Saints

Hajji Cuma Hoca of Mirmehmet

A scholar and spiritual guide buried in the village of Mirmehmet in the Kovancılar district of Elazığ, known locally for his learning and piety (d. 1944). He devoted himself to the religious education and guidance of the people of the region, and after his death his grave in the village became a place of visitation. (Sources: Abdulkadir Kıyak, 'The Phenomenon of Visitation in Elazığ and its Environs', doctoral thesis, Erciyes University 2010; Elazığ Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism inventory of tombs.)

ElazığDied 1944View

Shaykh Ahmed Dede (Ahmad al-Tawil)

A figure whose tomb is in the village of Baskil district (formerly Şeyh Hasan, today Tabanbükü) in Elazığ, regarded as the pir of the 'Şeyh Hasan/Şeyh Ahmed Dedeler' (Tavil) hearth (ocak) of the Alevi-Bektashi tradition. His identity is archivally documented by an endowment entry for the 'zawiya of Shaykh Ahmad al-Tawil' in the Malatya cadastral register of 967 AH/1560, which establishes him as a verified historical ocak dede. When the original Şeyh Hasan village was submerged under the Karakaya Dam reservoir in 1987, the tomb and associated heritage were moved to Tabanbükü. It is recorded in neutral language in keeping with Rule #9's principle of equal respect for all sects and orders. (Sources: 967 AH/1560 Malatya cadastral register endowment entry; Abdulkadir Kıyak, doctoral thesis, Erciyes University 2010.)

Shaykh Hüseyin Zeki Efendi

A Naqshbandi-Khalidi shaykh of the Sebtî family of Palu (d. 1914), descended from Shaykh Ali Septi and among those who continued Sufi guidance and scholarly activity at the Palu lodge. He carried on his family's Khalidi tradition and assumed the spiritual guidance of the people in the region. He died and is buried in Palu. (Sources: Serdar Karabulut, Akademiar Journal 2018/4; Yüksel Arslantaş & Rüstem Kadri Septioğlu, International Palu Symposium, Fırat University.)

ElazığDied 1914View

Teslim Abdal (Teslim Sultan Abdal)

A prominent bard (ozan) and pir of the Alevi-Bektashi tradition; his tomb is in the village of Şeyh Hasan (Tabanbükü) in the Baskil district of Elazığ. Together with his contemporary Sarı Kazak Abdal he is counted among the tradition's most important bards, leaving a mark on Alevi-Bektashi literature with his nefes and deyiş poems. According to his gravestone he died in 1135 AH/1722. The tomb is part of the heritage moved to Tabanbükü after the original village was submerged under the Karakaya Dam reservoir, and it is intensively visited. It is recorded in neutral language in keeping with Rule #9's principle of equal respect for all sects and orders. (Sources: 'Teslim Sultan Abdal', Dictionary of Turkish Literature Names, Yesevi University; Abdulkadir Kıyak, doctoral thesis, Erciyes University 2010.)

ElazığDied 1135 AHView

Shaykh Hasan al-Naki Efendi

A Naqshbandi-Khalidi scholar, the middle son of Shaykh Ali Septi, who served as professor and mufti of Palu (1843-1918). He received his early madrasa education in his father's İblaşiyye Madrasa, served as imam at the Kasımiyye Mosque, and was appointed mufti of Palu in 1888, holding that office until 1918; he combined teaching and spiritual guidance at the Palu lodge and madrasa. As his father's khalifa he continued the scholarly and Sufi tradition of the Sebtî family. He died and is buried in Palu. (Sources: Muhammed Çetkin, 'A Professor and Mufti in Palu: Shaykh Hasan al-Naki', Bingöl University; Serdar Karabulut, Akademiar Journal 2018/4.)

ElazığDied 1918View

Shaykh Mahmud Feyzi Efendi

A Naqshbandi-Khalidi shaykh of the Sebtî family of Palu (d. 1894), descended from Shaykh Ali Septi and among those who continued the tradition of spiritual guidance and teaching at the Palu lodge. Raised in the scholarly-Sufi line of his father and family, he contributed to the spread of the Khalidi order in the region. He died in Palu and is buried in the family cemetery. (Sources: Serdar Karabulut, Akademiar Journal 2018/4; Yüksel Arslantaş & Rüstem Kadri Septioğlu, International Palu Symposium, Fırat University.)

