II.abdulhamidin Tarikat Siyaseti

8/13/2019 II.abdulhamidin Tarikat Siyaseti

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Atf Hseyin Bey, who served as doctor toAbdlhamid II during his years of exile,recollects an intriguing story from the former

sultan. He speaks of Abdlhamids daughter,who accidently burnt to death while her fatherwas still prince. The girl, 12-13 years old, wasplaying with matches at the Befliktafl CoastalPalace when her tulle dress caught alight, anddespite her mothers efforts to extinguish theflames, the poor girl suffered severe burns to herentire body. Although Abdlhamid, who was atthe engelky Turkish baths with his brotherBurhanettin, was not told of the incident, hesensed that there was something wrong andhurried back by boat; when he finally reachedthe Befliktafl Palace, the palace guards preventedhim from entering his daughters room. When

Doctor Marko Pasha explained what hadhappened, the father, completely devastated,was in no state to listen to anybody; while tryingto force his way into the room, he fainted.When he regained consciousness, Abdlhamidentered the room, and found his daughterbandaged from head to toe, with only her eyesexposed; it was as if she had been waiting for herfather, to look at him one last time. As tearsrolled down his cheeks, Abdlhamid kissed hisdaughters eyes. Then his uncle, SultanAbdlaziz, entered the room, comforted hisnephew, and sent him to his mothers residencein Niflantafl. The young girl was buried a week

later at the Yahya Efendi tekke.

II. Abdlhamidin srgn yllarndadoktorluunu yapmfl olan Atf Hseyin Beyhatratnda sbk hnkrn dilinden ilgin bir

hikye anlatr: II. Abdlhamid flehzadeliisrasnda kaza eseri yanarak len kzndanbahseder. Befliktafl Sahilsaraynda bulunan 12-13 yafllarndaki kz, validesi de yannda olduuhalde, kibritle oynarken kan atefl tl elbisesinesramfl, annesinin abas bir ifle yaramayncakzcaz feci bir flekilde yanmfltr. O sradabiraderi Burhaneddin Efendi ile engelkydedeniz hamamnda bulunan Abdlhamide meseletam olarak sylenmese de garip bir durumolduunu sezerek hzl bir flekilde kayklaBefliktafla ulaflan flehzadenin kznn odasnagirmesi saray grevlilerince engellenir. DoktorMarko Pafla gelip durumu anlatnca, artk

kimseyi dinleyecek durumda olmayan acl babazorla ieri girmek isterken baylr. Kendinegelince odaya girer. Bafltan afla sarglarierisinde olan kznn yalnz gzleri aktr; sonkez babasna bakar, deta onu beklemektedir.Babas ise yafll gzlerle kznn gzlerinden per.O srada, amcas Sultan Abdlaziz de yannagelmifl ve mahzun yeenini teselli ederekvalidesinin Niflantaflndaki dairesine yollamfltr.Cenaze bir hafta sonra Yahya EfendiDerghnda defnedilir.

II. Abdlhamid bu hatrasn Kadir tarikatndanolduunu vurgulamak maksadyla anlatmfltr.

Zira ona gre, Kadirlikte her fleyi hofl grme ve


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felaketlere tahamml etme esas vardr. Kendisiise zaten bir felaketzededir. Bu olayhayatndaki ilk felaketlerden biridir. fiyledevam eder: Benim yerime baflka biri olsadayanamaz! Ben dervifl olduum iin Kdirtarikatna mensubum Badatta Abdlkadir-iGeylan hazretlerinin birok mritleri vardr.Hindistandan birok hediyeler gelir. Ben detrbeyi tamir ettirdim II. Abdlhamidinfiazel, Rif ve Nakfl olabilecei sylense de bu,rivayet dierlerinin yannda daha shhatli gibi

durmaktadr. Nitekim o devre ait arflivmalzemelerinde tekkelere yaplan maafl, ihsan,atiyye gibi yardmlar gsteren listelerdeounlukla ilk sray Kadir derghlarnn almas,bu durumu pekifltiren bir olgudur. SultanII. Abdlhamid sadece Badattaki bu trbeyideil, Ahmed Rif gibi dier din byklerinintrbelerini de tamir ettirmifl ve bunlara balderghlar ihya etmifltir. Btn bunlar dindar birkiflilie sahip olduunu bildiimiz sultann saltbireysel hayr abalar olarak grlmemelidir. Buince izginin nerede bafllayp nerede bittiinikestirmek flphesiz ok zordur. AncakII. Abdlhamid dnemi (1876-1909) devlet-tekke iliflkilerini sadece yukardaki balamdadeerlendirmenin yanlfl olaca da aktr.

Tarikatlarn Osmanl sosyal ve siyasyaflantsnda ne denli mhim roller oynadbugn ok daha net olarak grlmektedir.Dolaysyla, genelde sosyolojik olarak ikincilgruplar kategorisinde deerlendirilen bumesseselerin dnem dnem farkl grntleresahip olduu, flehir ve krsal alanlardaki etkileri,sosyal hayattaki yardmlaflma ve dayanflmahususlarndaki ifllevleri, din hayatn dahacoflkun yaflanmasndaki ve kitlelere kolaylklaulafltrlmasndaki baflarlar ve kltr ve sanatdnyasnda ortaya koyduklar eserler deiflikbalamlarda incelenmifl ve arafltrlmfltr.19. yzyla gelindiinde ise tarikatlarn temsilettikleri gelenein ok kkl ve salam esaslaraistinat ettii vurgulanmaldr. Ancak, yzylnikinci eyreinin hemen baflnda zellikleYenierilik ile olan iliflkisi bilinen ve taflradayaygnl tartfllmayacak olan Bektaflliktarikatnn yasaklanmas szkonusu gelenek iindnm noktasdr. Bu tarihten sonra tekkelersahip olduklar nisb zerkliklerini yitirmeyebafllamfl ve daha ok devletin gdmnegirmifllerdir. zellikle, Evkf- Hmyun

Nezaretinin kurulmas ile mali otonomilerineciddi bir darbe alan tarikatlar fieyhlislamln

Y I L D I Z S A R A Y I N I N T E K K E L E R V EI I . A B D L H A M D N T A R K A T S Y A S E T

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Kadir Gl / Qadiri Rose

(Yahya Agh Efendi, Mecmuatz-zeraif ve sandukatl-maarif, Hakk Tark Us 13400/1; SYEK, Nuri Arlasez, 101)


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Abdlhamid II related this story in order toemphasize that he was a member of theQadiriyyah sect; for him, Qadiriyyah meanttolerating tragedies and enduring sorrows, andthis story brought forward that he himself was avictim of tragedy. This was one of the firsttragedies of his life. He remarked: If it had beensomeone else, they would not have been able toendure such a tragedy! I am a member of theQadiriyyah, I am a Dervish AbdlkadirGeylani has many followers in Baghdad. Many

gifts are sent from India. I have ordered that histomb should be restored Although many sayAbdlhamid may have been a member of theShazaliya, Rifaiya or Naqshbandi sects, thereport given above seems to be more reliable.Indeed, the fact that the Qadiriyyah dergah washigh on the lists in many of the records thatspecified the salaries and charitable donationsmade at that time confirms this report. Inaddition to the tomb in Baghdad, AbdlhamidII also ordered the restoration of the tombs ofAhmad Rifai and many other great religiousfigures, and renovating the dergahs that wereaffiliated with the,. These acts should not beregarded solely as the individual charitableefforts of a sultan who was renowned for hisreligious character; indeed it is extremely difficultto determine where this fine line begins or ends.However, it is clear that evaluating therelationship between the state and the tekkeduring the reign of Abdlhamid II (1876-1909)in this context alone would be misleading.

