Abdals: Âşık Coterie Who Are Cauterizing Their Own Chest in Classical Poetry

Abdals are dervish coterie who came to Anatolia with Mongolian raids. They formed the Abdalân-ı Rum communities and were held in high esteem. Abdals, which are discussed in many dīvāns (poem collections) in classical Turkish poetry, are processed as symbols of amorousness. In these poems, it is seen that Abdals have three main feacures such as walking barefoot and open-head, cauterizing the wound, and using opium. When poems are examined, it is seen that their first essential attributes are accompanied by the properties of traveling and begging, loneliness, and equating themselves to the sovereignty of poverty. Abdals made wounds on their bodies and heads in the form of alif (horizontal line) or horseshoe, and they beat their chests in the form of the mourning ritual of Karbala, which corresponds to their basic characteristics of cauterizing the wounds. Abdals were not content with this, they also used methods such as binding meftul (wick) to treat their wounds. They used the opium they carried in a bowl called jur‘ah to relieve their pain and experienced the drunkenness that it gave in the form of ecstasy/temptation. Many classical poets discuss this situation in line with the concept of love and as a symbol of â In this journey, âşık regarded himself as Abdal and adopted the qualities of Abdal. In this study, being abdal is handled by grouping it within the framework of its main and complementary qualities. In this context, it is aimed to reveal the concept of âşık in classical poetry in a holistic and compiled way.
Keywords: Classical poetry, Being abdal, Abdal âşık, various images.