ElazığDied 1894View

Luqman the Wise (Lokman Hekim)

The maqam attributed to Luqman — after whom a sura of the Qur'an (Sūrat Luqmān) is named and who is described as having been 'granted wisdom' — is among the tombs adjoining the eastern section of the Tarsus Grand Mosque (Ulu Camii / Câmi-i Nûr). Islamic tradition debates whether he was a prophet or a wise, righteous man; popularly he is regarded as the patron of physicians. The tomb sits alongside the maqams of Seth (Şît) and Caliph al-Ma'mun on the east of the Grand Mosque. Whether the grave truly belongs to Luqman is uncertain, so it is of maqam status. (Sources: TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi 'Tarsus'; Tarsus District Governorate; Wikipedia 'Tarsus Ulu Camii' — cross-verified location.)

Shaykh Abdullah al-Mencek (Mencek Baba)

A shaykh also known as İmam Kuşeyrîzâde who founded a lodge (zâviye) in Tarsus to serve dervishes migrating from Turkestan to Anatolia. The Mencek (Küçük Tekke) lodge, whose endowment deed was drawn up on 11 Rajab 781 (23 October 1379), for centuries hosted dervishes, ghazis and merchants from Samarkand, Bukhara, Balkh and Khiva. His tomb beside the lodge stands in the Tekke neighborhood of Tarsus, which takes its name from this lodge; his grave was later restored by Naqshbandi sheikhs. (Sources: TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi 'Tarsus'; academic studies based on Ottoman archival documents; Uludağ University thesis on the socio-cultural structure of Tarsus.)

MersinDied 781 AHView

Prophets

Prophet Daniel (Danyal)

The maqam attributed to Daniel — regarded as a prophet or righteous figure in the People of the Book and Islamic tradition — stands in the Makam (Makām-ı Danyâl) Mosque in central Tarsus. Tradition holds that during the conquest of Tarsus in the era of Caliph Umar a body was found whose signet ring led people to identify it as Daniel's; a mosque was later built over the site. Excavations in 2006-2007 uncovered a deep burial chamber beneath the mosque's ablution area, opened to visitors in 2014. Whether the grave truly belongs to Daniel is disputed — the same claim is made for Susa (Iran), Kirkuk and Samarkand — so it is presented here as a 'maqam (grave certainty disputed).' (Sources: Tarsus District Governorate; TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi 'Tarsus'; Kültür Envanteri.)

Prophets

Prophet Seth (Şît)

The maqam attributed to Seth (Şît) — in Islamic tradition the son of Adam and a prophet said to have received scriptures — is one of three tombs adjoining the eastern section of the Tarsus Grand Mosque, beside the maqams of Luqman and Caliph al-Ma'mun. The TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi article on Tarsus notes that Seth's grave is 'believed' to be here, marking this as traditional belief rather than historical certainty; hence it is presented as a 'maqam (grave certainty disputed).' (Sources: TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi 'Tarsus'; Wikipedia 'Tarsus Ulu Camii'.)

Companion

Miqdad ibn Amr (Muğdat Dede)

Also known as 'Miqdad ibn al-Aswad,' one of the earliest companions to embrace Islam in the Meccan period. Sources record that he died in 33/653 at al-Jurf near Medina and was buried in the Baqi' Cemetery in Medina. In the courtyard of the Hz. Mikdâd (Muğdat) Mosque (built 1987-1992) in the Yenişehir district of Mersin there is a maqam attributed to him; although locals believe he was martyred in this region, his actual grave is in Medina, so this is presented transparently as a symbolic maqam — buried in another city. (Sources: TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi 'Mikdâd b. Amr'; Mersin Yenişehir District Governorate; KÜRE Encyclopedia.)

MersinDied 33 AHView

Nure Sufi (Nureddin Bey)

A dervish-Sufi of the Babai tradition, regarded as the ancestor of the Karamanid dynasty. According to TDV sources he is remembered as a disciple in the circle of Baba İlyas; he is said to have died in the mid-13th century (around 1256-1258), with no attested Hijri year on record. His grave is in the Nûre Sûfî Tomb on the Değirmenlik plateau within the bounds of Yalnızcabağ village in Mut, about 55 km from the district center. Although a dynastic ancestor, he is recorded as an evliya for his religious-Sufi identity (Babai dervishhood); this political link is stated transparently. (Sources: TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi 'Karamanoğulları'; Mut Municipality 'Nûre Sofi Türbesi'; Kültür Envanteri.)