Today the extent of the tarikats role inOttoman social and political lives is moreevident. Thus, these institutions, which aregenerally evaluated sociologically as secondarygroups, have been studied and researched inconnection with their different appearancesfrom period to period, their effect on city andrural life, their functions in cooperation andsolidarity in social life, their success in enliveningthe religion and making it easier to communicateto the masses, and the works they presented tothe world of culture and art. It should beemphasized that the tarikats were based ondeeply-rooted traditions and sound principles bythe arrival of the 19th century. However, theban of the Bektashi tarikat, which was widespreadthroughout the provinces at the beginning ofthe second quarter of the century and known forits affiliation with the Janissaries, was a turningpoint for the traditions in question. After this

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T H E T E K K E S O F Y I L D I Z P A L A C E A N D T H E T A R K A TP O L I C Y I N T H E R E I G N O F A B D L H A M D I I


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denetimine gemifltekine nazaran daha fazlamaruz kalmfllardr. Nitekim nveleriIII. Selimin saltanatnn ilk yllarnda atlsa da

II. Mahmud dneminin sonlarnda, 1836tarihinde tarikatlar zerinde ok ciddi birdzenleme yaplmfltr. Bu uygulamalar, nihayet1866 tarihinde devletin denetleme siyasetininen somut hali olan Meclis-i Meflyihinkurulmas ile sonu vermifltir. Bylelikletekkelere ait meseleler ve atamalar tek eldengrlmeye bafllanmfl ve meclis bir alt birimolarak Meflihat makamna balanmfltr. yeleridevletin uygun grd tarikat fleyhlerindenoluflan bu meclis, tekkelerin kurumsallaflmas vedevlet siyasetinde resm bir mevkiye sahipolmas asndan ok nemli bir admdr.

Bununla beraber, III. Selimden itibaren SultanAbdlazize kadar Nakflibendlik, Mevlevlik,Halvetlik, Celvetlik, Sadlik, Snbllik,Kadirlik ve Riflik gibi tarikatlar hem sultanlarve devlet erkan hem de halk nezdinde yer yerne karak nemli grevler eda etmifllerdir. Budnemlerde kamuoyu iin gelifltirilen slamdiskurun oluflumunda tarikatlardan ciddi flekildeistifade edilmifltir. Hatta bizzat padiflahlar,birtakm politik davranfllarnmeflrulafltrlmasnda etkili sylem salayan buyaplardan destek almaya gayret etmifllerdir.rnein II. Mahmud dneminde devletdairelerine tasvr-i hmyun aslmas

period, the tekkes began to lose their independenceand came to be under greater government control.In particular, with the establishment of the

Evkaf- Hmayun Nezareti (Ministry of Waqfs),the tarikats not only suffered a serious blow totheir financial independence, but were alsosubjected to even greater control from thesheikh-ul-Islam. Although the seeds were sownin 1836, during the initial years of the sultanateof Selim III, it was towards the end of the reignof Mahmud II when significant changes weremade to the tarikats. In 1866, theseimplementations eventually produced resultswith the establishment of the Meclis-i Meflayih(council of sheikhs), the most concrete of thegovernments inspection policies. Thus, issuesrelated to the tekkes and appointments to the

same were now dealt with by a central body,which was affiliated to the office of thesheikh-ul-Islam. This council, whose membersconsisted of those tarikat sheikhs that wereapproved of by the government, was a veryimportant step in terms of institutionalizing thetekke and their taking up an official position instate politics.

In addition, from the reign of Selim III to thatof Sultan Abdlaziz, tarikats such as the

Naqshbandi, Mawlawi, Khalwati, Jalwati,Sadiya, Sunbuli, Qadiriyyah and Rifaiyaoccasionally came to the fore by performing

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1- Glflen, 2- Mevlev,3- Himmet, 4- Sad,

5- Zenbur, 6- Cerrah,7- Bedev, 8- Desuk,

9- Bektafl, 10- Marib,11- Celvet,

12- Bayram taclar

Headgear of: 1- Gulshani,2- Mawlawi, 3- Himmeti,

4- Sadiyye, 5- Zenburiyye,6- Cerrahi, 7- Badawi,8- Desuki, 9- Bektashi,

10- Maribiye, 11- Celveti,12- Bayramiyye tarikat

(Yahya Agh Efendi)


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merasimlerinde ulemaya deil de tarikatfleyhlerine dua ettirilmesi bu balamda clib-i

dikkattir. Ayrca padiflahlarn gezileri srasndakitekke ve trbe ziyaretleri, dergh tamir veinflalar, bu zmrelere yaptklar ihsan veatiyyeler dnemin propaganda aralar olangazetelerce kamuoyuna duyurulmufltur. Elbette,te taraftan belli bir gelenek ve dindarlkanlayflnn devam olarak grlmesi gereken budavranfllarn zellikle Batllaflmay tazammuneden Tanzimat sresince tafld politik mesajlarda gzden rak tutulmamaldr.

II. Abdlhamid devrinde tarikatlara bir devletpolitikas olarak nasl yaklaflld ve bu adandnemin ne gibi nitelikler tafld, ok genifl bir

konudur. Bu satrlarda, pek ok akademikarafltrmalarla aydnlatlmas gereken bu srecinsadece baz temel noktalarna deinilecektir. Bumanada, Sultan Abdlhamid kendisindennceki tekke siyasetini devam ettirmifl ve dierdnemlerden farkl olarak kendi flahsiyetindenve dneminden kaynaklanan birtakmfarkllklar ilave etmifltir. ncelikle, bu dnemintevars ettii gelenei nasl srdrdne temasedelim.

19. yzylda devlet-tekke iliflkilerinde, tekkelerindaha ok devlete yaklafltrldna ve bamlhale getirildiine temas edilmiflti. Bu manada,

important duties on behalf of the sultans, stateofficials or the public. During these periods, the

tarikats were extremely beneficial in theproduction of Islamic sermons to help drum uppublic support. In fact, the sultans made effortsto gain support for the legitimization of severalof their political actions from these influentialorganizations. For example, in this sense it isquite interesting that it was the tarikat sheikhswho carried out the prayers at the ceremonies ofhanging the tasvir-i hmayun (imperial portrait)in state offices during the reign of Mahmud II,and not the ulama. Moreover, visits to tekkesand mausoleums during the sultans expeditions,the restoration and construction of dergahs, andthe donations made to these organizations were

publicized via the newspapers, the sole propagandaorgan of the period. Of course, while suchactions were necessary to portray thecontinuation of certain religious and traditionalconcepts, the political messages that wereconveyed during the Tanzimat process and, inparticular, the moves towards Westernizationshould not be ignored.

How the tarikats were approached as a part ofstate policy during the period of Abdlhamid IIand what the characteristics of the period werefrom this aspect is a vast subject. Here we willfocus on just a few of the essential points of a

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tekkelerin her trl ihtiyalarnn karfllanmasve meflyihin kalplerinin mnkesirolmamasna yani krlmamasna gayret edilmesi,Osmanl arfliv vesikalarnda oka grlen vedevletin algsn yanstan geleneksel bir yaklaflmtarzdr. II. Abdlhamid dneminde tekkeleretaamiyeler ve atiyyeler verildii gibi, tamiremuhta olanlar tamir ettirilmifl, mbarek gn vegecelerde bu yardmlarn miktar artrlmfl vetekke fleyhlerine maafllar balanmfltr. rnein19 Temmuz 1319/1 Austos 1903 tarihinde

Hamidiye Anbarndan Kadirhneye,Neccarzade, Halil Hamid Pafla, Kasmpafla veskdar mevlevihanelerine, mm Sinan,

Nureddin Cerrah gibi derghlara erz (pirin),tereya, kuyruk ya, revgn- zeyt, fleker gibierzaklarn dzenli olarak verildiianlafllmaktadr (BOA, Y. PRK. EV., 4-7).Ayrca 21 Austos 1322/3 Eyll 1906 tarihindeSultann zel hazinesi olan Hazine-i Hassadanstanbulda isimleri verilen 284 tekkeye toplam50.000 kurufl taraf- eflref-i hazret-i hilfet-penhden atiyye ve ihsn buyurulmufltu.lgintir ki bu tekkeler iki kategoriye ayrlmfl,bir ksmna 300er kurufl, dier ksmna 160arkurufl verilmiflti. Bu listenin baflnda iseKadirhne diye bilinen Tophanedeki meflhursitane bulunmaktayd (BOA, HH.d 14841, s. 1-8). Tekkelerin temel ihtiyalarnn karfllanmasve desteklenmesi asndan bu kadm gelenekdevam ettiriliyordu. Aslnda tarikatlar slamnduygusal boyutunu temsil etmekle kalmyorsekinler ve halk arasnda salam bir kprvazifesi de gryordu. Kemal Karpatnifadesiyle, toplumsal ve siyasal anlamda tam birmuhafazakr olan II. Abdlhamidin bu kprydesteksiz brakmas dflnlemezdi.

