Baba Shemini (died 1831), known as Baba Shemimi of Fushë-Krujë or Baba Shemimi of Krujë was an

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

Bektashi 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 ...

sheikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

bejtexhi The Bejtexhinj (in Albanian sing. ''bejtexhi'', pl. ''bejtexhinj''; from tr, beyte meaning "poem"), were popular bards of the Muslim tradition, literally meaning " couplet makers". It means the same in the Albanian literature, firstly muslim poe ...

, and martyr. Baba Shemimi (or Shemim), whose full name was Kemaledin Shemimi Ibrahim, was initially a

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

Muslim

hodja Khawaja (Persian language, Persian: خواجه ''khvâjəh'') is an honorific title used across the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Central Asia, particularly towards Sufi teachers. It is also used by Kashmiri Muslims and the Mizrah ...

and müderris (religious teacher). He got in touch with the Bektashi

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

doctrine in the Köprülü tekke (today

Veles, North Macedonia Veles ( mk, Велес ) is a city in the central part of North Macedonia on the Vardar river. The city of Veles is the seat of Veles Municipality. Veles is the sixth largest Macedonian city with a total population of 43,716 (census 2002). The lar ...

), together with his friend Hatemi Haidar Baba. He built the tekke of

Fushë-Krujë Fushë-Krujë is a city in Durrës County, Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Krujë. The population at the 2011 census was 18,477.Ali Pasha Tepelena Ali Pasha of Ioannina (1740 – 24 January 1822), was an Albanian ruler who served as pasha of a large part of western Rumelia, the Ottoman Empire's European territories, which was referred to as the Pashalik of Yanina. His court was in Ioannina ...

Vizier A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was a ...

of the Janina Vilayet of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. He was the one who initiated Ali Pasha as a Bektashi. With the support of Ali, he built additional tekkes in

Melçan Melçan is a community in the Korçë County, Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Korçë. History During the 1920s, when the Bektashi Order and its headquarters in Hacıbektaş, Turkey were banned, the ...

, Xhefaji Baba tekke 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 ...

(Xhefaji Ibraim Babai was a

dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, ...

under Baba Shemin), Sadik Baba Tekke in Koshtan (near

Memaliaj Memaliaj is a town and a municipality in Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. It was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Buz, Krahës, Luftinjë, Memaliaj, Memaliaj Fshat and Qesarat Qesarat i ...

), etc. He is mentioned as highly

mystical Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...

. He was also a Sufi poet, and his poetry was very direct with high notes of criticism toward public figures and social injustices of the time.
During his era, Baba Shemimi was the most famous Bektashi leader in Albania. The Dollma Tekke of

Krujë Krujë ( sq-definite, Kruja; see also the etymology section) is a town and a municipality in north central Albania. Located between Mount Krujë and the Ishëm River, the city is only 20 km north from the capital of Albania, Tirana. Kruj ...

had 360 holy tombs and was known as "the small

Khorasan Khorasan may refer to: * Greater Khorasan, a historical region which lies mostly in modern-day northern/northwestern Afghanistan, northeastern Iran, southern Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan * Khorasan Province, a pre-2004 province of Ira ...

".
Baba Shemimi was assassinated in 1831, by the men of Kapllan Pasha Toptani from the most-powerful

Ottoman Albania Albania under the Ottoman Empire refers to a period in Albanian history from the Ottoman conquest in the late 15th century to the Albanian declaration of Independence and official secession from the Ottoman Empire in 1912. The Ottomans first ent ...

n family ( Toptani) of the area. This is mentioned in the

elegy An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, and in English literature usually a lament for the dead. However, according to ''The Oxford Handbook of the Elegy'', "for all of its pervasiveness ... the 'elegy' remains remarkably ill defined: sometime ...

that the

bejte The Bejtexhinj (in Albanian sing. ''bejtexhi'', pl. ''bejtexhinj''; from tr, beyte meaning "poem"), were popular bards of the Muslim tradition, literally meaning " couplet makers". It means the same in the Albanian literature, firstly muslim poe ...

period poet Zenel Bastari wrote for him after his death. According to the Turkish scholar Sadettin Nüzhet Ergun, a letter sent from one of Shemimi's followers, and found in the Basri Baba library in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

, describes that Baba Shemin was killed with two bullets in his chest, which reading the holy books. He was buried in his tekke.

References

{{authority control 18th-century Albanian people 19th-century Albanian people 1831 deaths Albanian religious leaders Albanian Sufi saints Bektashi Order Sufi poets Assassinated Albanian people Assassinated religious leaders People murdered in the Ottoman Empire Deaths by firearm in Albania

See also

References