Rumi and Haji Bektash Veli as Mediating Leaders in the Islamization of Anatolia 1100 c.e.-1350 c.e.

Abstract

The transition from Christian Asia Minor to Islamic Anatolia was marked by several steps and stages, each presenting complex interpretive issues for historians. The Islamization of these territories of what is now modern-day Turkey answered the devolution of Byzantine power and the decline of Christian hegemony. The Battle of Manzikert in 1071 resulted in a steady flow of Muslim tradesmen, warriors, and holy men into Christian cultural spaces. Some Muslims served as interpreters and intermediaries of Islam, providing a broad and welcoming place for converts and those in lingering transit from one community to another. Mediating figures like Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī (known in the west as Rumi) (1207-1273) and Haji Bektash Veli (1209-1271) formed very different religious communities, though each was sufficiently tolerant of diverse practice as to encourage affiliation by non-Muslims. Rumi’s deeply rooted Sunni identity was expressed in a broadening Sufi recognition of God’s loving presence throughout creation. His invitation toward depth prepared communities to be receptive to more precise orthodoxies in later projects of “Sunnification.” Haji Bektash Veli flourished within a vibrant folk tradition generally uninterested in orthodox ways. These, and other, mediating forms of Islam were crucial components of this process of Islamization.