II. Abdlhamid dneminin gerei olarak birtakmtarikatlarn ve fleyhlerin dierlerine nazaran okdaha ne karld grlmektedir. Bu durumzaman zaman padiflahn btn tarikatmensuplarna homojen bir tavr sergiledii gibiyanlfl bir dflnceye sebep olmaktadr. Ayrca,sultann bu yaklaflmnn, ilgili tarikata intisapettii gibi bir dier yanlfl alglamaya yol at dasylenmelidir. Ancak devrin siyasi ve sosyalyaps, Mslmanlar lehine deiflen demografikdengeler ve buna paralel bir flekilde ykselenslamclk anlayflnn bir tezahr olarak baztarikatlara zel grevlerin verildii belirtilmelidir.Bunun dfla dnk ve aktivist bir Panislamistsiyasetinin sonucu olarak deil, ama mparatorluktopraklar ierisinde Mslman tebaaya ynelik

process that requires a number of academicstudies in order to be elucidated. In this sense,Sultan Abdlhamid continued the tekke policiesof the previous rule, however adding a numberof differences that resulted from his ownpersonality and the characteristics of the period.Firstly, we will look at how the customs inheritedfrom former times were continued in this era.

In the relationships between the state and thetekkes in the 19th century, we have already

mentioned that the tekkes had been broughtmuch closer to the government; now they werein a position that was dependent on the state. Inthis sense, the traditional approach that reflectsthe states perception and which can frequentlybe seen in Ottoman archival documents is thatevery effort was made to meet the needs of thetekkes and to avoid offending the sheikhs. In theera of Abdlhamid II, not only were the tekkesprovided with taamiye and atiyye (provisions andcharity), necessary repairs were carried out ontekkes, the donations were increased on holidays,and the sheikhs were given a regular salary. Forexample, it can be understood that on 19 July1319/1 August 1903, provisions such as rice,butter, suet, olive oil and sugar were distributedfrom the Hamidiye Stores to the Kadirihane,

Neccarzade, Halil Hamid Pafla, Kasmpafla andskdar Mawlawi tekkes, and the mmi Sinan,

Nureddin Cerrahi tekkes on a regular basis(BOA, Y. PRK. EV. 4-7). Moreover, on 21August 1322/3 April 1906, stating: : taraf-eflref-i hazret-i hilfet-penhden atiyye ve ihsn,a total of 50,000 kurufl was distributed to 284tekkes in Istanbul from the Hazine-i Hassa, thesultans personal treasure. It is interesting thatthese tekkes were divided into two categories,with one group receiving 300 kurufl, and theother group only being allocated 160 kurufl. Atthe top of this list was the famous sithane inTophane, known as the Kadirihane (BOA, HH.d14841, pp. 1-8). This ancient custom ofsupporting and meeting the basic needs of thetekkes was continued. In fact, the tarikats notonly represented the emotional dimension ofIslam, but also acted as a bridge between theprivileged members of society and the public.According to Kemal Karpat, it is inconceivablethat Abdlhamid II, a conservative socially andpolitically, would leave this bridge unsupported.

Abdlhamid II was forced from time to time tofocus relatively more attention on certain

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bir konsolidasyon siyasetinin paras olarakgrlmesi gerekmektedir. Bu, aslnda bir bakma

ngiltere ve Fransa gibi Batl devletlerinparanoyak bir nitelik kazanan Hilafetalerjilerinden de kaynaklanan duruma verilen bircevap niteliindedir. Bunlarn Osmanl snrlarierisinde sebep olduklar ve krkledikleriayrlk gruplara karfl, bu dnemde baztarikatlarn ok etkili bir flekilde kullanldsylenmelidir. yle ki Arap Hilafeti tezini herynyle desteklemeye ve bu yolla Arapcorafyasnda tefrika karmaya alflan ngiltere,Azmi zcann tespitiyle, 1906 ylnda kendiDflifllerine ait Trkiye Yllk Raporunda II.Abdlhamidin tm Mslmanlarn halifesiolduunu onaylamak zorunda kalmflt.

Bu zorunlu onaylamann ardndaII. Abdlhamidin baflaryla yrtt Hilafetpolitikas ve bu anlamda desteklerini kazandyerel eflraf ve din liderler vard. Nitekim bafltafieyh Ebl-Hd Sayyad, fieyh Zfir, Hseyinel-Cisr ve Ferflet-i fierfe Vekili Ahmed Esadgibi Arap corafyasnda nfuz sahibi tarikatliderleri, limler ve afliret reislerinin deiflikvazifeleri vard. Bu balamda sadece ilk ikifleyhten bahsedilecektir.

Bu iki fleyhten ilki olan Ebl-Hd lakaplMuhammed bin Hasan el-Vd (1850-1909),

tarikats or their sheikhs; this situation often ledto incorrect ideas, such as the sultan displayed a

homogenous attitude to the members of alltarikats. At the same time, it could be said thatthis approach led to the other incorrectperception that the sultan was affiliated with atarikat. However, it must also be stated that thepolitical and social structure of the age, thechanging demographic balance in favor of theMuslims and the corresponding rise in theconcept of Islamism entrusted the tarikats with aspecial role. This should not be perceived asresult of an extrovert and activist pan-Islamistpolicy, but rather part of the consolidationpolicies of Muslim citizens within the Ottomanterritory. This, in fact, in one sense, was in

response to the paranoiac characteristic of theWestern states, such as France and England,which stemmed from their hypersensitivity tothe caliphate. It should be mentioned that sometarikats were used in an effective manner againstthe separatist groups that were provoked andincited by these states. In fact, according toAzmi zcan, Britain supported the ArabCaliphate in every respect, thus attempting toprovoke a disagreement within the Arabterritories, but due to the Turkish Annual Reportproduced by its own foreign office was obliged torecognize Abdlhamid as the caliph and leaderof all Muslims.

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Sultan II. Abdlhamidin ihyaettii bir Nakfl derghnnkitabesi

The inscription on the Nakshidergah, renovated by SultanAbdlhamid II


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B

Halep asll bir Rif fleyhidir. Kendisi seyyidolduunu pek ok yerde ifade etse de, hakkndamteseyyidlik iddialar da mevcuttur. Anlaflldkadaryla, gen yaflta ikbal kaps kendisinealmfl, ilm yn ve karizmatik flahsiyetiylebizzat sultana tesir edebilmiflti. Neredeyse 30 ylboyunca sultana yakn olmufl ve YldzSaraynn hemen yan baflndaki SerencebeyYokuflunda yer alan, padiflahn kendisine ihsanettii byk kona tekke olarak kullanmflt.Yaygn kanaate gre, bu tekke bir misafirhane

ifllevi grmfl ve zellikle Arap corafyasndangelen konuklarn arland bir merkez halinegelmiflti. fieyhin Araplar zerinde ok etkiliolduu, Ayfle Osmanolunun hatralarndabahsettii bir olaydan ok net anlafllmaktadr:Abdlhamid Yemen ayaklanmas srasndakabile resasn stanbula davet etmifl, kkMabeyn dairesinin nne tahtn koydurtmufl,orada bunlar kabul etmiflti. 100 kifli kadarvardlar. Hepsi birden tuhaf renkli elbiseleriylesra ile gelmifller, babamn ellerine ayaklarnayapflmfllard. Ebl-Huda Efendi srmalelbisesiyle ortaya gelerek bunlara babamtarafndan Arapa bir nutuk ird etmiflti. Bizlerde bu kabul resmini Harem pencerelerindenseyretmifltik. Sonrasnda bu reislerin birksmnn Ebl-Hdnn, dier bir ksmnn isefieyh Zfir Efendinin konanda misafiredildiinden bahsetmifltir. Grld gibi, II.Abdlhamid Arap blgelerinde kan ve kmasmuhtemel hadiseleri geleneksel anlamda okkuvvetli olan tarikatlarn manevi glerinikullanarak zme yolunu semifltir.

