Hacı Bektaş Veli Complex

The Hacı Bektaş Veli Complex in the town of Hacıbektaş is a monument of Alevi culture and a centre of the Bektashi Sufi order, founded in the 13th century by Hacı Bektaş Veli himself. After his death, the tekke became a mausoleum, and in 1964 it was converted into a museum. The complex’s three courtyards reflect different aspects of the order’s life: the first welcomes visitors with gardens and fountains, the second contains the refectory, mosque and guesthouse, and the third holds the mausoleum, dervish graves and ceremonial halls. Personal belongings of the saint, manuscripts and letters are preserved here, and festivals are held in his honour every August.

Legend says Hacı Bektaş Veli was a disciple of Ahmad Yasawi, founder of an order popular among Turkic nomads in Central Asia. Yasawi is believed to have sent Bektaş to Anatolia to spread the order’s teachings.