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{{Cleanup|date=April 2025|reason=The article needs general improvement.}}
{{redirect|Bektashi|the proposed sovereign state|Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order}}
{{Short description|Islamic Sufi syncretic and mystic order}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox organization
| name                     = Bektashism<ref name="BEKTĀŠĪYA">{{Cite web |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/bektasiya |title=Encyclopedia Iranica, "BEKTĀŠĪYA" |access-date=24 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910201955/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/bektasiya |archive-date=10 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| size                     = 150px
| abbreviation             = [[Bektashism and folk religion|Bektashism]]
| headquarters             = [[World Headquarters of the Bektashi]], [[Tirana]] <small>(Seat of the order)</small><br />[[Haji Bektash Veli Complex]], [[Nevşehir]] <small>(Cultural)</small>
| type                     = [[Dervish]] order
| region                   = [[Albania]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Greece]], [[Kosovo]], [[North Macedonia]], [[Turkey]], other [[Albanian diaspora|Albanian]] and [[Turkish diaspora]]
| leader_title             = [[Bektashi Dedebabate|Dedebaba]]
| leader_name              = [[Baba Mondi]] <small>(Bektashi Order)</small><br>[[Ali Haydar Ercan]]<small>(Turkish Bektashi Federation)</small><br>[[Esma Ersin]] <small>(Presidency of Alevi/Bektashi in Turkey)</small><ref name="alevibektasi">{{cite web |title=ALEVİ - BEKTAŞİ KÜLTÜR VE CEMEVİ BAŞKANLIĞI |url=https://alevibektasi.ktb.gov.tr/ |website=TC Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı |access-date=24 April 2025}}</ref>
| key_people               = *[[Haji Bektash Veli]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/bektas-haji-d |title=Encyclopedia Iranica, "Ḥājī Bektāš" |access-date=15 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517030630/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/bektas-haji-d |archive-date=17 May 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> – Patron Saint
*[[ʿAlī al-Aʿlā]]<ref name="ʿAlī al-Aʿlā">{{Cite web |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ali-al-ala-d |title=ʿAlī al-Aʿlā (d. 822/1419), also known as Amīr Sayyed ʿAlī, principal successor of Fażlallāh Astarābādī, founder of the Ḥorūfī sect. |access-date=15 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517004821/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ali-al-ala-d |archive-date=17 May 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> – Reorganizer who introduced the ideas of [[Fazlallah Astarabadi (Naimi)|Nāimī]]<ref name="IranicaHamidAlgar">{{Cite web |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/astarabadi-fazlallah-sehab-al-din-b |title=Encyclopedia Iranica, "Astarābādī, Fażlallāh" (d. 796/1394), founder of the Ḥorūfī religion, H. Algar |access-date=15 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517014118/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/astarabadi-fazlallah-sehab-al-din-b |archive-date=17 May 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Nesîmî]]<ref name="IranicaHurufism">{{Cite web |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/horufism |title=Encyclopedia Iranica, "Horufism" by H. Algar |access-date=15 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517074050/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/horufism |archive-date=17 May 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> – [[Hurufism|Ḥurūfī]] poet and a follower of [[Fazlallah Astarabadi (Naimi)|Nāimī]]
*[[Balım Sultan]]
*[[Gül Baba]] – A [[Murshid]] of ʿAlī al-Aʿlā<ref name="ʿAlī al-Aʿlā"/>
}}
{{Bektashi}}
{{Sufism}}
'''Bektashism''' ({{Langx|tr|Bektaşîlik}}, {{langx|sq|Bektashi}}) is a [[tariqa|Sufi order of Islam]] that evolved in 13th-century western [[Anatolia]] and became widespread in the [[Ottoman Empire]]. It is named after the [[wali|''walī'']] (saint) [[Haji Bektash Veli]], with adherents called Bektashis. Origins of Haji Bektash's teachings can be traced back to the scholar [[Ahmad Yasawi]] of [[Turkestan]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Baş |first=Eyüp |date=2011-08-01 |title=Ahmed Yesevî'nin Bektaşîlik, Alevîlik Üzerindeki Etkileri ve Osmanlı Dini Hayatındaki İzleri |url=https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/auifd/issue/40606/488141 |journal=Ankara Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi |language=tr |volume=52 |issue=2 |pages=21–53 |doi=10.1501/Ilhfak_0000001077 |access-date=20 August 2025|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Korkmaz |first=Seyfullah |date=2001 |title=Ahmed Yesevî ve Hacı Bektaş Veli |url=https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/erusosbilder/issue/23744/252931 |journal=Erciyes Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi |language=tr |volume=1 |issue=11 |pages=325–355 |access-date=20 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Güzel |first=Abdurrahman |date=1994 |title=Hacı Bektaş Veli’nin Hayatı ve Eserleri |url=https://isamveri.org/pdfdrg/D01093/1994_1/1994_1_GUZELA.pdf |journal=Hacı Bektaş Veli Araştırma Dergisi |language=tr |issue=1 |pages=15–20 |access-date=20 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Köprülü |first=Mehmed Fuad |url= |title=Early Mystics in Turkish Literature |publisher=Routledge |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-415-36638-0 |location=London; New York |translator=Gary Leiser and Robert Dankoff |doi=10.4324/9780203019580 |access-date= |orig-year=1918}}</ref> The highest title in Bektashi chain of succession is Dedebaba, followed by Halifebaba and Baba.