undan baflka, fieyh Ebl-Hd gerek birtakmayrlk hareketlerin nn alma gerekseMslmanlarn halifesinin II. Abdlhamidolduunu ispatlama sadedinde yazlar ve kitaplarkaleme alarak entelektel anlamda nemli birifllev grmfltr. Kendisine 200den fazla esernispet edildii bilinmektedir. Bunlardan enmeflhurlar olan Dair-refld li-seblil-ittihd vel-inkyd ve en-Nefahtun-Nebeviyye f hidmetil-Hilfetil-Hamdiyyetil-Osmniyyede geneldeOsmanoullarnn zelde II. Abdlhamidinhilafetinin meflru olduunu ilm ve dingerekelerle izah etmiflti. Bu eserlerinin dilininArapa olmas ise aslnda propagandannmahiyet ve ynnn anlafllmas adna yeterli biripucudur. Zekeriya Kurflun, Ebl-Hd ve zzetPafla gibi Arap asll figrlerin padiflaha birtakmsiyasi mevzularda danflmanlk yaptklarn ifadeetmekte; bu manada, bu kifliler zerinden Arap

After this compulsory approval, due to his successin enforcing the policies of the caliphate,Abdlhamid II won the support of religiousleaders and local gentry. Initially, influentialtarikat leaders, scholars and tribal leaders of theArab territories, such as Sheik Abul-HudaSayyadi, Sheikh Zfir, Hussein Al-Jisri and therepresentative of theferflet-i fierfe, AhmadEsad, all held various duties. However, here wewill only discuss two of these sheikhs.

The first of these two sheikhs, Muhammad binHasan Al-Vadi, also known as Abul-Huda(1850-1909), was a Rifaiya sheikh who wasoriginally from Aleppo. Although there aremany claims that he was a sayyid, there are alsoclaims to the contrary. Apparently, fortunesmiled upon him at a very young age and he wasable to impress the sultan with his wisdom andcharismatic manner. He was a close advisor tothe sultan for almost thirty years, and used themansion on Serencebey Hill, which wasimmediately adjacent to the Yldz Palace andhad been presented to him by the sultan, as atekke. It was commonly thought that this tekkewas used as a guesthouse, and acted as a centerfor hosting visitors, in particular those from theArab territories. The sheikhs great influenceover the Arabs can by clearly understood froman event that Ayfle Osmanolu relates in hermemoirs: During the disturbance in the YemenAbdlhamid invited leaders of the tribes toIstanbul; he had his throne placed in the mabeynand received all the guests there. There wereabout a hundred people. They stood in a line,each of them wearing strangely-coloredclothing, and they grabbed onto my fathershands and feet. Abul Huda Efendi walked intothe center of the hall wearing an embroideredgown, and began to deliver a speech in Arabic.We observed this scene from the windows of theHarem. Princess Ayfle continues to explain thathalf of these leaders were taken to Abul-Hudastekke, while the remainder went to Sheikh ZfirEfendis mansion as guests. As can be seen,Abdlhamid chose to solve the problems thatemanated, or could emanate, from the Arabregions by using the spiritual forces of the verystrong tarikats.

Sheikh Abul Huda also carried out an importantfunction from an intellectual aspect both inpreventing a number of separatist movementsand in supporting Abdlhamid IIs claim to the


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kabileleri arasnda denge kurulmaya veafliretlerin desteklenmeye alflldn dilegetirmektedir. fieyhin zellikle Msr gibiOsmanl karflt muhaliflerin topland birblgede gazete kartarak Osmanl Devletilehinde propaganda yaptrmas da bu balamdazellikle kaydedilmelidir.

Bu hizmetleri mukabilinde padiflahn bykiltifat ve ihsanlarna nail olan Ebl-Hdnnhem kendisinin hem de yakn evresinin hzla

ykseldii mflahede edilmektedir. Peflpefleniflanlar, madalyalar, maafllar, payeler eldeedilmifl ve Rif tarikat zellikle Suriye, Badat,Basra ve Yemene kadar olan bir alandacmerte desteklenmifltir. O dnemdeKadirlerin askerlikten muaf tutulduu gibiRiflerin de benzer bir muafiyet aldgrlmfltr. Seveni kadar sevmeyeni de olanEbl-Hd zerine yazp izilenler aslnda birlde gnmzde hl devam eden II.Abdlhamid devri tarih yazm paradoksunuhatrlatacak cinstendir. Zndk ile Kutbl-aktbgibi iki zt sfatn onun hakknda ayn satrlardagetiine tesadf etmek mmkndr. zellikle

Jn Trklerin menf propagandalarnn datesiriyle hakknda ok olumsuz bir imajoluflturulmufltur. rnein, muhalif basnn Ebl-Hd yerine Ebu Dall (Dalaletin Babas)lakabn kullanmas bu imaj anlama adnayeterlidir.

Gizemli bir kiflilie sahip olan Ebl-Hdnnsultan etkiledii ve verdii kararlarda onuynlendirdii, hatta parmanda oynattfleklindeki deerlendirmeler de bu olumsuzimajn hsl ettii abartl propagandannsonucudur. Arfliv vesikalarna bakld zamanEbl-Hdnn politika oluflturulmas asndanzneden ok nesne olduu ve Osmanl Devletimenfaatleri dorultusunda istihdam edildiigrlebilir. ok istedii fieyhlislamlkmakamnn kendisine verilmeyifli ve zamanzaman isteklerinin hemen yerine getirilmeyifli buiddiay glendirir. Bununla beraber padiflahnhuzuruna rahatlkla kabilmesi ve birtakm dinve siyasi hususlarda grfllerine baflvurulmas II.Abdlhamid nezdindeki vazgeilmezliini degsterir. rnein medrese talebelerinin birsorunu karflsnda veya SelanikteSabetay/Avdet kkenli bir kzn Mslman birgence kamas gibi olaylarda Ebl-Hdnnkrizlerin ynetimine ifltirak ettii grlmekteydi.II. Meflrutiyetin hemen akabinde hedef

post of caliph of all Muslims in the articles andbooks he wrote. Over 200 works have beenattributed to him; the most famous of theseworks, Dair-reflad li-sebilil-ittihad vel-inkyadand en-Nefahatun-Nebeviyya fi hidmetil-Hilafetil-Hamidiyyetil-Osmaniyye in generaldescribe Ottoman legitimacy, and morespecifically that of Abdlhamid II withintellectual and religious justifications. The factthat these works were written in Arabic isenough of a clue to understand the true nature

and course of the propaganda in that era.Zekeriya Kurflun states that noble Arab figureslike Abul Huda and zzet Pasha advised thesultan on a number of political topics; in thiscontext he states that it was through thesepeople that he tried to establish a balanceamong the Arab tribes and to support the tribes.It should also be noted that the sheikh publishedregional newspapers that promoted propagandafor the Ottoman State in regions where anti-Ottoman groups had gathered, particularly inEgypt.

In return for these services Abull Huda receivedgreat compliments and gifts from the sultan;both he and his close associates quickly rosethrough the ranks, acquiring a number ofmedals, decorations, salaries and positions, andthe Rifaiya tarikat was generously supported inmany regions, particularly in Syria, Baghdad,Basra and the Yemen. At that period, not onlywere the Qadiriyyah exempt from the military,the Rifaiya also were exempted. That which waswritten about Abul Huda, who was as hated ashe was loved, in fact to some extent reminds usparadoxically of what is still being written aboutthe history of the era of Abdlhamid II. It ispossible to find two opposing adjectives, likezndk (heretic) and kutbl-aktb (chief ofsaints), in the same line of text. In particular,the oppositional propaganda of the Young Turksformed a very negative image of this matter. Forexample, that the opposing press referred toAbul Huda asAbu Dall (Father of Corruption)is enough to demonstrate this.

