FOLK BELIEFS AND CHANGES CONCERNING AWLIYA BURIED IN TURHAL

The subject of this study is formed by folk beliefs about the awliya buried in and around the centre of Turhal, as recorded in a document attached to the back of a manuscript copied in 1708. This study includes information and folk beliefs about the awliya mentioned in the record, based on two surveys conducted in 1991 and 2025. The aim of this study is to identify which of the awliya mentioned in the record are still remembered by name, how many of their graves or tombs have been preserved to the present day, and what types of folk beliefs continue to be associated with them, despite the passage of three centuries since the record was compiled. In addition, the study aims to reveal the changes in the information and folk beliefs concerning these awliya over the 34-year period between the two researches. While examining the folk beliefs related to the awliya buried in Turhal, the study employs a methodology that incorporates both oral sources and relevant literature. According to the studies conducted in 1991 and 2025, the vast majority of the awliya tombs mentioned in the document and about which some information is provided, located in Turhal and its surroundings, have survived to the present day despite the long passage of time. Some of these awliya tombs, which are likely to date back to the period of the Seljuks of Turkey or even the Danishmendids, are currently known as yatirs. Consequently, they are regarded as places where all kinds of wishes are fulfilled and various illnesses are cured. The great affection and respect the people of Turhal and its surroundings show towards these awliya indicate that their spiritual influence continues to this day. Folk beliefs related to most of the awliya mentioned in the document, which have also been recorded in the literature, still persist. The 2025 study identified an increase in information concerning folk beliefs about some awliya, while a loss of knowledge was observed regarding a few awliya whose tombs have not survived to the present day. Of the 17 awliya mentioned in the document, the tombs of 8 are located in the centre of Turhal. The burial place of Lengerî Baba in the center is unknown. Outside of Turhal, Kara Baba Sultan, who is about whom no information could be obtained, is located in Gökse Village. Since the location of Gökse is unknown, no clues about Kara Baba Sultan have been found, as the village has not been traceable since the last quarter of the 18th century. The village referred to as Kirman in the document is today known as Eriklitekke.