Kamber Ali (also known as Kamber Ali Dede, Ali Kamberi of Prishta, or Kamber Ali Pagria) (1869–1950) was the 3rd

Dedebaba The Dedebabate is the leadership of Bektashism 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 ...

(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 ...

. He served as Dedebaba for only several months in 1944, and was arrested by the Communists in December 1944 since he had fought for the

Balli Kombëtar The Balli Kombëtar (literally ''National Front''), known as Balli, was an Albanian nationalist, collaborationist and anti-communist resistance movement during the Second World War. It was led by Ali Këlcyra and by Midhat Frashëri. The movem ...

. He died in prison in

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 ...

in 1950.Kamber Ali Dede Baba
(Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane)

Biography

Early life

Kamber Ali was born in 1869 (or 1870) in the village of Pagria, located near

Përmet Përmet (; sq-definite, Permeti) is a city and municipality in Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. The municipality of Përmet consists of the administrative units of Çarçovë, Frashër, Petran, Qendër Piskovë and Përmet. The total popul ...

, Albania. He served as a dervish under Baba Abedin in

Frashër Frashër (; sq-definite, Frashëri; rup, Farshar) is a village and a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Përmet. The population at the ...

. Kamber Ali was also an active part of the

Albanian National Awakening The Albanian National Awakening ( sq, Rilindja or ), commonly known as the Albanian Renaissance or Albanian Revival, is a period throughout the 19th and 20th century of a cultural, political and social movement in the Albanian history where the ...

and taught

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 ...

in the

Skrapar Skrapar ( sq-definite, Skrapari) is a municipality in Berat County, southern Albania. It was created in 2015 by the merger of the former municipalities Bogovë, Çepan, Çorovodë, Gjerbës, Leshnjë, Potom, Qendër Skrapar, Vendreshë and Zhepë ...

, and

Tomorrica Tomorrica () is a traditional or ethnographic region in Central Albania, located near the border between Berat County and Elbasan County. It takes its name from Mount Tomorr. The modern region consists of 31 villages, and it is divided by the Tomo ...

regions. In 1910, Kamber Ali, Ahmet Turani, and Sulejman of Gjirokastra were each appointed as ''gjysh'' (baba) by Fejzi Dede at the ''pir evi'' of

Haji Bektash Veli Haji Bektash Veli or Wali ( fa, حاجی بکتاش ولی, Ḥājī Baktāš Walī; ota, حاجی بکتاش ولی, Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli; sq, Haxhi Bektash Veliu) (1209 – 1271) was a Muslim mystic, saint, Sayyid and philosopher from Kh ...

Hacıbektaş Hacıbektaş, formerly Karahöyük, is a town and district of Nevşehir Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 11,929 of which 5,169 live in the town of Hacıbektaş. Located in C ...

, central Anatolia.

World War I exile and return to Albania

During the Greek occupation of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Kamber Ali fled to Candia (

Heraklion Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban A ...

) in

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

, and then went on to the United States in 1916. While in the United States, he campaigned to raise funds for the tekkes among the

Albanian American Albanian Americans ( sq, shqiptaro-amerikanët) are Americans of full or partial Albanian ancestry and heritage in the United States. They trace their ancestry to the territories with a large Albanian population in the Balkans among others to ...

s. In 1919 or 1920, he returned to Albania to help rebuild the tekkes destroyed during World War I. The year after that, he became the baba of Prishta and of Suka, succeeding Baba Hysen after his death. Kamber Ali was one of the main organizers of the first three

National Congresses of the Bektashi National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

World War II

In November 1942, he joined the

, an anti-Communist resistance movement. While in the Balli Kombëtar, he was closely associated with

Ali bey Këlcyra ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

, one of the leaders of the movement. Baba Kamber Ali was elected ''kryegjysh'' of the Bektashi community on 12 April 1944, succeeding

Ali Riza Dede Ali Riza (Ali Riza Dede or Ali Riza of Elbasan) (1882–1944) was the 2nd Dedebaba (or Kryegjysh) of the Bektashi Order.

Arrest and death

In December 1944, at the age of 74, Kamber Ali was arrested by the Communists was sentenced to life in prison due to his participation in the

. He died on 5 April 1950 in the Tirana

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

hospital.

Tyrbe

The remains of Kamber Ali are now buried in a tyrbe 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 Tirana.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Kamber 1869 births 1950 deaths Bektashi dedebabas Albanian Sufis Albanian religious leaders People from Përmet