The evaluation of Abul Huda as someone whohad a secretive personality, affected the sultanand directed the decisions that he took, eventwisting him around his little finger was aresult of this exaggerated propaganda thatcreated such a negative image. When archivalrecords are examined from the aspect of the

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tahtasna konulan ve zerinden rtl olarakII. Abdlhamid elefltirisi yaplan Yldz Kamarillasarasnda o da yer almaktadr. nce BekiraaBlne, daha sonra da 31 Mart Olay ncesison nefesini verecei Bykadaya gnderilir. Busrada devrin basnnda kendisine frk,remilci ve cinci gibi yakfltrmalar yaplr. Hattafrk isminde karlan mizah dergisi bizzat butemalar iflleme maksadyla karlmfltr.lmeden bir mddet nce Serbest gazetesineverdii mlakatta bir nevi savunma yapmfl,hakkndaki iddialar cevaplamfl ve ok ak birflekilde vazifesinin devlete hizmet odakl kitapve yaynlar telif etmek olduunu ne srmfltr.

Benzer flekilde, II. Abdlhamidin saygsna vemuhabbetine mazhar olmufl bir dier kifli deTunus asll Meden-fiazel fieyhi ZfirEfendidir. Mahmud Nedim PaflannTrablusgarp valilii srasnda tanflp stanbulagetirdii fleyhin, daha flehzadelik dnemindeII. Abdlhamid ile yakn iliflkiler kurduurivayet edilmifltir. Sultan kendisine saraynnyaknnda bir konak ve tekke ihsan etmifltir.zellikle, Kuzey Afrika ve Marip corafyasndaetkili olan fieyh Zfirin meflhur sadrazamTunuslu Hayreddin Paflay II. Abdlhamide

formation of Abul Hudas policies, it can beseen that he was more of an object than asubject, and that he was employed to the benefitof the Ottoman State. The fact that he was notgiven the post of sheikh-ul-Islam, which he hadwanted very much and that from time to timehis demands were not fulfilled confirm this view.At the same time, the fact that he could go intothe sultans presence when he so desired andthat Abdlhamid II turned to him for advice ona number of religious and political matters

demonstrates how indispensable the sheikh wasto the sultan. For example, we can see thatAbul Huda participated in crisis managementfor problems with madrasah students or when a

Jewish girl from Salonika eloped with a Muslimyouth. Yet, he took his place among the YldzKamarillasi, a group that criticized AbdlhamidII, who had become a target immediately afterthe Second Constitutional Monarchy. First thesheikh was sent to the Bekiraa Troops, andlater, just before the 31 March Olay, he wasexiled to Bykada, where he took his finalbreath. At this time the press referred to him asfrk, remilci, ve cinci (types of faithhealers.) In fact a humorous magazine by thename of frk was brought out to continuework on this theme. Some time before he died,in an interview he gave to the Serbestnewspaper, Abul Huda put up some sort ofdefense, answering the claims that had beenmade about him, claiming that his duty hadbeen concentrated on compiling books andpublications in the service of the state.

In a similar way, another person who receivedAbdlhamid IIs respect and affection was theTunisian Medeni-Shazali sheikh, Zfir Efendi. Itis rumored that the sheikh met Mahmud NedimPasha when the latter was governor of Tripoliand was brought by him to Istanbul, where theyformed a close friendship. The sultan presentedhim with a mansion and a tekke close to thepalace. It is known that Sheikh Zfir, who wasparticularly influential in North Africa and theMaghreb, recommended the famous HayreddinPasha of Tunisia to Abdlhamid II as grandvizier. Sheikh Zfir was as active as Abul Hudain publishing. In the work called el-Envrl-kudsiyye, he strongly emphasized that theOttoman State was the Dr-i Hilfet-i slmiye(Land of the Islamic Caliphate). In fact, thereare commentaries that Shazaliya was seen as analternative to Senusiya; however, later the


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Ebulhuda, Tenvrl-ebsr ftabakti's-sdtir-Rifiyyetil-

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T

tavsiye ettii bilinmektedir. fieyh Zfirde Ebl-Hd kadar olmasa da telif faaliyetleri ileilgilenmifltir. el-Envrl-kudsiyye adl eserindeOsmanl Devletinin Dr-i Hilfet-i slmiyeolduunu kuvvetlice vurgulamfltr. Hattafiazelliin Kuzey Afrikada Senuslie alternatifolarak grld, fakat daha sonra padiflahn bufikirden vazgeerek Senuslerle anlafltyorumlar da mevcuttur. Ayrca fieyh ZfirEfendinin konann misafirhane hizmetigrmesi Ebl-Hd ile benzer bir misyona sahip

olduu intiban uyandrmaktadr. Nitekim,Ekseri dergha gelmekte olan zvvr vemisafirn iin fieyh Zfirin yastk, yorgan,arflaf gibi yatak takmlar istemesi bu alglayfldesteklemektedir.

Bunun yannda, aslnda fieyh Zfirin dierinekyasla daha ie kapank ve padiflahnmaneviyatndan etkilendii bir konuma sahipolduu ne srlmektedir. Nitekim tekkesine aitbaz tamir ve inflaat defterlerinde flehzadeodalarnn bulunmas, padiflaha ve onun ailesineyaknln gstermesi adna son derecenemlidir. fieyhin ocuklarndan damadnakadar en yaknlar devlet hizmetinde istihdamedilirken, kardefli fieyh Hamza Efendiyepadiflahn zel hazinesinden bazen tek kalemde100 bin kurufl verildii bile grlmekteydi.Derghn saray nezdindeki kudsiyeti ve itibarfieyh Zfir sonrasnda da azalmamfltr. fieyhZfir Efendi iin meflhur mimar DArancoyayaptrlan mutantan trbenin yannda bir dektphane infla ettirilmifltir. fiazel Derghnaokunmas iin Delil-i Hayrt tr kitaplarvakfedilmifl, dualarnn alnmasna ve sreklimevlit okutulmasna nem verilmifltir. Derghnfleyhinin gn boyunca nefes ettii flahsniyilefltiine dair bilgilerin bizzat Yldz evraknayansmas, saray zerinde etkisini gstermesibakmndan nemlidir.

Bu iki fleyhin benzer misyonlara sahip olarakbirbirlerine yakn yerlerde ve benzer konaklardapadiflaha ok yakn olmalar, aralarnda sreklimukayeselerin yaplmasna zemin hazrlamfltr.Bu anlamda, fiazelliin Riflie nazaran dahamtevaz gelifltii belirtilmelidir. Ebl-Hddaha siyasi ve sosyal bir kimlie sahip iken, fieyhZfir ise bid ve zahid kiflilii ile dnya ifllerinepek karflmayan bir flahsiyet olarak gsterilir.Dneme dair hatralarda bu iki fleyhin sreklirekabet halinde olduu iddialarna yer verilir.Hatta arfliv vesikalarnda bu rekabete dair

sultan abandoned this idea and made anagreement with the Senusiya. Moreover, thefact that Sheikh Zfir Efendi used his mansionas a guesthouse reminds one of the similarmission of Abul Huda. The fact that SheikhZfir wanted pillows, quilts and sheets for thepilgrims and guests who mostly come to thedergah supports this understanding.

