Akbıyık Sultan

Akbıyık Sultan was among the great saints who lived during the reigns of Murâd II Khan and Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror (Fâtih). His real name was Ahmed Şemseddîn. He was trained in the discourses (sohbet) of Hacı Bayrâm-ı Velî and attained maturity through his spiritual grace and blessing. He is remembered for his words that brought healing to hearts, and it is related that through the influence of these discourses he reached advanced spiritual degrees. A remarkable aspect of his life is that he pursued the path of Sufism together with the path of holy war (gaza). On the one hand he matured spiritually through his master's discourse, while on the other he took part in the holy struggle (cihad) that Murâd II Khan waged against the Crusaders and the enemies of religion. According to the sources, in the campaigns he undertook together with the other disciples of Hacı Bayrâm-ı Velî he rendered great service and contributed importantly to the Ottoman advance in Rumelia. Thus he became known both as a spiritual guide (mürşid) trained in the path of learning and Sufism, and as a warrior shaykh (gâzi shaykh) prominent on the fields of holy war. After attaining spiritual maturity, he founded a lodge (dergâh) in Bursa and guided the people, instructing those who gathered around him and occupying himself with their spiritual edification. The year of his death is given in the sources as 1455 (AH 860). He is buried in Bursa, in the Akbıyık quarter, in the tomb beside the lodge he had built in the Akbıyık Çıkmazı (cul-de-sac). The quarter and lodge that bear his name carry the traces of his spiritual legacy in Bursa down to the present day. His life and services have been recorded in the biographical and historical sources of the Ottoman period.