 and was buried in the courtyard (hazire) of the Sivas Ulu (Grand) Mosque.

Abd al-Wahhab Ghazi

A warrior-dervish and companion-in-arms of Battal Gazi; sources describe him as an Umayyad-era ghazi who, by tradition, was martyred near Sivas in 731 CE (113 AH) fighting the Byzantines. Although Sivas folk tradition reveres him as one of the Companions, historical records place him among the tabi'un/ghazis rather than the sahaba. His tomb stands on the 'Yukari Tekke' rocky outcrop in the Kilavuz quarter of Sivas.

Shams al-Din Sivasi

(Kara Shams)

Scholar, poet and Sufi born in Zile in 1520, whose given name was Ahmed. He founded the Shamsiyya (later Sivasiyya) branch of the Halvetiyye order. He died in Sivas in 1597 and was buried in the courtyard (hazire) of the Meydan Mosque, where his tomb became an important place of visitation. His works include a Mevlid, Menakib-i Chehar Yar-i Guzin and a Divan.