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Ahi Evren
Found in: Turkish culture
Ahi Evren was believed to be the Muslim preacher who came Trabzon in Empire of Trebizond times and extended Islam there. His grave in Boztepe was sacred and visited by many people. His real name is Sheyh Nasreddin Ebul Ha-kayik, Mahmud Bin Ahmed El-Hoyi and he was born in Hoy, Iran in December 1169. He grew up in Azerbaijan and then came to Kayseri and established the Ahi community. He was killed by Mongols in Kirsehir on 1 April 1261. The graves owner in Boztepe could be someone else, for example a clan leader or a Greek metropolitan who accepted Islam later.
According to Sakir Sevket, in 1863 the Muslim preacher Seyh Haci Hakki Efendi claimed that he was charged by God and had a place built near Ahi Evren Dedes grave. When he died in 1890 he was buried near this place and the government built a tomb and mosque on his grave.
Sources
Ozhan Ozturk. Black Sea: Enyclopedic Dictionary (Karadeniz: Ansiklopedik Sozluk. 2. Cilt. Heyamola Publishing. Istanbul. 2005. ISBN 975-6121-00-9.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Ahi Evren