Ahmet Myftar (also known as Ahmet Myftar Dede, Ahmet Myftari, or Ahmet Myftar Ahmataj) (1916–1980) was the 6th

Dedebaba The Dedebabate is the leadership of Bektashi Order, Bektashism. The dedebabas ( sq, kryegjysh) are the spiritual and religious leaders of the Bektashi Order, Bektashian community. Bektashis do not consider them as divinely appointed leaders. The c ...

(or Kryegjysh) of the

Bektashi Order The Bektashi Order; sq, Tarikati Bektashi; tr, Bektaşi or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi mystic movement originating in the 13th-century. It is named after the Anatolian saint Haji Bektash Wali (d. 1271). The community is currently led by ...

.Ahmed Myftar Dede Baba
(Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane) He was the final dedebaba to have served during the

People's Socialist Republic of Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë, links=no) was the Marxist–Leninist one party state that existed in Albania from 1946 to 1992 (the official name of the country was the People's R ...

Biography

Early years

Ahmet Myftar was born in

Brataj Brataj is a village and a former municipality in the Vlorë County, southwestern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Selenicë. The population at the 2011 census was 2,849. The municipal unit co ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

, about 40 km southeast of Vlora. From in 1924 to 1929, he attended school in Vlora. In 1937, he was stationed in the

Dibra Dibra is an Albanian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Abdurrahman Dibra (1885–1961), Albanian politician * Arenc Dibra (born 1990), Albanian footballer * Dino Dibra (1975–2000), Australian suspected murderer * Fuad Dibra (18 ...

region as part of his military service. There, at the tekke of Bllaca, he became a dervish under Baba Zenel, residing in Bllaca until 1939. He then served in

Elbasan Elbasan ( ; sq-definite, Elbasani ) is the fourth most populous city of Albania and seat of Elbasan County and Elbasan Municipality. It lies to the north of the river Shkumbin between the Skanderbeg Mountains and the Myzeqe Plain in central Al ...

and Turan, near Tepelena.

World War II

Ahmet Myftar returned to Vlora in 1942 and wanted to build a new tekke in Brataj, the village where he was born. However,

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

completely halted his plans, and from 1942 to May 1944, he was a pro-Communist fighter. He was subsequently interned (i.e., imprisoned in a forced labor camp) in

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...

. After the war, He served as a baba in Vlora from October 1945 to 1948 at the tekke of Kusum Baba.

Appointment as Dedebaba

After the murder-suicide of

Abaz Hilmi Abaz Hilmi (''Abaz Hilmi Dede''; 13 March 1887 – 18 March 1947) was the 5th Dedebaba (or Kryegjysh) of the Bektashi Order.

in March 1948, Ahmet Myftar was appointed

of the

on 8 June 1948 by the Communist regime, essentially serving as a puppet for the government. In 1958, he was no longer allowed to serve as Dedebaba as the Communist government continued to remove religion from public Albanian life.

Final years

From around 1958 to 1967, he was

interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

in Drizar, Mallakastra together with

Reshat Bardhi Reshat Bardhi or Dedebaba Hajji Reshat ( sq, Baba Haxhi Dede Reshat Bardhi) (4 March 19352 April 2011) was an Albanian religious leader who served as the 7th '' kryegjysh'' or Dedebaba of the Bektashi Order from 1991 to 2011.Dedebaba The Dedebabate is the leadership of Bektashi Order, Bektashism. The dedebabas ( sq, kryegjysh) are the spiritual and religious leaders of the Bektashi Order, Bektashian community. Bektashis do not consider them as divinely appointed leaders. The c ...

of the Bektashi Order. Finally, the Bektashi Order was completely banned in 1967 under the dictatorship of

Enver Hoxha Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist politician who was the authoritarian ruler of Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania from 1941 unt ...

, forcing the retirement of Ahmet Myftar from public life. He spent his final years in Kruja and

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

under constant surveillance from the

Sigurimi The Directorate of State Security (), commonly called the ''Sigurimi'', was the state security, intelligence and secret police service of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania. Its proclaimed goal was maintaining state security of Albania, ...

(the Albanian secret police), and died in 1980.

Tyrbe

His remains are currently buried in a tyrbe (mausoleum or holy grave) at the

World Headquarters of the Bektashi The World Headquarters of the Bektashi or Bektashi World Center ( sq, 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 ...

( sq, Kryegjyshata) in

, Albania.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Myftar, Ahmet 1916 births 1980 deaths Bektashi dedebabas Albanian Sufis Albanian religious leaders People from Vlorë