Bahri Dede

Bahri Dede is a personage counted among the renowned of the saints. He was born in Edirne and was raised there. His date of birth is unknown, and the sources record that he died in Bursa in the year 1566 (AH 974). He received his early education in his birthplace, Edirne, and learned the religious sciences from the scholars of his time. On the path of Sufism he was trained by adopting the way of Hazret-i İbrâhim Edhem, and it is related that he attained maturity on this path. He began the duty of spiritual guidance (irşad) first at the Kovacı Dede Lodge; there he was charged with the task of explaining the right path to people and guiding them. Later he came to Bursa and guided the people at the Murâdiye Lodge, continuing his service at this lodge. According to the sources, he is remembered as a personage whose discourses were greatly influential and whose prayers were accepted; it is stated that he left a profound spiritual effect upon those around him. The sources also speak of the wonders (kerâmet) attributed to him, and it is related that he took part in the Sigetvar (Szigetvár) campaign and was present in that campaign. Spending his life in learning, spiritual guidance, and the cultivation of the heart, Bahri Dede became known as a saint beloved by those around him, both for his scholarly accumulation and for his mystical state. The line of his life, extending from Edirne to Bursa, makes him a figure uniting two important centers of learning and spiritual culture of the Ottomans. His grave is in his zâviye (small lodge) in Bursa and is a place of visitation. In this respect he is remembered as one of the saints associated with the lodge tradition in the spiritual geography of Bursa. Information about his life has been recorded in the biographical sources of the Ottoman period.