The [[Bektashism in Albania|Bektashi Order of Tirana]] is currently led by [[Baba Mondi]], recognized as the eighth [[Bektashi Dedebabate|''Dedebaba'']], whose seat is at the order’s [[World Headquarters of the Bektashi|headquarters]] in [[Tirana]], [[Albania]].'''<ref name="EI">{{EI2|volume=1|page=1162|title=Bektāshiyya}}</ref>'''<ref name="BEKTĀŠĪYA" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Bektashi Shi'as of Michigan: Pluralism and Orthodoxy within Twelver Shi'ism|url=https://shiablog.wcfia.harvard.edu/blog/bektashi-twelver-shi%E2%80%99-and-diversity-shiism|access-date=2021-08-31|website=shiablog.wcfia.harvard.edu|language=en|archive-date=31 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831103259/https://shiablog.wcfia.harvard.edu/blog/bektashi-twelver-shi%E2%80%99-and-diversity-shiism|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, Bektashi Order of Tirana is not recognized by Turkish Bektashis, specifying that Bektashi principles require [[Bektashi Dedebabate|Dedebaba]] to be in Anatolia, and the Albanian [[Bektashi Dedebabate|chain of succession]] never had Dedebabate.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-23 |title=Tiran’daki Bektaşi “Vatikan’ı”na Türkiye Bektaşilerinden tepki: Emperyal devletlerin tuzağı |url=https://serbestiyet.com/featured/tirandaki-bektasi-vatikanina-turkiye-bektasilerinden-tepki-emperyal-devletlerin-tuzagi-182309/ |access-date=2025-08-18 |website=Serbestiyet |language=tr}}</ref>

The Bektashis were originally one of many [[Sufi]] orders within [[Sunni Islam]]. By the 16th century, the order had adopted some tenets of [[Twelver Shi'ism]]—including veneration of [[Ali]], the cousin and son-in-law of the [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|Prophet]] [[Muhammad]], and the [[Twelve Imams]]—as well as a variety of [[syncretic]] beliefs.

The Bektashis acquired political importance in the 15th century when the order dominated the [[Janissary Corps]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bektashi |title=Bektashiyyah &#124; Religion, Order, Beliefs, & Community &#124; Britannica}}</ref> After the foundation of [[Turkey]], the country's leader, [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]], banned all Islamic orders to install the [[Directorate of Religious Affairs]] as sole governing entity over religion, and the community's headquarters relocated to [[Albania]]. [[Salih Nijazi]] was the last Dedebaba in Turkey and the first in Albania. The order became involved in Albanian politics, and some of its members, including [[Ismail Qemali]], were major leaders of the [[Albanian National Awakening]].

