Saints and Tombs of Yozgat

Shaykh Hajji Ahmad Efendi (Zahid al-Yozgadi)

A Halvetî-Şâbânî shaykh born in Yozgat, descended from a Turkmen family of Çalatlı village. After becoming a disciple of Çerkeşî Mustafa Efendi and receiving khalifa rank, he returned to Yozgat and spread the Şâbâniyye order. In 1859 he built the mosque-lodge bearing his name in the Taşköprü quarter and wrote poetry under the pen name 'Terkî'. He died in 1896 and was buried in the mosque courtyard; a year later his son Muhyiddin Efendi built his tomb. (Sources: TDV 'Yozgatlı Hacı Ahmed Efendi'; Yozgat Provincial Directorate)

Shaykhzade Ahmad Şevki Ergin (al-Yozgadi)

Born in Yozgat in 1906, grandson of the Halvetî-Şâbânî shaykh Zahid al-Yozgadi. Besides his inherited lineage, he received Nakşî-Hâlidî succession from Mustafa Hulûsi Efendi; he taught hundreds of students in village schools and was known for his service to the Qur'an. He died on 7 January 2002 and was buried beside his grandfather in the tomb of the Şeyhzade (Ahmet Efendi) Mosque. (Sources: Biyografya; Somuncubaba Magazine)

Gedikhasanlı Şakir Efendi (Mehmet Şakir Suntay)

A scholar born in 1853 whose family migrated from Kayseri and settled in Gedikhasanlı village of Sorgun. He studied under his father Ali Efendi and at the Osman Paşa Medrese in Yozgat, and obtained his license in Kayseri. He taught at the Demirli and Osman Paşa medreses, mastering Arabic, hadith and exegesis, and was a Naqshbandi guiding master. He died in 1937 in Gedikhasanlı and was buried at the village cemetery. (Sources: Yozgat Provincial Directorate; Kültür Portalı)

Emirci Sultan (Sharaf al-Din Ismail b. Muhammad)

Shaykh (Yeseviyye)

Emirci Sultan, whose real name was Sharaf al-Din Ismail b. Muhammad, was a shaykh of the Yeseviyye order in the tradition of Ahmad Yasawi. He lived in the present-day Yozgat region during the Seljuk period, trained disciples at the lodge he founded, and died in 1240 (AH 637). He is associated with the Babai movement; his grave lies in the tomb beside his lodge in the village of Osmanpaşa. The original gravestone inscription, in Seljuk sülüs script, survives.