Hacıbektaş is a town of 5,000 inhabitants in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is notable for being the site of the shrine of Haji Bektash Veli, a 13th century Sufi saint and philosopher.
Understand
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The Alevis The Alevis are the adherents of Alevism, an Islamic tradition based on the teachings of Hacı Bektaş Veli, and combining elements of Sufism, Shiism and Turkic shamanism. The Alevis form a significant religious minority in Turkey (up to 20% of the population, common among both the ethnic Turks and the Kurds) as well as among the Turkish population of Bulgaria. Within Turkey, they are present in all regions, but the largest cluster is in Central Anatolia. With their syncretic and heterodox beliefs, the Alevis have often found themselves at odds with officially sanctioned mainstream Sunnism, and frequently had to suffer bloody repression during the numerous revolts throughout the Seljuk and the successive Ottoman periods, and many pogroms in the republican history, most recently in Sivas in 1993, when a hotel was arsoned while lodging (Alevi and non-Alevi) visitors to a commemoration of Pir Sultan Abdal, a 16th century Alevi poet from the area. Along with the secular urbanites and the descendants of the Ottoman Balkan population, the Alevis form the main opponents to fundamentalism in modern Turkey. Bektashism is a Sufi order also stemming from the teachings of Hacı Bektaş Veli. It is different from Alevism in that it has a more distinct organisation and traditionally has had a following in urban areas, but the theological difference is not clear cut. It is particularly prevalent among the Muslims of Cretan heritage in Turkey, and also among the Muslims in Albania. While Bektashism too had its episodes of suppression, although not as violently as Alevism, for the most part it received official support — for example, it was the official order of the Janissaries, the elite corps of the Ottoman army. During the heavy-handed secularist reforms of the early repulican years, it was banned along with all other Islamic orders, such that its headquarters had to be moved to Tirana, the Albanian capital. |
After much wandering, Khorasani-born Haji Bektash Veli (Turkish: Hacı Bektaş Veli) decided to settle in Suluca Karahöyük, then said to be a hamlet of only seven households in the middle of the stark Anatolian steppe, to spread his teachings heavily injected with medieval rationalism, progressivism, and humanism. Subsequently the village was renamed in his honour.
His shrine is considered to be the holiest site in Alevism; see the infobox.
Get in
By car
From Ankara, head east on D200 / E88 to Kırıkkale to join D765 south and then D260 through Kırşehir (225 km/140 mi). A slightly longer alternative (234 km/145 mi) is to take D750 south to branch off past Gölbaşı into D260; although this route is also dual carriageway end-to-end, the surface quality is worse than the former — prefer only if you are going to visit the Japanese garden near Kaman on the way. Another alternative, suggested by Google Maps, is the longest (260 km/160 mi): take the O-21 motorway to Kırşehir, and proceed onto D260 there, but it isn't worth it — it is not only longer, but also the motorway has a toll.
As of May 2022, due to the construction works in the area there is only a small signpost at the final junction for Hacıbektaş, and none in the approach ― be ready to branch off anywhere past Mucur.
From Nevşehir, follow D765 north for 45 km (28 mi).
By bus
The local 🌍 bus station, more like a parking lot with a small collection of ticket offices, is 500 m (1,600 ft) down the main road from the Haji Bektash Veli Complex.
Get around
The town is compact and everything of interest is within a short walking distance from the town roundabout.
See
The 🌍 Haji Bektash Veli Complex (08:00-18:45; free entry) on the local hillock is understandably the main sight (at the town roundabout; free parking). It is built around the lodge of the man, and where he was subsequently interred. This was the pir evi ("saint's house"), the world headquarters of the Bektashi order prior to 1925.
In the outer garden, a spring spewing copiously through triple nozzles welcomes the visitors.
The first courtyard was where the dervish daily life was taking place, with another spring coming out of a lion sculpture. Well-crafted wax sculptures help with imagining the days long gone.
The second courtyard is rimmed by the shrines of Bektashi elders, including Haji Bektash Veli. The domes are adorned in particularly colourful designs, and one of the rooms hosts a forty-branched candelabra, symbolizing the wand of Bektash, embellished with cast dragons and birds.
Outside, behind an ancient mulberry tree, is the stand-alone shrine of Balım Sultan, a 16th century Bektashi senior who codified the Bektashi order.
Another, less obvious sight is across the main road from the complex: 🌍 Atatürk's house, an Ottoman house where Kemal Atatürk stayed for a night during a tour of Anatolia to gain support in preparation of the Turkish War of Independence (1919–22).
Do
An annual festival in honour of Haji Bektash Veli is held Aug 16–18.
Buy
A strip of souvenir shops lines the pedestrian street leading to the complex from the roundabout. Expect lots of Alevi and leftist miscellanea (the Alevis have traditionally tended towards the left politically).
A store of national discount chain Şok is on the main street towards the bus station, 450 m (1,480 ft) from the complex. Another, A101, is on the alley around the corner, across from the bus station.
Eat
A variety of eateries can be found on the streets around the complex.
Drink
Contrary to what might be expected from an Islamic group, Bektashis embrace ritual wine drinking. Deniz and Karahöyük (Ekinar) are locally produced wines, getting mixed reviews.
Sleep
Connect
As of Nov 2022, Hacıbektaş has 4G from all Turkish carriers, with variable coverage along its approach roads. 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.
Go next
- Nevşehir south is the province capital and the point of entry into Cappadocia.
| Routes through Hacıbektaş |
| Afyonkarahisar ← Ankara ← | W  E |
→ Kayseri → Elazığ |
Kastamonu ← Çankırı ← Kırıkkale (  W / E) ← |
N  S |
→ Nevşehir → Niğde |