Bektashis believe in the ''[[ismah]]'' of the [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|prophets and messengers]] and the [[the Fourteen Infallibles|Fourteen Infallibles]]: the Prophet Muhammad, his daughter [[Fatima]], and the [[Twelve Imams]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Moosa |first=Matti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WYO1BqdvX9EC&dq=fourteen+innocents&pg=PA108 |title=Extremist Shiites: The Ghulat Sects |date=1988-02-01 |publisher=Syracuse University Press |isbn=978-0-8156-2411-0 |language=en}}</ref> In contrast to many Twelver Shia, Bektashis respect all of the [[Companions of the Prophet|Companions of Muhammad]], including [[Abu Bakr]], [[Umar]], [[Uthman]], [[Talha ibn Ubayd Allah|Talha]] and [[Mu'awiya]], with [[Ali]] considered the greatest of the Companions.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Baskel |first=Zekeriya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7iZRCwAAQBAJ&dq=bektashi+abu+bakr+umar&pg=PT107 |title=Yunus Emre: The Sufi Poet in Love |date=2013-02-27 |publisher=Blue Dome Press |isbn=978-1-935295-91-4 |language=en}}</ref>

In addition to the spiritual teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, the Bektashi Order was later significantly influenced during its formative period by [[Hurufism]] (in the early 15th century), the [[antinomian]] dervish order of the [[Qalandariyya|qalandars]], figures like [[Ahmad Yasawi]], [[Yunus Emre]], the [[Safavid Empire|Safavid emperor]] and head of the [[Safavid order]] and Messiah [[Ismail I]], [[Shaykh Haydar]], [[Nesimi]], [[Pir Sultan Abdal]], [[Gül Baba]], [[Sarı Saltık]] and to varying degrees more broadly the [[Shia Islam|Shia]] belief system circulating in [[Anatolia]] during the 14th to 16th centuries. The mystical practices and rituals of the Bektashi Order were systematized and structured by [[Balım Sultan]] in the 16th century.

According to a 2005 estimate by [[Reshat Bardhi]], there are over seven million Bektashis worldwide, though more recent studies put the figure as high as 20 million.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Norman H. Gershman|title=Besa: Muslims who Saved Jews in World War II|date=2008|publisher=Syracuse University Press|isbn=9780815609346|edition=illustrated|page=4}}</ref> In [[Albania]], they make up 9% of the Muslim population and 5% of the country's population.<ref>[https://shqiptarja.com/uploads/ckeditor/667eb96647c4bcens-2023.pdf Census 2023]</ref> An additional 12.5 million Bektashis live in [[Turkey]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://haber.sol.org.tr/devlet-ve-siyaset/sabahat-akkirazdan-alevi-raporu-haberi-64266|title=Sabahat Akkiraz'dan Alevi raporu &#124; soL haber|date=14 December 2012 |accessdate=19 February 2024}}</ref> Bektashis are mainly found throughout [[Anatolia]], the [[Balkans]] and among Ottoman-era [[Greek Muslims|Greek Muslim]] communities.<ref>Ayhan Kaya (2016) The Alevi-Bektashi order in Turkey: syncreticism transcending national borders, Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, 16:2, 275–294, DOI: 10.1080/14683857.2015.1120465</ref> The term ''Alevi–Bektashi'' is used frequently in current Turkish religious discourse as an umbrella term for [[Alevism]] and Bektashism, despite their distinct origins and separate belief systems.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://events.ceu.edu/2022-05-12/amalgamation-two-religious-cultures-conceptual-and-social-history-alevi-bektashism | title=The Amalgamation of Two Religious Cultures: The Conceptual and Social History of Alevi-Bektashism | date=12 May 2022 }}</ref> Alevi/Bektashi is officially recognized through [[Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Turkey)|Ministry of Culture and Tourism]] under the 'Presidency of Alevi/Bektashi Culture'.<ref name="alevibektasi">{{cite web |title=ALEVİ - BEKTAŞİ KÜLTÜR VE CEMEVİ BAŞKANLIĞI |url=https://alevibektasi.ktb.gov.tr/ |website=TC Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı |access-date=24 April 2025}}</ref>