Scholar

Abbasid Caliph al-Ma'mun

Son of Harun al-Rashid and the seventh Abbasid caliph, renowned for his patronage of learning and the translation movement (Bayt al-Hikma). During his campaign against Byzantium he died on 18 Rajab 218 (9 August 833) at a camp near the Bedendûn (Pozantı) water. Per the tradition of keeping caliphs' graves hidden, his body is said to have been brought to Tarsus and buried in the garden of the governor's house, which over time was demolished and enclosed within the expanded Tarsus Grand Mosque; his maqam is today in the mosque's eastern section. Though a political ruler, he is recorded here as a scholar/historical figure for his central role in the history of Islamic learning. (Sources: TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi 'Me'mûn'; TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi 'Tarsus'.)

MersinDied 218 AHView

Felahoğlu Nureddin (Muhammed Nureddin)

A commander who fell as a martyr during the conquest of Tarsus from the Armenians. According to tradition he was martyred in the conquest of Tarsus in 761/1359-60 while in the retinue of the Khwarazmian Seyfeddin Timur; his grave is at the Demirkapı locality of the town. The domed tomb over it was built by Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II in 1903. He is popularly visited as a ghazi-martyr saint. (Sources: evliyalar.net 'Tarsus' — Demirkapı tomb; evliyalarveturbeler.com 'Muhammed Nûreddin'.)

MersinDied 761 AHView

Ali Baba of Khorasan (Dervish Ali Dede)

A dervish-saint of Khorasani origin venerated in Tarsus. According to the sources he died in 1082/1671 in Crete; during the 1924 population exchange his bones were brought to Tarsus and reinterred in his tomb in the Reşadiye neighborhood. The tomb is therefore a relocated (secondary) grave, and this is stated transparently. The tomb stands today and is popularly visited. (Sources: F. Maden, isamveri.org — Tarsus lodges and tombs; DergiPark academic article on the lodges of Tarsus; evliyalar.net 'Horasanlı Ali Baba'.)

MersinDied 1082 AHView

Scholar

Shaykh Hocenti (Khujandi)

A religious scholar-shaykh buried in the domed tomb (kümbet) about 8 m south of the Lâl (Laal) Paşa Mosque in Mut, taking his name from the Central Asian city of Khujand (Hocend). The Arabic inscription on his gravestone describes him as one who 'taught knowledge and virtue,' and a Şeyh Hocenti lodge (zâviye) endowment is documented in Mut. His death date is disputed: 726/1326 per the inscription, 766/1365 per the Kültür Envanteri; his name also varies (Musa/Osman) in the sources — these uncertainties are conveyed transparently. (Sources: Mut District Governorate 'Mut District and Its Historical Sites'; mutilcemiz.net 'Laal Paşa Mosque'; Kültür Envanteri 'Hocenti Oğlu Kümbeti'.)

MersinDied 726 AHView

Scholar

Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam

A great Islamic scholar and philologist known for his works in hadith, jurisprudence, Qur'anic readings and Arabic (al-Amwāl, Gharīb al-hadīth). He is reported to have served for a time as a judge (qadi) in Tarsus; he died in 224/838-839 in Mecca and was buried there. In Tarsus a grave (maqam) attributed to him stands in the cemetery of the Küçük Minare Mosque; since his actual burial place is Mecca, this is presented as a maqam — grave certainty disputed. (Sources: TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi 'Ebû Ubeyd, Kāsım b. Sellâm'; evliyalar.net 'Tarsus' — Küçük Minare Mosque cemetery.)

MersinDied 224 AHView

Sayyid Alaeddin Ali al-Samarqandi

A Sufi Qur'an-commentator and sayyid who trained in Samarkand, deepened in exegesis, jurisprudence and Sufism, and migrated to Anatolia (the Lârende/Karaman region) in the 15th century. He settled for a time in the town of Zeyne (Sütlüce) in Gülnar, occupied with shepherding and spiritual guidance; his death is generally given as 862/1457 (some sources 860/1456). His grave is in his tomb at Zeyne, with his son Zeynel Âbidîn beside him. The single-domed Beylik-period tomb was built in 1529 by Karamanoğlu Kasım Bey. As the grave is also claimed for Çamlıdere/Ankara, the matter is presented neutrally; note also that the TDV entry 'Semerkandî, Alâeddin' refers to a different 12th-century jurist (Abu Bakr al-Samarqandi) and must not be conflated. (Sources: Kültür Portalı 'Zeyne Türbesi'; Mersin Directorate of Culture & Tourism 'Gülnar'; Ministry/Metropolitan inventories.)

