Salih Nijazi (15 March 1876 – 28 November 1941) was the 1st Dedebaba (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 ...

that was established in Albania in 1930.

Biography

Early life

Salih Nijazi was born on 5 March 1876 in Starja, a village in the Kolonja region of southeastern Albania. He and his family emigrated to Istanbul when he was young. He received a Bektashi education 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 ...

(Hacıbektaşköy), central Turkey.

Religious leadership

In 1897, Salih Nijazi served as a ''muhib'' under Fejzi Dede of Maricaj. In 1908, he rose to the rank of ''baba'', and was then sent to serve in Albania. When he returned to the ''pir evi'' of Haji Bektash Veli, he was appointed as a ''gjysh'' (dede). In 1916, Salih Nijazi was appointed Dedebaba (kryegjysh) of the Bektashi Order, succeeding Fejzi Dede. However,

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, or Mustafa Kemal Pasha until 1921, and Ghazi Mustafa Kemal from 1921 Surname Law (Turkey), until 1934 ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish Mareşal (Turkey), field marshal, Turkish National Movement, re ...

banned all dervish orders and their

tekkes A khanqah ( fa, خانقاه) or khangah ( fa, خانگاه; also transliterated as ''khankah'', ''khaneqa'', ''khanegah'' or ''khaneqah''; also Arabized ''hanegah'', ''hanikah'', ''hanekah'', ''khankan''), also known as a ribat (), is a buildin ...

in 1925 as part of the secularization of Turkey. He unsuccessfully appealed to Atatürk, saying that the Bektashis had helped him gain power in Turkey. As a result, the Bektashis were forced to move outside Turkey and soon operated primarily from Albania. In 1930, Salih Nijazi established the World Headquarters of the Bektashi movement ( sq, Kryegjyshata) in Tirana. The construction of the headquarters was finished in 1941 during the Italian occupation of Albania. In Albania, he introduced major Bektashi ceremonies that were traditionally held at well-known tekkes in places such as

in central Turkey,

Dimetoka Didymoteicho ( el, Διδυμότειχο, Didymóteicho ) is a city located on the eastern edge of the Evros regional unit of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, in northeastern Greece. It is the seat of the municipality of the same name. The town ...

( Didymoteicho) in Thrace (Greece),

Karbala Karbala or Kerbala ( ar, كَرْبَلَاء, Karbalāʾ , , also ;) is a city in central Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad, and a few miles east of Lake Milh, also known as Razzaza Lake. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorat ...

in Iraq, and also Merdivenköy near Istanbul.

Death

Stamp of Albania - 2001 - Colnect 370833 - Sali Njazi Dede 1876-1941 Albanian cleric and patriot

On 28 November 1941, Salih Nijazi Dede was murdered by unknown people. His murder remains unsolved, with Albanians claiming that he was murdered by Italian fascists as part of a terror campaign against the Albanian National Liberation Movement, while Italians claimed that he was murdered by brigands (''see also'' World War II in Albania).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nijazi, Salih 1876 births 1941 deaths Bektashi dedebabas Albanian Sufis Albanian religious leaders People from Kolonjë