==History==
=== Origins and establishment ===
[[File:Islamic religious buildings 79.JPG|thumb|200px|left|Interior view of [[Arabati Baba Teḱe]], [[Tetovo]], [[North Macedonia]].]]
[[File:Hacibektas-02-superchango.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Haji Bektash Veli Complex]]]]
[[File:Bektashi temple.jpg|thumb|200px|[[World Headquarters of the Bektashi]]]]
Bektashism originated in [[Anatolia]] as the followers of the 13th-century scholar Bektash,{{Sfn|Algar|1989}} who himself studied under the [[Mysticism in Islam|mystic]] [[Ahmad Yasawi]], who was born in [[Sayram (city)|Sayram]], now in southern [[Kazakhstan]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Velet |first=Ayşe Değerli |date=June 2017 |title=Vesâik-i Bektaşiyân'da Yer Almayan Rumeli'deki Bektaşi Yapıları (1400-1826) |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343963053 |journal=The Journal of Alevi Studies |issue=13}}</ref> The doctrines and rituals of the Bektashis were codified by the mystic [[Balım Sultan]], who is considered the {{Transliteration|fa|pīr-i thānī}} (“the Second Elder”) by Bektashis.{{Sfn|Algar|1989}}

It was originally founded as a Sufi movement.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Doja|first=Albert|date=2006|title=A Political History of Bektashism from Ottoman Anatolia to Contemporary Turkey|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23922338|journal=Journal of Church and State|volume=48|issue=2|pages=423–450|doi=10.1093/jcs/48.2.423|jstor=23922338|issn=0021-969X}}</ref><ref>J. K. Birge (1937), ''The Bektashi Order of Dervishes'', London.</ref> The branch became widespread in the [[Ottoman Empire]], with its lodges scattered throughout Anatolia and the [[Balkans]]. It became the official order of the [[Janissary|Janissaries]], the elite infantry corps of the [[Military of the Ottoman Empire|Ottoman military]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=The Effects of the abolition on the Bektashi – METU|url=https://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12615172/index.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706145511/http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12615172/index.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2017 }}</ref> Therefore, they also became mainly associated with Anatolian and Balkan Muslims of [[Eastern Orthodox]] convert origin, mainly [[Albanians]] and northern [[Greeks]] (although most leading Bektashi ''babas'' were of southern Albanian origin).<ref>Nicolle, David; pg 29</ref>{{Failed verification|date=October 2024|reason = nothing is mentioned about Greeks or Albanians in source}} In 1826, the Bektashi order was banned throughout the Ottoman Empire by [[Sultan]] [[Mahmud II]] for having close ties with the [[Janissary]] corps.<ref name=":2" /> Many Bektashi dervishes were exiled, and some were executed,<ref name=":2" /> while [[List of Bektashi tekkes and shrines|tekkes]] were destroyed and their revenues were confiscated.<ref name=":2" /> This decision was supported by the Sunni religious elite and the leaders of other, more orthodox, Sufi orders. Bektashis slowly regained freedom with the coming of the [[Tanzimat]]. After the foundation of the Turkish Republic, [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]] shut down the lodges in 1925. Consequently, the Bektashi leadership moved to Albania and established their headquarters in [[Tirana]]. Among the most famous followers of Bektashi in the 19th-century Balkans were [[Ali Pasha of Yanina]]<ref>{{citation| page=22| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vtQABAAAQBAJ&q=ali+pasha+bektashis&pg=PA22| author=Miranda Vickers| title=The Albanians: A Modern History| quote=Around that time, Ali was converted to Bektashism by Baba Shemin of Kruja...| location=London| publisher=I.B. Tauris| year=1999| isbn=9781441645005| access-date=20 October 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160519115933/https://books.google.com/books?id=vtQABAAAQBAJ&pg=PA22&dq=ali+pasha+bektashis&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAmoVChMI_PPIte3FyAIVxlw-Ch0B0AhK#v=onepage&q=ali%20pasha%20bektashis&f=false| archive-date=19 May 2016| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{citation|author=H.T.Norris|title=Popular Sufism in Eastern Europe: Sufi Brotherhoods and the Dialogue with Christianity and 'Heterodoxy' (Routledge Sufi)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W9mCAgAAQBAJ&q=ali+pasha+bektashis&pg=PA79|page=79|quote=...and the tomb of Ali himself. Its headstone was capped by the crown (taj) of the Bektashi order.