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Elmali Baba tekke

6837 Bivolyane, Bulgaria

RELIGIONS Islam

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELIGIOUS SITE

DESCRIPTION
Elmali Baba Teke is located in the Eastern Rhodopes near the village Bivolyane, in the Momchilgrad area. This is a sacred place for the Alevi Muslim. It is an active religious complex consisting of a türbe, a mosque, a ritual house and adjoining buildings. The complex is divided into male and female parts that are adjacent to one another but have separate entrances. In the male ward (dimensions 11 x 5.5 meters) there are 6 inscribed tombs, one believed to be the Bektashi Saint Elmali Baba. The six graves are about three meters long and placed in parallel, heading southwest. The room is covered with hand-woven rugs and the walls are decorated with tapestries and portraits of imams and saints. The women's ward (4 x 5 meters) is devoted to Fatimah - worshiped as a patron of motherhood and children, the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed and the wife of Ali, the greatest saint of the Alevi. The grave of Fatimah is a simple wooden coffin covered with a green canvas. It features the famous "hand of Fatimah" symbol with an eye in the middle of the palm.
HISTORICAL RELEVANCE
Legends speak of an old Christian chapel predating the Alevi tekke at this site. According to an inscription left by Gunner Baba – the son of Elmali Baba – the old türbe was built in the 17th century. A Bektashi complex inhabited by many dervishes existed until the great persecutions of the order in the 19th century. The medrese (religious school) which functioned until 1935. The new türbe was build in 1962.
INTER-RELIGIOUS RELEVANCE
Each year at the beginning of September, a religious festival dedicated to Elmali Baba is held in the area of the Tekke. Thousands of followers of Alevism, traditionally gather in their holy places every autumn in the Eastern Rhodopes. Visitors come from all over Bulgaria, as well as many people from Turkey, Greece, Romania and Macedonia. It is believed that the place has healing effects. Many ill people as well as childless women come to spend the night at the holy place in the hope of help from the saint.
RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE
Today the Bulgarian Alevi (which are part of the Shiite Muslim community) are between 60 and 100 thousand people who live mainly in the Ludogorie and the Eastern Rhodopes. They are followers of Imam Ali - the cousin and son-in-law of Mohammed. Alevi differ from the Sunni Turks mostly in their perception that the Qur'an contains apparent (Ẓāhir) and secret (Bāṭin) knowledge. "The Qur'an has an outer face and hidden depth, clear and secret, the secret meaning in its turn hides another secret meaning, it is a depth in the depth, similar to the heavenly spheres, each of which contains the next within itself, and so - seven secret meanings," says one of the Prorhet's oral verses. Apparent knowledge reaches men through the prophets, and the esoteric - through impeccable imams endowed with holiness. The first is the calling of Mohammed, and the second - of Ali Ibn Talib.
HOW TO USE WITH THE STUDENTS
- Direct visit - Virtual visit - See the photo galleries in the media resources section. Classroom activity - Let’s Know Our Community” from the Teachers’ guide - https://bit.ly/2DsRWEe
CONNECTION WITH OTHER RELIGIOUS SITES

Hizir Baba Türbe - Gorna Krepost, Bulgaria

Otman Baba Tekke - Teketo, Haskovo, Bulgaria

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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.