It is also claimed that in fact Sheikh Zfir, incomparison to the other, was more introverted

and had a position that was affected by thespirituality of the sultan. In fact, some repairand construction notebooks belonging to thetekke are very important in that they show therewere flehzade rooms there, making clear howclose the sultan and his family were. While thesheikhs children and son-in-law were employedin important state positions, his brother SheikhHamza Efendi was sometimes given 100,000kurufl from the sultans private treasury. Thesanctity and respect of the dergah in the palacefell off after Sheikh Zfir. A library was builtnext to the showy mausoleum that was built forSheikh Zfir Efendi by the famous architectDAranco. Books like Delil-i Hayrt were donatedto the Shazaliya Dergah, and importance wasgiven to the recital of prayers and thecontinuous reading of the mawlid. The fact thatinformation about how the sheikh of the dergahcould cure someone in three days by breathingon them is recorded in the Yldz documents isimportant for showing his effect on the palace.

he fact that these two sheikhs, who had similarmissions, were given similar mansions close toone another prepared the grounds for constantcomparison between the two of them. It shouldbe stated that Shazaliya was more modest incomparison to Rifaiya. While Abul Huda had amore political and social personality, SheikhZfir had a character that was more devoted andpious, and did not become involved in worldlymatters. In the memoirs of this era we can findclaims that these two sheikhs were in constantcompetition. In fact, in the archival documentsit is possible to see a few informants reportsconcerning this competition. In one memoir, itis claimed that Abul Huda had had a reportmade about a bomb attempt on a Fridayprocession ceremony that was to be performedat the Erturul Mosque, thus attempting tomake Sheikh Zfir fall from favor. In fact, in thearchival documents of the period there is such

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birtakm jurnalleri grmek de mmkndr. Birhatrada, Ebl-Hdnn Erturul Camiindeicra edilecek bir Cuma selml merasimindebombal suikast ihbar yaptrtt ve byleliklefieyh Zfiri gzden dflrmeye alflt nesrlmfltr. Gerekten devrin arflivvesikalarnda byle bir ihbar flaflrtc bir flekildegrlmektedir. Ancak iddiann dierksmlarnn ne kadar doru olduu tartflmaldr.

Netice olarak, II. Abdlhamid dneminde uzaktaflradan gelen bu iki Arap asll fleyhin

payitahtta el stnde tutulmas hi flphesiz budevrin politik ihtiyalarndan kaynaklanan farklhususiyetlerini yanstr. Ayrca, evreninmerkeze entegrasyonu balamndadeerlendirilebilecek bu olaylarda, kk birkasabadan imparatorluun baflkentinde parlakbir kariyere giden yolun, Osmanl toplum vesiyasasndaki sosyal hareketlilii gstermesiasndan dikkat ekici olduu belirtilmelidir.

II. Abdlhamidin slam Birlii siyasetibalamnda nfuzlarndan istifade ettii bufleyhlerden baflka, genel olarak OsmanlDevletinin 19. asrda tarikatlara ynelikgelifltirdii birtakm politikalar devam ettirdiigzlemlenmektedir. 1891 ylnda Meclis-iMeflyih kurum olarak yeniden dzenlenmifl veilk nizamnamesi devrin flartlar muvacehesindedeifltirilip tekaml ettirilmifltir. Bu anlamda,taflrada bulunan tekkelerin meflihatlarnayaplacak atamalarn merkezin sk kontrolgereklefltirilmesi salanmfltr. Oralarda damerkezdeki meclise benzer, kk meflyihmeclisleri kurulmaya alfllmfltr. Bu anlamda,Snn ynleri kuvvetli Kadirlik, Riflik,

Nakflibendlik gibi tarikatlarn deiflikmntesiplerine taflrada tekkelerin ald vefinanse edildii ayrca belirtilmelidir. Ancak,kayt dfl olarak meflihat bulunmayan cami,trbe, mescit ve hanelerde tarikat ayinlerininyaplmas yasaklanmfl ve sk bir kontrolmekanizmas gelifltirilmifltir.

Bununla birlikte, II. Abdlhamidin Bektafllikhususunda dedesi II. Mahmudun yolundangittii grlmektedir. Bektaflliin yaylmasnamsaade etmemekle kalmamfl o devrin birsiyaseti olan Bektafl tekkelerine Nakfl fleyhlerinatanmas uygulamasn da yeniden gndemegetirmiflti. 26 Temmuz 1892 ylnda SadrazamCevad Pafla, stanbulda Bektafllerin 7-8 adettekkelerinin olduu ve buralara iflli-iflsiz pekok kiflinin devam ettii, ikiler iildii, hatta

an astonishing report. However, how much theother part of the claim is true is open to ques-tion. As a result, the fact that these two Arabsheikhs who came from far-away lands duringthe reign of Abdlhamid were in superior positionsin the capital reflects the changing characteristicswhich resulted from the needs of the politics ofthe era. Moreover, it should be stated howinteresting these events, which can be evaluatedin the connection of the integration of thecenter with the surrounding areas, are; they

demonstrate the social mobility in Ottomansociety and politics, that path which leads froma small town to the capitol of the empire.

In addition to these sheikhs, from whoseinfluence Ablhamid II benefited in the policiesof the Islamic Union, there were a few policiesthat were developed towards the tarikats ingeneral in the 19th-century Ottoman State. In1891 the Meclis-i Meflyih was reestablished; thiswas changed in the era of the first nizamnameand perfected according to the conditions of theage. In this context, the appointments of theposts in the tekkes in the provinces were takenunder the strict control of the center. Attemptswere made to form smaller councils of sheikhswhich resembled that in the center. In thiscontext, it should be stated that powerful tarikatswhich had Snn tendencies in the provinceswere related to different tarikats, like theQadiriyyah, Rifaiya or Naqshbandi, but wereseparately opened and financed. However, it wasforbidden that mosques, tombs, masjids andhane, which were not part of the council andwere off the record, hold ceremonies and astrict control mechanism was developed.

Moreover, it can be seen that Abdlhamid IIfollowed in the footsteps of his grandfatherMahmud II on the matter of the Bektashi. Henot only did not allow for the spread of theBektashi, now the appointment of the

Naqshbandi sheikhs to the political Bektashitekkes was once more on the agenda. On 26 July,1892 the grand vizier Cevad Pasha sent an orderto the Foreign Ministry to investigate the claimsthat in the 7 or 8 Bektashi tekkes in Istanbulthere were many people employed andunemployed here, that there was drinking andeven that women came there. Teky ve zevyemkin-i muhteremeden olarak bu misillmahallerde menhiyyat vukuunun shhatihalinde meni muvafk- fler u hikmet olaca


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Zfir Efendinin sandukas

The sarcaphogus of Zfir Efendi


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II. Abdlhamidin ZfirEfendiye hediye ettii dolap

A cupboard presented to ZfirEfendi by Abdlhamid II

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II. AbdlhamidinKonya Mevln Derghpostniflini Mustafa Saffetelebi Efendinin lm

zerine yerine kardefliAbdlvahid elebinin

tayinine dair berat

A warrant of Abdlhamid IIthat appoints Abdlvahid

elebi to be fleyh of the orderin succession to his deceasedbrother, Mustafa Saffet, the

head of the Mevln Derghin Konya

(Divan Edebiyat Mzesi)

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kadnlarn da geldiinden bahisle meseleninarafltrlmas iin Dhiliye Nezaretine birtalimat gndermiflti. Teky ve zevy emkin-imuhteremeden olarak bu misill mahallerdemenhiyyat vukuunun shhati halinde menimuvafk- fler u hikmet olaca belirtilmiflti (Y.A. HUS., 1310.1.1). Yani, bir anlamda budevirde tekke ve zaviyelerin saygya laykmeknlar olduunu devlet kabul etmeklekalmamfl, buralarn muhafazas iin zellikleBektaflliin yaylmasn nleyici tedbirler

almflt.Bu anlamda Atf Hseyin Efendinin,hatralarnda Abdlhamidin Bektafllerhakkndaki flahsi kanaatlerini aktarmas sonderece ilgintir. II. Abdlhamid, Masum Efendiadnda medrese tahsili grmfl ve sonradanBektafl olmufl bir flahsn huzurunakarldndan bahsetmifltir. Bu flahsnErzurumda pek ok kifliyi Bektafl yaptkendisine rapor edilmifltir. O srada yanndaulemadan bir zat olduunu anlatan Abdlhamid,adam bizzat imtihan ettiini sylemifltir.Sorulara cevap veremeyen Bektaflnin alamayabafllamas zerine onu yanna armfl ve fleyhefendinin ahbab olduunu syleyerek kendisiniYahya Efendi Derghna gndermifltir. lgintir,bu adamn sa ve sakalnn birbirine karflmasnve trnaklarnn uzun olmasn genel birBektafllik profili olarak ele almfltr. HatralardaMasum diye bahsedilen bu Bektaflnin ismininMesut olma ihtimali ok yksektir. Zira bylebir flahsn Yahya Efendi Derghna gnderildiitespit edilmifltir. Ayrca daha da ileri gidilerekbu zata Bektafllik aleyhinde bir risale yazdrldbile grlmektedir. Olaya Ebl-Hdnn damdahil olduu grldnde ister istemezpadiflahn yanndaki ulemadan olan flahsnEbl-Hd olup olmad zihne taklmaktadr.Bu tekil hadiseyle sultann bizzat ilgilenmesiBektafllik konusunu nemsediinin iflaretidir.

