Saints and Tombs of Trabzon

Tayyip Zühdü Şahin Efendi

Born in 1867 in Akdoğan (Hopşera) village of Çaykara into a scholarly family. He taught for many years as a müderris at his madrasa in Akdoğan, training numerous students; a noted late-Ottoman Çaykara scholar. He died in 1942 and is buried in Akdoğan village beside his madrasa. (Sources: Evliyalar.net; Çaykara Gazetesi)

Tezveren Dede

Said to be of Maraş origin, Tezveren Dede is reported to have served as a gunner in the Ottoman army during the 1461 conquest of Trabzon and to have been martyred and buried at the foot of the city walls. His grave lies in the Çömlekçi neighbourhood of Ortahisar. Documentation is scarce and largely rests on local tradition and Bıjışkyan's account; flagged as a legendary figure. (Sources: Kültür Envanteri; Arkeobook)

Haçkalı Baba (Mustafa Tarhan)

Born Mustafa Tarhan in 1864 in Dağönü village of Of, Haçkalı Baba was also known as Kuş Mustafa and Haçkalı Hoca. He pursued religious and Sufi learning and is counted among the region's late saints. He died in Ramadan 1949 and his tomb stands at Haçka Yayla in the Düzköy/Akçaabat area beside a mosque built in his name. (Sources: Günebakış; Kuzey Ekspres)

Hasan Rami Yavuz (Çaykaralı Hacı Hasan Efendi)

may God have mercy on him

A scholar and preacher from the district of Çaykara in Trabzon; a teacher who went on training students in the years when the medreses were closed. He was born in 1909 in the village of Akdoğan in Çaykara. His family is traced to a line that came to this region fleeing the pursuit of Shah Ismail in the time of Şehzade Selim. His father Mehmed Zeki Efendi died on the Sarıkamış front in the First World War; his mother was Âkıle Hanım. He read the Qur'an in the village mosque; he studied with Salih Bilgin (Hacı Salih Efendi) and with Veliefendizâde Tayyip Zühdü Efendi. When the medreses were closed in 1923 he had to continue at primary school. In 1938 he completed his study of the religious sciences by receiving authorisation from Tayyip Zühdü Efendi. He memorised the Qur'an and studied the science of the readings under Mehmet Rüştü Âşıkkutlu. His turn to Sufism began with an allegiance he gave in a dream to Ferşad Efendi, a deputy of Gümüşhânevî. He read the works of Gaybî, Niyâzî-i Mısrî and İsmâil Hakkı Bursevî. At Istanbul he received investiture from Mehmet Zahit Kotku . Between 1938 and 1944 he served as imam at Doğançay and Yukarı Kışlacık; between 1944 and 1982 he held the office of preacher at Akçaabat, Of and Çaykara for thirty-eight years. In the periods when the teaching of the religious sciences was forbidden he went on giving lessons in secret. He died on 30 March 1982 of a heart attack in the village where he was born. His Circle of Influence — He graduated about 300 students in twenty-two cycles. Among those he trained are Ali Fikri Yavuz, who served as deputy mufti of Istanbul, and his sons Yunus Vehbi, Yusuf Şevki and Salih Sabri, who became university professors. His Works — His books Müminlere Vaazlar (2007) and Mahrem Sözler (2007) have been published.

Ferşad Efendi (İbrahim Hakkı Uysal)

may God have mercy on him

A scholar and preacher who ran a medrese for forty years in the eastern Black Sea region; a guide on the Nakşibendî-Hâlidî line. He was born in 1866 in the village of Yeşilalan in the district of Çaykara in Trabzon. His real name was İbrâhim Hakkı . In childhood he worked as a shepherd; he then studied the religious sciences with Huşolu Numan Efendi. As a young man he travelled through the neighbouring provinces preaching, and left a powerful impression on his hearers. He held short terms as imam in the Trabzon area; he then went to Istanbul and preached at the Hagia Sophia Mosque during Ramadan. He visited the Gümüşhânevî lodge and received Sufi training under Yûsuf Şevki Efendi. He married his master's daughter, strengthening this bond. He later entered seclusion under İsmâil Necâti Efendi at the Istanbul lodge and attained the rank of deputy . When he was offered the headship of the lodge he declined, considering fame a calamity , and continued teaching and spiritual guidance in his home region. After returning home he founded a medrese and taught there for forty years. He served as mufti of Of and as a teacher at a secondary school in Samsun. During the occupation period he worked for the recovery of confiscated manuscripts and administered endowed libraries. He died on 1 July 1930 and was buried beside his medrese. His Circle of Influence — At the medrese he founded he issued certificates to more than 300 students. Among those he trained are Hasan Râmi Yavuz and Mehmet Rüştü Âşıkkutlu .

Dursun Nuri Feyzi Güven (Çalekli Hacı Dursun Efendi)

may God have mercy on him

A scholar and public lecturer (dersiâm) who trained hundreds of students in the eastern Black Sea region; he is known as Çalekli Dursun Efendi . He was born in 1883. He was the grandson of Abdülaziz Efendi and the son of Yâkub Efendi. He came to be known by this name because his family, which had migrated from Van, settled at Büyükköy in the district of Of in Trabzon. He began memorising the Qur'an at seven and completed it at nine with Ahmed Efendi of Hemşin. He then studied Arabic with Karakaş Ahmed Efendi, the religious sciences with Tayyib Zühdü Efendi, and the science of inheritance shares with Velizâde Hasan Hilmi Efendi. In 1922 he graduated from the Theology and Philosophy branch of the Süleymaniye Medrese and gained the title of dersiâm . In Sufism he attached himself to Ferşad Efendi and entered the Nakşibendî path. He received investiture from Vizena Ahmed Efendi; in 1957 he also became a deputy of Ali Haydar Efendi . After working in the Office of the Şeyhülislâm he served as a regimental imam. In 1925 he took over the directorship of the İmam-Hatip School opened at Of. From 1939 he began teaching at the medrese unofficially. He died on 22 February 1977 in his village. His Circle of Influence — He trained hundreds of students. Among them are counted the scholar of Qur'anic readings Mehmet Rüştü Âşıkkutlu , Remzi Yavuz, who served in the Presidency of Religious Affairs, Osman Niyazi Atay, Hüseyin Hatipoğlu, Hüsnü Lostar and Kâmil Küçük. His Works — Münkızü'l-felâsife (Mecca 1949), Tevhid ve İşrâk (Istanbul 1920), Ahlâk ve İnanç Öğütleri (Giresun 1956), Âhiret Hakikatleri ve Dirilmek Hikmetleri (Trabzon 1970) and Muhtârü'l-ehâdîs Tercümesi (Istanbul 1964).

Ahi Evren Dede

may his secret be sanctified

A figure regarded by the local community as a saint, said by tradition to have come to the Trabzon region in the era of Orhan Gazi to spread Islam and organize the akhi (ahilik) guilds. He is held to be buried in the mosque and shrine that bear his name in Boztepe; the present mosque and tomb were built in 1887 (AH 1305) by the governor of Trabzon, Kadri (Kadir) Pasha, with funds sent by Sultan Abdülhamid II, and a dome was added during the 1976 restoration. The shrine contains four graves, one of which is said to belong to Ahi Evren.