Köprülü’de Bir Gönül Ocağı: Hacet Baba Tekkesi

Balkans is one of the important geographies where Bektashism spread. The Alawi-Bektashi interpretationof Islam began to be represented in this geography from the 13th century onwards. Köprülü(Veles) is located in the region of Macedonia where Bektashism is heavily adopted. The Hacet BabaLodge, which was put into operation in the second half of the 18th century, was located just outsidethe town. When the Bektashism was banned in 1826, this lodge was destroyed and its assets wereconfiscated by the state. Thus, not only a religious belief center with its large buildings and outbuildings,but also an important agriculture and agricultural center with its farms in the surroundingvillages has been in danger of being erased from history. In 1831, the Hacet Baba Lodge, which wastried to be transformed into a Naqshi lodge, was re-administered by the Bektashis in the last quarterof the 19th century. During this period and in the following years, prominent figures such as HasanBaba and his sons and Hüseyin Hüsni Erdikut Baba served as the postnişin (the head of the lodge).There is no trace of the Hacet Baba Lodge, which preserved its vitality in the Balkan Wars until theout of the Ottoman administration of K(Veles). There is a hospital building on the lodge land today.In this study, the history of Köprülü Hacet Baba Lodge, which is one of the important centers ofBektashism in the Balkans, has been handled in the light of the main sources and researches primarilyarchive records. In addition, the original images of the archive documents related to the lodge andthe translations to today’s letters are given in the appendix section. In the conduct of this study, thetraces of Hacet Baba Lodge’s historical process have not been discussed in a scientific article before.
Keywords: Balkans, Macedonia, Köprülü (Veles), Bektashism, Hacet Baba