|publisher=Routledge|year=2006|series=Routledge Sufi series|number=20|isbn=9780203961223|oclc=85481562|access-date=20 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629160544/https://books.google.com/books?id=W9mCAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA79&dq=ali+pasha+bektashis&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCoQ6AEwATgKahUKEwj5guTy88XIAhUGGj4KHSsgBtA#v=onepage&q=ali%20pasha%20bektashis&f=false|archive-date=29 June 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{citation|author=Robert Elsie|title=Historical Dictionary of Albania|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6inIiCF_930C&q=robert+elsie+bektashism&pg=PA40|page=40|quote=Most of the Southern Albania and Epirus converted to Bektashism, initially under the influence of Ali Pasha Tepelena, "the Lion of Janina", who was himself a follower of the order.|publisher=Scarecrow Press|year=2004|series=European historical dictionaries|number=42|isbn=9780810848726|oclc=52347600|access-date=20 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428105814/https://books.google.com/books?id=6inIiCF_930C&pg=PA40&lpg=PA40&dq=robert+elsie+bektashism&source=bl&ots=Q-uc23F4Cu&sig=luTo-qZsE6lGZLaO0ywbEpKrSVc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAmoVChMInd3Po4nCyAIVhHM-Ch2jUgQ7#v=onepage&q=robert%20elsie%20bektashism&f=false|archive-date=28 April 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{citation|author=Vassilis Nitsiakos|title=On the Border: Transborder Mobility, Ethnic Groups and Boundaries along the Albanian-Greek Frontier (Balkan Border Crossings- Contributions to Balkan Ethnography)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H-7toRTGrFkC&q=ali+pasha+bektashis&pg=PA216|page=216|quote=Bektashism was widespread during the reign of Ali Pasha, a Bektashi himself,...|location=Berlin|publisher=Lit|isbn=9783643107930|oclc=705271971|year=2010|number=1|access-date=20 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505192301/https://books.google.com/books?id=H-7toRTGrFkC&pg=PA216&dq=ali+pasha+bektashis&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CFQQ6AEwB2oVChMI_PPIte3FyAIVxlw-Ch0B0AhK#v=onepage&q=ali%20pasha%20bektashis&f=false|archive-date=5 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{citation|author=Gerlachlus Duijzings|title=Religion and the Politics of Identity in Kosovo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D1eOpnjo9McC&q=ali+pasha+bektashis&pg=PA82|page=82|quote=The most illustrious among them was Ali Pasha (1740–1822), who exploited the organisation and religious doctrine...|location=New York|publisher=Columbia University Press|year=2010|isbn=9780231120982|oclc=43513230|access-date=20 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429143514/https://books.google.com/books?id=D1eOpnjo9McC&pg=PA82&dq=ali+pasha+bektashis&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CFoQ6AEwCGoVChMI_PPIte3FyAIVxlw-Ch0B0AhK|archive-date=29 April 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{citation|author=Stavro Skendi|title=Balkan Cultural Studies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JWBiAAAAMAAJ&q=ali+pasha+bektashis|page=161|quote=The great expandion of Bektashism in southern Albania took place during the time of Ali Pasha Tepelena, who is believed to have been a Bektashi himself|publisher=Boulder|series=East European monographs|number=72|year=1980|isbn=9780914710660|oclc=7058414|access-date=12 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502122813/https://books.google.com/books?id=JWBiAAAAMAAJ&q=ali+pasha+bektashis&dq=ali+pasha+bektashis&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0kQ6AEwBzgKahUKEwj5guTy88XIAhUGGj4KHSsgBtA|archive-date=2 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Naim Frashëri]].

=== Dedebabate ===
After the lodges in Turkey were shut down, the order's headquarters moved to [[Albania]].<ref name="Elsie 20195">{{cite book|last=Elsie|first=Robert|title=The Albanian Bektashi: history and culture of a Dervish order in the Balkans|publisher=I.B. Tauris|year=2019|isbn=978-1-78831-569-2|publication-place=London|oclc=1108619669|author-link=Robert Elsie}}</ref> On 20 March 1930, [[Salih Nijazi]] was elected as the [[Bektashi Dedebabate|Dedebaba]] of the Bektashi community in Albania. Before Nijazi, the Dedebaba was Haxhi Fejzullah in Turkey.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kryegjyshata Botërore |url=https://kryegjyshataboterorebektashiane.org/kryegjyshet-boteror/ |access-date=2024-10-12 |website=Kryegjyshata Boterore Bektashiane |language=sq}}</ref> Njazi established the [[World Headquarters of the Bektashi|Bektashi World Headquarters]] in [[Tirana]].<ref name="Elsie 20195"/> Its construction was finished in 1941 during the [[Italian occupation of Albania]].<ref name="Elsie 20195"/> Nijazi promoted Bektashi Islam by introducing major ceremonies at popular tekkes.<ref name="Elsie 20195"/> After he was murdered, Ali Riza succeeded him as the Dedebaba.<ref name="Elsie 20195"/>

