Sari Saltuk was a semi-legendary alperen-dervish who crossed into the Balkans in the 13th century, associated with the circle of Haji Bektash Veli, and regarded as a pioneer of Islam's spread in the region. According to the TDV Encyclopaedia of Islam he died in 697/1297-98 in Dobruja (Babadag), and maqams attributed to him exist at Kaliakra, Babadag, Ohrid, Kruja and Blagaj (Herzegovina), among others. The tomb at Blagaj Tekke is a symbolic MAQAM within the tradition that his body would rest in 'twelve places'; the actual burial is disputed and generally placed at Babadag, making Blagaj a competing maqam rather than a confirmed grave. Evliya Çelebi's 17th-century travelogue is among the early records linking the site to Sari Saltuk. (Sources: TDV Encyclopaedia of Islam, 'Sarı Saltuk', islamansiklopedisi.org.tr; Tekija Blagaj official history, tekijablagaj.ba; Commission to Preserve National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina)