Bektashi Order

What is the Bektashi Order?

The Bektashi Order is a mystic Sufi order founded in the 13th century and developed primarily in Anatolia (now Turkey) from the beginning of the 16th century. It integrates Sufi practices with Shiʿah beliefs. Named after the 13th-century mystic Haji Bektash Veli, the order represents one of the most distinctive expressions of Islamic spirituality, characterized by esoteric interpretation, tolerance, and syncretic practice. Bektashis, whose numbers are estimated to be anywhere from 7 million to 20 million followers, are found throughout the world, and since the early 20th century their headquarters have been located in Albania.

The Bektashi path emphasizes inner spiritual development over strict legal observance, making it notably liberal within Islamic tradition. Like many Sufis the Bektashis are relatively lax in observing daily Muslim laws, and women as well as men take part in ritual alcohol drinking and dancing during devotional ceremonies, called cems. The religion emphasizes personal spiritual development in monastic communities (tekkes).

Origins & Lineage

Haji Bektash Veli, the reputed founder of the movement, was born in Neyshābūr in Khorāsān (now Nishapur, Iran). The tradition suggests that he lived from 1248 to 1337, although other sources give his dates as 1209 to 1271, roughly contemporaneous with the Sufi poet Rūmī. He migrated to Anatolia, near Kırşehir (now in Turkey), where he founded the first Bektashi tekke—religious gathering house—for the assembled practice of Sufi rituals.

Bektashism originated in Anatolia as the followers of the 13th-century scholar Bektash, who himself studied under the mystic Ahmad Yasawi, who was born in Sayram, now in southern Kazakhstan. The doctrines and rituals of the Bektashis were codified by the mystic Balım Sultan, who is considered the pīr-i thānī (“the Second Elder”) by Bektashis. Under the leadership of Balım Sultan, the pīr-e ṯānī (Persian: “second elder”), in the 16th century, the order was further structured and systematized.

Following Balım Sultan’s organization of the order, the tradition adopted many tenets of Shiʿi Islam, including a veneration of the 12 imams, particularly ʿAlī, the son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad, whose birthday the order celebrates on the new year festival of Nowruz. The order also absorbed influences from Hurufism, the Qalandari dervishes, and pre-Islamic Turkic shamanic traditions.

It became the official order of the Janissaries, the elite infantry corps of the Ottoman military. Their influence waned after 1826, when the Janissaries were disbanded, but the order underwent a revival later in the century, with the rebuilding of the monasteries and a flowering of literary activity in Turkey and Albania. When all Sufi orders were dissolved in Turkey in 1925, the then head of the order, Salih Niyazi Dedebaba (1876–1941), relocated to Albania and established the World Headquarters of the Bektashi order in Tirana.

How It’s Practiced

Bektashi practice centers on the concept of the Four Gates (Sharia, Tariqa, Marifa, Haqiqa) and Forty Stations—a progressive spiritual path outlined in the foundational text Makalat, attributed to Haji Bektash Veli. The Bektashi order is a Sufi order and shares much in common with other Islamic mystical movements, such as the need for an experienced spiritual guide—called a baba in Bektashi parlance — as well as the Sufi doctrine of “the four gates that must be traversed”: Sharī’a (religious law), Ṭarīqa (the spiritual path), Ma’rifa (true knowledge), and Ḥaqīqa (truth).

Ceremonial gatherings called cem (or djem) form the heart of communal worship. Key practices included: Cem ceremonies: Ritual gatherings with semah (whirling dance) and poetry recitals. Music and dance are vital components of Bektashi rituals. These art forms help followers connect with the divine and express their devotion. The ney, a type of flute, is commonly used in Bektashi music, producing a haunting and meditative sound. Bektashi hymns, known as nefes, are sung during rituals and ceremonies.

There are many other practices and ceremonies that share similarities with other faiths, such as a ritual meal (muhabbet) and yearly confession of sins to a baba (magfirat-i zunub). The Bektashis in the Balkans adapted such Christian practices as the ritual sharing of bread, the confession of sins, and celibacy of monastic spiritual fathers (the babas).

The order maintains a hierarchical initiation structure. He instituted a hierarchy of members beginning with the laity, initiate (Persian: moḥebb), dervish (ascetic guild member), father (Albanian: baba), grandfather (Albanian: gjysh; Turkish: dede), and leader of the order or “supreme father” (Albanian: kryegjysh; Turkish: dedebaba). Initiates undergo a formal ceremony involving symbols of death, rebirth, and spiritual covenant.

Bektashi Order Today

Since the early 20th century the order has been headquartered in Albania. The current spiritual leader is Baba Mondi, born Edmond Brahimaj in 1959, recognized as the 8th Dedebaba. Today, sympathy for the Order is generally widespread in Albania where approximately 20% of Muslims self-report as having some connection to Bektashism.

Bektashi communities thrive in Albania, Turkey (where they are closely associated with the Alevi movement), North Macedonia, Kosovo, and diaspora communities including the United States. There is also a Bektashi tekke in Taylor, Michigan, US, founded by Baba Rexheb, who was a famous Bektashi writer on Islamic mysticism and Bektashism. Tekkes serve as centers for prayer, meditation, community gathering, and spiritual education.

In September 2024 Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced plans to create in Tirana a Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order. Modeled on the Vatican, the microstate of 27 acres would be the smallest country in the world and would, according to those supporting the effort, provide the moderate Islamic order with an influential voice regarding interfaith matters on the world stage. The sovereign state would be run by the order’s current world leader, Baba Mondi.

Seekers encounter Bektashi teachings through public cem ceremonies held at tekkes, annual pilgrimage festivals (particularly at the shrine of Haji Bektash Veli in Hacıbektaş, Turkey, held each August), and through study of Bektashi poetry and sacred texts. The order has contributed significantly to Turkish and Albanian literature; poets Yunus Emre and Pir Sultan Abdal are celebrated Bektashi mystics.

Common Misconceptions

The Bektashi Order is not simply “Shi’a Sufism.” While it venerates Ali and the Twelve Imams, Bektashis respect all of the Companions of Muhammad, including Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Talha and Mu’awiya, with Ali considered the greatest of the Companions. This distinguishes them from mainstream Twelver Shi’ism.

Bektashism is not a “heterodox sect” in the sense of rejecting Islamic identity. Bektashis base their practices and rituals on their non-orthodox and mystical interpretation and understanding of the Quran and the prophetic practice (Sunnah). They see themselves as Muslims following an esoteric path, though both Sunni and Shi’a authorities have historically questioned their orthodoxy.

The use of wine in ritual is symbolic, not recreational. Dem (Wine ritual): Symbolic use of alcohol to transcend literalist prohibitions. This practice connects to mystical interpretations of divine intoxication found in Sufi poetry.

Bektashism is not identical to Alevism, though closely related. Alevism is a general belief system with ascriptive identity, whereas Bektashi is an order in which one can enrol. In Turkey, the two communities significantly overlap and share many practices.

How to Begin

Those interested in the Bektashi Order should approach respectfully, understanding that formal initiation (nasip) requires a living spiritual guide and commitment to the path. Begin by:

1. Reading foundational texts: Start with the Makalat (The Articles) attributed to Haji Bektash Veli and the Vilayetname (Book of Sainthood), a hagiographical account of his life. John Kingsley Birge’s The Bektashi Order of Dervishes (1937) remains the seminal English-language scholarly study.

2. Exploring Bektashi poetry: The works of Yunus Emre and other Bektashi poets offer accessible entry into the mystical worldview. These poems explore themes of divine love, unity, and the soul’s journey.

3. Visiting a tekke: If near Albanian communities or in Albania, Macedonia, or Kosovo, attending public cem ceremonies offers direct experience. The Bektashi World Headquarters in Tirana welcomes respectful visitors.

4. Studying comparative Sufism: Understanding broader Sufi concepts—dhikr, the tariqa system, the teachings of Ibn Arabi on wahdat al-wujud (unity of being)—provides essential context.

5. Connecting with communities: The Bektashi diaspora maintains active communities, particularly in Michigan and other Albanian population centers. Online resources and interfaith dialogues increasingly make teachings accessible.

Formal membership requires finding a baba (spiritual father) who can guide initiation. The path emphasizes direct transmission from teacher to student, humility, service, and inner purification. Those drawn to the Bektashi way often cite its emphasis on love over law, inclusion over exclusion, and mystical experience over dogma.