Description
Book SynopsisOne of the more poorly understood aspects of the history of the Ottoman Empire has been the flourishing of Sufi mysticism under its auspices. This study tracks the evolution of the Halveti order from its modest origins in medieval Azerbaijan to the emergence of its influential Sa`baniye branch, whose range extended throughout the Empire at the height of its expansion.
With careful reconstruction of the lives of formerly obscure figures in the order''s history, a complex picture emerges of the connections of Halveti groups with the Ottoman state and society. Even more importantly - since the Sa`baniye branch of the order grew out of the towns and villages of the northern Anatolian mountains rather than the major urban centers - this work has the added benefit of bringing a unique perspective to how Ottoman subjects lived, worked and worshipped outside the major urban centers of the Empire. Along the way, it sheds light on less-visible actors in society, such as women and artisans, and challenges widely held generalizations about the activities and strategies of Ottoman mystics.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments; Note on Transliteration; List of Abbreviations for Frequently-Cited Works in the Text; Introduction-On the Study of Ottoman Mystical Traditions; Part I The Rise and Spread of the Halveti Order from its Origins through the Twelfth/Eighteenth Century: Chapter 1 Early Sufism and the origins of the Halveti path (ca. 900-1400); Chapter 2 The Great Expansion: From Regional Organization to Far-Flung Network (ca. 1400-1600); Part II The Evolution of a Halveti Sub-Branch: The Life and Career of ?a'ban-? Veli and his Followers in the Kastamonu Region; Chapter 3 Echoes of a distant past: ?a'ban-? Veli's early life and conversion to Sufism; Chapter 4 Genesis of a sub-branch: ?a'ban-? Veli's struggles in Kastamonu; Chapter 5 An uneven legacy: the succession to ?a'ban-? Veli to the end of the tenth/sixteenth century; Part III Defending the Cult of Saints in Eleventh/Seventeenth-Century Kastamonu: Transforming the ?a'baniyye Order under 'Omer el-Fu'adi: Chapter 6 'Omer el-Fu'adi as Sufi aspirant and haigographer: the road to ?a'baniyye succession; Chapter 7 Inscribing the ?a'baniyye order onto Kastamonu's landscape; Chapter 8 The political and doctrinal legacy of 'Omer el-Fu'adi; Conclusion What can the ?a'baniyye Teach Us About Transitions in the Early Modern Period of World History?; Endnotes; Bibliography; Primary Sources: Original Manuscripts; Primary Sources in Printed Texts, Translation, or Edited Editions of Manuscripts; Secondary Sources
