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World Headquarters of the Bektashi

Coordinates: 41°19′53″N 19°50′58″E / 41.3313°N 19.8494°E / 41.3313; 19.8494
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World Headquarters of the Bektashi
Religion
AffiliationIslam
RiteBektashi Order
Year consecrated1930
Location
MunicipalityTirana
CountryAlbania
World Headquarters of the Bektashi is located in Albania
World Headquarters of the Bektashi
Shown within Albania
Geographic coordinates41°19′53″N 19°50′58″E / 41.3313°N 19.8494°E / 41.3313; 19.8494
Architecture
FounderSali Njazi
Website
kryegjyshataboterorebektashiane.org
Part of a series on
Bektashism
Historical figures
Bektashi Dedebabate
Bektashi sites
Events
Countries

The World Headquarters of the Bektashi or Bektashi World Center (Albanian: Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane; often simply known in Albanian as the Kryegjyshata) is the international headquarters of the Bektashi Order, a Sufi order. It is located on Dhimitër Kamarda Street at the eastern edge of Tirana, the capital of Albania.[1] It serves as the centre of the Albanian Bektashi Order. The site is proposed to form the territory of the Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order.

The headquarters also has a museum, library, and archives.[2]

On 21 September 2024, it was reported that Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama was planning to create the Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order, a sovereign microstate for the Order with the Bektashi Headquarters serving as the nation's only territory.[3]

History

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Before the secularization of Turkey in 1925, the Haji Bektash Veli Complex in Hacıbektaş, Turkey was home to the pir evi (Turkish for "pir's house") of Haji Bektash Veli, which served as the international headquarters of the Bektashi Order. Atatürk's 1925 ban on all dervish orders caused the exodus of the Bektashi Order to Albania in 1925, and the complex was closed for religious use. As a result, the administrative seat of the Bektashi Order was shifted to the World Headquarters of the Bektashi in Tirana, Albania in 1930.[4]

In 1930, Sali Njazi, the 1st Dedebaba of the Bektashi Order, established the World Headquarters of the Bektashi movement (Albanian: Kryegjyshata) in Tirana. Sali Njazi had originally planned to set up the headquarters in Melçan, Korça (which had served as the first de facto headquarters of the Albanian Bektashi community during the 1920s), but finally decided to build it in Tirana instead.[5] The construction of the headquarters was finished in 1941 during the Italian occupation of Albania.[4]

The headquarters were closed in 1967, when Albanian Communist dictator Enver Hoxha shut down all religious organizations. On 27 January 1991, a temporary committee for the resurrection of the Bektashi Community was established in Tirana. Since that year, the new community has worked hard to revive the traditions of Bektashism in Albania. The World Headquarters in Tirana was officially reopened on 22 March 1991 on Sultan Nevruz.[6]

Headquarters campus

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Tyrbes

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The tyrbes (holy tombs) of several dedebabas, including Kamber Ali, Abaz Hilmi, and Ahmet Myftar, are buried at the Kryegjyshata.[4]

Museum

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The Bektashi Museum (or Bektashee Museum) was officially inaugurated on 7 September 2015.[7]

Library

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The Bektashi Library (or Bektashee Library) was officially inaugurated on 7 September 2015.[8]

Archives

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The archives contain many historic documents in various languages such as Albanian, Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, English, French, and Italian, with the earliest document dating back to 1847. There are also photograph collections,[9] audio tapes, and microfilms.[10] The audio collection preserves rare recordings of Bektashi musical traditions.[11]

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  • Panoramic view
    Panoramic view
  • Gateway
    Gateway
  • Columns
    Columns
  • Columns next to the main building
    Columns next to the main building
  • Columns next to the main building
    Columns next to the main building
  • Garden
    Garden
  • The tyrbe of Ahmet Myftar Dede at the Kryegjyshata
    The tyrbe of Ahmet Myftar Dede at the Kryegjyshata

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bektashi World Center.

References

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  1. ^ Contact. Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane. Accessed 19 September 2021.
  2. ^ Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane.
  3. ^ Higgens, Andrew (21 September 2024). "Albania Is Planning a New Muslim State Inside Its Capital". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Elsie, Robert (2019). The Albanian Bektashi: history and culture of a Dervish order in the Balkans. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-78831-569-2. OCLC 1108619669.
  5. ^ The Holy Seat of the World Bektashi Headquarter. Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane. Accessed 19 September 2021.
  6. ^ Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane. Bashkia Tiranë.
  7. ^ The Bektashee Museum. Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane. Accessed 19 September 2021.
  8. ^ The Bektashi Library. Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane. Accessed 19 September 2021.
  9. ^ The Phototeka of the Bektashi World Seat. Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane. Accessed 19 September 2021.
  10. ^ The Archives of the World Bektashi Seat. Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane. Accessed 19 September 2021.
  11. ^ The Phonoteca of the Bektashi World Seat. Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane. Accessed 19 September 2021.
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