Despite the negative effect of the ban on lodges on Bektashi culture, most modern Bektashis in Turkey have been generally supportive of [[Secularism in Turkey|secularism]], since these reforms have relatively relaxed the religious intolerance that had historically been shown against them by the official Sunni establishment.

In the Balkans, the Bektashi Order had a considerable influence on the Islamization of many areas, primarily Albania and [[Bulgaria]], as well as parts of [[Macedonia (region)|Macedonia]], particularly among Ottoman-era [[Greek Muslims]] from western Greek Macedonia such as the [[Vallahades]]. By the 18th century, Bektashism began to gain a considerable hold over southern Albania and northwestern Greece ([[Epirus]] and western Greek Macedonia). Following the ban on Sufi orders in the [[Turkey|Republic of Turkey]], the Bektashi community's headquarters was moved from [[Hacıbektaş]] in central Anatolia, to Tirana, Albania. In Albania, the Bektashi community declared its separation from the Sunni community and they have since perceived as a distinct Islamic sect rather than a branch of Sunni Islam.

Bektashism continued to flourish until the [[World War II|Second World War]]. After the [[Communism in Albania|communists]] took power in 1945, several ''babas'' and dervishes were executed and a gradual constriction of Bektashi influence began. Ultimately, in 1967 all ''tekkes'' were shut down when [[Enver Hoxha]] banned all religious practice. When the ban was rescinded in 1990, the Bektashism reestablished itself, although there were few left with any real knowledge of the spiritual path. Nevertheless, many ''tekkes'' (lodges) operate today in Albania. The most recent head of the order in Albania was ''[[Hajji]]'' [[Reshat Bardhi]] ''Dedebaba'' (1935–2011) and the main ''tekke'' has been reopened in Tirana. In June 2011, ''Baba'' [[Baba Mondi|Edmond Brahimaj]] was chosen as the head of the Bektashi Order by a council of Albanian ''babas''. Today, sympathy for the Order is generally widespread in Albania where approximately 20% of Muslims self-report as having some connection to Bektashism.

There are also important Bektashi communities among the Albanian communities of [[North Macedonia]] and [[Kosovo]], the most important being the [[Arabati Baba Teḱe]] in the city of [[Tetovo]], which was until recently under the guidance of ''Baba'' Tahir Emini (1941–2006). Following the death of ''Baba'' Tahir Emini, the ''dedelik'' of Tirana appointed ''Baba'' Edmond Brahimaj (known as [[Baba Mondi]]), formerly head of the Turan Tekke of [[Korçë]], to oversee the [[Harabati baba tekke]]. A splinter branch of the order has recently sprung up in the town of [[Kičevo]] which has ties to the Turkish Bektashi community under Haydar Ercan Dede rather than Tirana. A smaller Bektashi ''tekke'', the Dikmen Baba Tekkesi, is in operation in the Turkish-speaking town of [[Kanatlarci]], [[North Macedonia]] that also has stronger ties with Turkish Bektashis. In [[Kosovo]], the relatively small Bektashi community has a ''tekke'' in the town of [[Gjakovë]] and is under the leadership of ''Baba'' Mumin Lama and it recognizes the leadership of Tirana.