MersinDied 862 AHView

Ankuzu Baba

A legendary warrior-dervish remembered by his tomb atop the Ankuzu rocks about 7-8 km north of Harput. According to tradition he was martyred during the conquest of Harput in the campaigns for Anatolia, his body remaining undecayed in a cave for many years; today he is buried in that area, his tomb beside the lodge and mosque built by Beyzade Efendi (1810-1904). His precise identity and death date cannot be documented (one tradition holds he was a soldier in the 8th-9th-century Arab-Byzantine wars); it is therefore recorded transparently as being of disputed identity/grave-certainty. Its location, one of the highest points in the area, is also known as a place of visitation and recreation. (Sources: harput.web.tr; evliyalar.net; Günışığı Gazetesi.)

Sayyid Mansur Baba

A place of visitation in Harput marked by a two-storey, octagonal-plan tomb in the Cami-i Kebir quarter (northwest of the Sara Hatun Mosque). According to tradition Mansur Baba was the son of Arslan Baba, the teacher of Ahmad Yasawi, and by his father's testament was raised under Ahmad Yasawi before coming to Anatolia with Turkmen tribes. Because a 'Mansur Baba zawiya' appears as an endowment in the 16th-century cadastral registers (1518, 1523, 1566), the structure is established as a historic zawiya/shrine; however, the man's identity and death date rest on tradition, and some of the cenotaphs on the lower floor have also been suggested to belong to the Artukid dynasty. It is therefore recorded transparently as being of disputed identity/grave-certainty. (Sources: Kültür Portalı; harput.web.tr; 16th-century Harput cadastral registers.)

Sayyid Muhammad Qattal

A place of visitation in the village of Kartaldere (formerly 'Şeyhkatülan') north of the town of Gezin in the Maden district of Elazığ, marked by a complex of tomb, guesthouse, mosque and kitchen. According to a marble plaque on the tomb wall he was of the Prophet's descendants, his lineage traced to Imam Husayn; tradition holds that he was martyred in a battle during the spread of Islam in Anatolia and buried here (the village's old name means 'the slain shaykh'). Because the information on the grave and death date rests on local tradition and the plaque, it is recorded transparently as a maqam whose grave-certainty is disputed and cannot be confirmed by reliable historical documents. (Sources: evliyalar.net; Elazığ Fırat Gazetesi; Elazığ shrines survey, Fırat University Harput archive.)

Sayyid Mahmud Samini

A Naqshbandi-Khalidi shaykh raised in Palu (1812-1896); he served alongside Shaykh Ali Septi for thirteen years, reached high spiritual stations, and became his khalifa. After his master's death he continued spiritual guidance in and around Palu, and the 'Saminiyya' branch of the Naqshbandiyya is named after him. He died around 1896 (1314 AH); his tomb, in the old Palu (Meydan) Cemetery on the north bank of the Murat River east of Palu, is a brick structure faced with tiles and topped by a copper-clad conical dome. His grandson Şehid Sadeddin Efendi is also buried in the tomb. (Sources: ehlisunnetbuyukleri.com; evliyalar.net; Dergipark 'A Khalidi Shaykh in Palu: Mahmud Samini'.)

ElazığDied 1314 AHView

Arap Baba

A place of visitation in Harput famed for the undecayed body kept in a glass sarcophagus in the lower part of a two-storey structure (mosque above, tomb below). According to its inscription the building was erected by Yusuf b. Arabshah in 678 AH/1279-80 during the reign of the Seljuk sultan Ghiyath al-Din Kaykhusraw III; however, the identity of the person in the sarcophagus has not been established by any reliable historical source (legend calls him a Seljuk-era warrior/commander or a saint). The reason the body has not decayed remains scientifically unresolved. Because the identity and religious role of the occupant are undocumented, it is recorded transparently as a shrine 'of disputed identity,' with no firm attribution to an authentic saint or scholar. (Sources: Kültür Envanteri; Kültür Portalı; Fırat University Harput archive.)