Bu dnemin tarikatlar asndan ok ilgin biryn de 19. yzyl boyunca sultanlara ok yaknbulunmufl ve bizzat onlarn zel iltifatlarnamazhar olmufl olan Mevlev fleyhlerininsessizlikleridir. II. Abdlhamidin saltanatdevralmasnda, Mithat Paflann iftliininyannda bulunan Yenikap Mevlevihanesi fieyhiOsman Selahaddin Dedenin byk pay sahibiolduu bilinmektedir. Hatta ilk zamanlar sarayagelerek padiflahn huzurunda Mesnevokuttuudahi malumdur. Ancak gerek Mithat Pafla

belirtilmiflti (Y. A. HUS., 1310.1.1). That is, inone sense, in this era the tekke and zaviye werenot only areas that were perceived as beingworthy of respect, but preventive measures weretaken to stop the spread of the Bektashi toprotect these institutions.

In this context, what Atf Hseyin Efendirelates about Abdlhamids personal opinion ofthe Bektashi in his memoirs is extremelyinteresting. Abdlhamid II received instruction

at the madrasah of Masum Efendi and later wastaken into the presence of a Bektashi person. Itwas reported that this person had made manypeople Bektashi in Erzurum. At that point,Abdlhamid says that, accompanied by someonefrom the ulama, he tested the man himself.Unable to answer the questions the Bektashibegan to cry and the sultan called him over, andsaying that he was a friend of the sheikh, senthim to the Yahya Efendi Dergah. It is interestingthat this man is described as having tangled hairand beard and long nails, a typical Bektashiprofile. It is highly likely that the Bektashi,whose name in the memoirs is Masum, wasreally called Mesut; such a person was sent tothe Yahya Efendi Dergah. Moreover, goingeven further, it can be seen that this personwrote a treatise against the Bektashi. Takinginto account that Abul Huda interfered in suchmatters, then the question of whether thisperson from the ulama who was with the sultanwas Abul Huda arises. That the sultan personallyintervened in this solitary incident is indicativeof the importance that he gave to the Bektashimatter.

A very interesting characteristic of this periodfrom the aspect of the tarikats is the silence ofthe Mawlawi sheikhs, who had been very closeto the sultans throughout the 19th century, andwho received special compliments and rewards.It is known that Sheikh Osman SelahaddinDede of the Yenikap Mevlevihanesi, which wasnext to Mithat Pashas farm, played an importantrole in Abdlhamid II coming to the throne. Infact, it is known that in the early days he wouldeven come to the palace and read the Masnawiin the presence of the sultan. However, both onthe recommendation of Mithat Pasha and as aresult of Reflad Efendi, the Veliahd- Saltanat(heir to the sultanate) becoming a Mawlawi, theMawlawis became more passive. The once powerfulsheikh and the first chief of the Meclis-i Meflyih,

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ekibinin tasfiyesi gerekse Veliahd- SaltanatReflad Efendinin Mevlev oluflu yzndenMevlevler pasifize edilmifltir. Bir zamanlarnkudretli fleyhi ve Meclis-i Meflyihin ilkreislerinden Mesnevihn Osman SelahaddinDede ise uzlet-niflin olarak ahir mrn sessizsedasz tamamlamfltr. Ardndan gelen oluCelaleddin Efendi de benzer durumlaryaflamfltr. Mevlevlerin ayinlerini byk birkontrol ve tarassut altnda yapmaya alfltklar odevirde yaflamfl olan htifalci Mehmed Ziya gibi

yazarlar tarafndan ilgin anekdotlarlaanlatlmfltr. Bu skntnn Konyadaki Mevlanasitanesindeki elebi Efendiyi de kapsadifade edilmelidir. zellikle, II. Abdlhamidekarfl gelifltirilen ttihat ve Terakkimuhalefetinde Bektafllerin ve Mevlevlerindesteklerinin alnmas bir lde onlarn dagayrimemnun zmresinden olmalaryla izahedilebilir. Nitekim her iki tarikat daII. Meflrutiyet sonras hzla ykselifle gemifllerdir.

Sultann Nakflibendler ile aras fleyhlere grefarkllk arz etmifltir. zellikle, NakflibendliinOsmanl topraklarndaki nc dalgas olarak

Mesnevihn Osman Selahaddid Dede completedthe last days of his life in quiet and alone. Hisson, Celaleddin Efendi, lived in a similar way.Writers like the htifalci Mehmed Ziya tell veryinteresting anecdotes about this era in which itwas attempted to take the Mawlawi ceremoniesunder strict control and surveillance. It shouldbe stated that this problem affected elebiEfendi at the Mawlana sitanesi in Konya. Inparticular, it could be stated that as the Bektashiand Mawlawi supported the ttihat ve Terakki

opposition which was developed againstAbdlhamid II, they fell from favor. In fact,both tarikats had a rapid ascendency after theSecond Constitutional Monarchy.

The sultan displayed a different attitude to thesheikhs of the Naqshbandi. In particular, it isknown that Ahmed Ziyaddin Gmflhanev,who began a new era in the Halid branch,commemorated as the third wave of Naqshbandion Ottoman land, was close to Abdlhamid II.Even though an investigation of the sheikh,who had fought on the Batum front in the1877-78 Russian War, was carried out in 1890,


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Ahmed ZiyaddinGmflhanevnin kabri ve

mhrThe tomb and seal of Ahmed

Ziyaddin Gmflhanev


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anlan Halidlik kolunda ayr bir r amfl olanAhmed Ziyaddin GmflhanevninII. Abdlhamide yakn olduu bilinmektedir.1877-78 Rus Harbi srasnda Batum cephesindesavaflan fieyh hakknda 1890da bir soruflturmaalsa da, drt yl sonra vefat ettiinde techz utedfin masraflarn bizzat sultann karfllamas buyaknla bir iflaret olarak deerlendirilmifltir.Hatta Kanunnin hemen yan baflna gmlmesiyine bu tevecchn bir gstergesi saylmfltr.Sultan tekkeye yardmlarn fieyhin vefat

sonrasnda da kesmemifl, 25 adet Delil-i Hayrtvakfederek ilgisini devam ettirmiflti. Fakat dierbaz Nakfl-Halid fleyhlerine ayn flekildedavranmad ve siyasi olarak sakncalgrdklerini srgne gnderdii bilinmektedir.Bunlar arasnda Orta Anadoluda ok genifl birmrit desteine sahip olan Ahmed Dastan, M.Esad Erbil ve Feyzullah Efendizade fieyhMehmed Ali efendilerin olduu grlmektedir.Aslnda bu dnemde Kadir, Sad, Halvet veMelam fleyhlerinden bazlarnn da srgnegnderildii vkidir. Bu daha ok devlet erkidflnda hareket etme potansiyeli bulunanfleyhlere karfl uygulanmfl bir politikadr.

when he died four years later the cost of hisfuneral expenses were met by the sultan himself,thus indicating this closeness. In fact, beingburied right next to Sleyman the Magnificentcan be considered to be a sign of favor. The sultandid not cease supporting the tekke after thesheikhs death, continuing his interest bydonating 25 copies of Delil-i Hayrt. However,it is known that he did not treat other Naqshi-Halidi sheikhs in the same way, but rather sawthem as a political threat, sending them into

exile. Among these were Ahmed Dastan, whohad a wide base of murid (novices), M. EsadErbil and Feyzullah Efendizade Sheikh MehmedAli. In fact, at this time some of the Qadiriyyah,Sadiya, Khalwati and Malami sheikhs were sentinto exile. This was more a policy to beimplemented against those sheikhs who had thepotential to act outside the state power.

In general, it is known that many tekkes wereunder surveillance and that the ceremoniesappeared in the reports of informers. For example,at the Adile Sultan Kulekaps Mevlevihane on13 September, 1894, a date that coincides with


Ahmed ZiyaddinGmflhanevninRamuzl-ehadis isimli eserinin mellifnshas ve mttekalar

Ahmed ZiyaddinGmflhanev, Ramuzl-ehadis(copy of the author) and hismuttekas

(M. Esad Coflan Arflivi)

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Genel olarak, pek ok tekkenin takip edildii veayin gnleri jurnallerinin takdim edildii bilinenbir husustur. Mesela 13 Eyll 1894 tarihine denkgelen Hz. Peygamberimizin veladet gnndeAdile Sultann Kulekaps Mevlevihanesindeokuttuu Mevlid-i fierfe pek ok fleyh vederviflin yan sra yaklaflk befl yz kifli ifltirak

etmiflti. fiehremanetinden yazlan rapora gre,Mevlid icra edildikten sonra Ebur-Rza Tekkesifleyhi Nureddin Efendi Padiflahn mr vesal iin dua etmiflti. Raporda, ayrca,toplanan cemiyette asayifle aykr bir durumunvuku bulmad belirtilmiflti. stanbuldaki drtmevlevihanenin fleyhleri ile BursaMevlevihanesi ve Yahya Efendi Derghfleyhlerinin de aralarnda bulunduu on fleyhinmevlide ifltirak ettii kaydedilmifltir (Y. PRK.fiH. 5-29). Bu dnemde, gvenlik ve asayiflodakl kontrol mekanizmasnn tekkelerikapsad da grlmekteydi. Bu anlamdaherhangi bir mira veya mevlit programnnyaplmas izne tabi olduu gibi, programn icra

the birth date of Prophet Muhammad, inaddition to the many sheikhs and dervishes, therewere about 500 people who participated in theceremony. According to a report written by thefiehremaneti (City Council), after the Mawlid hadbeen performed, Nureddin Efendi, the sheikh ofthe Ebur-Rza Tekke, recited prayers for the

health and long-life of the sultan. Moreover, inthe report it is stated the congregation that hadgathered posed no threat to the peace. It isrecorded that the mawlid was performed by tensheikhs, including the sheikhs of the four IstanbulMevlevihanes, the sheikh of the BursaMevlevihane and the sheikhs of the YahyaEfendi Dergah (Y. PRK. fiH. 5-29). In this periodit can be seen that the control mechanism whichfocused on security and public order included thetekkes. In this sense, not only did they have toapply for permission for any kind of miraj ormawlid program, but officers would be sent to thedergah on the evening that the program wasexecuted. Sometimes the events that occurred in


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Kadir ve Nakfl glleri

Qadiri and Nakshi roses

(Yahya Agh Efendi)


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edilecei akflam da dergha muvazzaf memurlargnderilmekteydi. Bazen de tekkelerde cereyaneden olaylar gn gnne rapor edilmekteydi. 3Austos 1893te Kanlcada bulunan Nakfliderghnn fleyhinin olu mektebe bafllad iinderghta mukabele-i flerif icra edilerek nm-nm-i cenb- hilafetpenh iin dualaredilmiflti. Bir gn nce ise, skdarda HdyTekkesi postniflininin dervifllerinden bazlarnyanna alarak Beykozda Yufla Tepesine kt,bizzat Zabtiye nazr tarafndan rapor

edilmekteydi (Y. PRK. ZB. 12-11).Sonu olarak, II. Abdlhamid dnemi devlet vetekke iliflkileri, kurucu harcnda tekke geleneibulunan Osmanl Devleti iin eski ve kklyaklaflmlarn devam olduu kadar, dneminsosyo-politik ihtiyalarnn ve dominant birpadiflahn zelliklerini yanstacak ynler detaflmaktayd. Her fleyden nce, tarikatlarn budnemde de ihtiyalarnn karfllandgrlmekle birlikte, zellikle Arap corafyasndaetkili ve gl baz tarikatlarn daha okdesteklendii sylenebilir. Bu yaklaflm isednemin Hilafet ve slam Birlii siyasetininbir parasdr. Bununla birlikte, 19. yzyldadaha ok devlet denetimine giren tarikatlarn iifllerini dzenleyen ve denetimlerini mmknklan Meclis-i Meflayih yeniden tasarlanmfltr.Bu politikann bir sonucu olarak, tekkelerdevletin takibine daha ok uramfl ve siyasiolarak tehlikeli grlen birtakm fleyhler yapasifize edilmifl ya da srgne gnderilmifllerdir.Bu sk denetimin yan sra tekkelere cmerteihsan ve atiyyelerde bulunulmaktankanlmamfl ve her frsatta bunlarn desteklerialnmaya alfllmfltr. mparatorluun drt birtarafnda zellikle Snn ekolden tarikatlarayeni tekkeler alarak yerel halkn dolayl birflekilde destekleri temin edilmeye alfllmfltr.

the tekkes would be reported day by day. On 3August 1893, to mark the first day of school forthe son of the sheikh of the Naqshi dergah inKanlca, a mukabele-i flerif was performed and theprayer nm- nm-i cenb- hilafetpenh wasrecited. One day earlier the postnish of theHdy Tekke in skdar had taken some of hisdervishes up to Yufla Hill in Beykoz, and this wasreported by the Minister of the Zaptiye(Gendarme) himself (Y. PRK. ZB. 12-11).

As a result, the relationship of the state and thetekkes in the era of Abdlhamid II was acontinuation of the well-rooted approachesbetween state and the tekke, and in a way thetekke tradition was in fact the cement of theOttoman establishment; in addition, thisrelationship was colored by the characteristics ofthe dominant sultan, as was necessary for thesocio-political era. Not only can we see that theneeds of the tarikats were met in this period, butsome of the effective and strong tarikats in theArab geography were given greater support. Thisapproach was part of the Caliphate and IslamicUnion policy of the period. In addition, thetarikats that came under greater state control inthe 19th century were re-designed by the Meclis-iMeflayih, which made it possible for their innerfunctions to be organized and inspected. As aresult of these policies, the tekkes were moreclosely followed by the state and some sheikhs,who were seen as a political threat, were pacifiedor exiled. However, in addition to this tightcontrol the tekkes were granted generous giftsand support was given at every opportunity. Inthe four corners of the empire new tarikats, inparticular from the Sunni branch, were openedand thus an attempt to gain their support, andindirectly, that of the local people was made.

Translation: Zainab Mahmout

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KAYNAKLAR / SOURCES

Buzpnar, fi. Tufan, Osmanl Suriyesinde Trk Aleyhtarlanlar ve Bunlara Karfl Tepkiler, slam Arafltrmalar Der.,sy. II, st. 1998.Deringil, Selim, ktidarn Sembolleri ve deoloji II. AbdlhamidDnemi (1876-1909), st. 2002.Eraslan, Cezmi, II. Abdlhamid ve slam Birlii, st. 1995.Hlag, M. Metin, Sultan II. Abdlhamidin Srgn GnleriHususi Doktoru Hseyin Beyin Hatrat, st. 2003.Kara, smail, slamclarn Siyasi Grflleri I Hilafet veMeflrutiyet, st. 2001.

Karpat, Kemal, slamn Siyasallaflmas, st. 2009.Kololu, Orhan,Abdlhamid Gerei, st. 2002.Kurflun, Zekeriya, Yol Ayrmnda Trk Arap liflkileri, st.1992.Osmanolu, Ayfle, Babam Sultan Abdlhamid, Ank. 1986.zcan, Azmi, ngilterede Hilafet Tartflmalar (1873-1909), slam Arafltrmalar Der., sy. II, st. 1998.Varol, Muharrem, II. Abdlhamidin Danflman Ebl-HudaSayyadinin Hayat, Eserleri ve Tesirleri (1850-1909), M..Trkiyat Arafltrmalar Enstits, baslmamfl yksek lisans

tezi, st. 2004.


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Documents

II.abdulhamidin Tarikat Siyaseti