In [[Bulgaria]], the ''[[türbe]]s'' of Kıdlemi Baba, Ak Yazılı Baba, [[Demir Baba Teke|Demir Baba]], and [[Otman Baba]] function as heterodox Islamic pilgrimage sites, and before 1842 were the centers of Bektashi ''tekkes''.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Lewis|first=Stephen|year=2001|title=The Ottoman Architectural Patrimony in Bulgaria|journal=EJOS|location=Utrecht|volume=30|issue=IV|issn=0928-6802}}</ref> Bektashis continue to be active in Turkey and their semi-clandestine organizations can be found in Istanbul, [[Ankara]] and [[İzmir]]. There are currently two rival claimants to the Dedebabate in Turkey: Mustafa Eke and Haydar Ercan. A large, functioning Bektashi ''tekke'' was established in the [[United States]] in 1954 by [[Baba Rexheb]] in the [[Detroit]] suburb of [[Taylor, Michigan|Taylor]],and the tomb (''türbe'') of Baba Rexheb continues to draw pilgrims of all faiths.

===Arabati Baba Teḱe controversy===
In 2002, a group of armed members of the [[Islamic Religious Community of Macedonia]] (ICM), a [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] group that is the legally recognized organisation which claims to represent all [[Muslim]]s in [[North Macedonia]], invaded the Bektashi order's [[Arabati Baba Teḱe]] in an attempt to reclaim this [[khanqah|''tekke'']] as a [[mosque]] although the facility has never functioned as such. Subsequently, the Bektashi Order of North Macedonia sued the government for failing to restore the ''tekke'' to the Bektashis, pursuant to a law passed in the early 1990s returning properties previously nationalized under the [[Yugoslavia|Yugoslav]] government. The law, however, deals with restitution to private citizens, rather than religious communities.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Cite web |url=http://www.greekhelsinki.gr/pdf/cedime-se-macedonia-muslims.PDF |title=Muslims of Macedonia |access-date=14 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106005004/http://www.greekhelsinki.gr/pdf/cedime-se-macedonia-muslims.PDF |archive-date=6 November 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The ICM claim to the ''tekke'' is based upon their contention to represent all Muslims in North Macedonia; and indeed, they are one of two Muslim organizations recognized by the government, both Sunni. The Bektashi community filed for recognition as a separate religious community with the Macedonian government in 1993, which has refused to recognize them.<ref name="autogenerated1" />

===Proposed sovereign state===
On 21 September 2024, it was reported that [[Prime Minister of Albania|Prime Minister]] [[Edi Rama]] of [[Albania]] was planning to create the [[Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order]], a sovereign [[microstate]] for the order within the Albanian capital of [[Tirana]]. Rama said the aim of the new state would be to promote [[religious tolerance]] and a moderate version of [[Islam]].<ref name="w792">{{cite web | last=Higgins | first=Andrew | title=Albania Plans to Create a Muslim State in Tirana as Symbol of Tolerance | website=The New York Times | date=2024-09-21 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/21/world/europe/albania-tirana-muslim-state-bektashi.html | access-date=2024-09-21}}</ref>

== Beliefs ==
{{Further|Schools of Islamic theology#Baktāshism (Bektaşilik)}}
[[File:Muslim self-identification.jpg|thumb|400px|Diagram showing Bektashi as well as other Sufi orders.]]
Bektashis believe in [[God in Islam|God]] and follow all Islamic [[prophets and messengers in Islam|prophets]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Chtatou|first=Dr Mohamed|date=2020-04-23|title=Unveiling The Bektashi Sufi Order – Analysis|url=https://www.eurasiareview.com/23042020-unveiling-the-bektashi-sufi-order-analysis/|access-date=2021-08-11|website=Eurasia Review|language=en-US}}</ref> Bektashis claim the heritage of Haji Bektash Veli, who was a descendant of [[Ali]], [[Husayn ibn Ali]], [[Ali al-Sajjad]] and other Imams.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite web|title=The Bektashi Order of Dervishes|url=http://bektashiorder.com/genealogy-and-spiritual-lineage|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818163045/http://bektashiorder.com/genealogy-and-spiritual-lineage|archive-date=2011-08-18|website=bektashiorder.com}}</ref> In contrast to many Twelver Shia, Bektashis respect all [[Companions of the Prophet|companions of Muhammad]], including [[Abu Bakr]], [[Umar]], [[Uthman]], [[Talha ibn Ubayd Allah|Talha]], [[Mu'awiya]], and [[Ali]] who is considered the greatest of them.<ref name=":0" />

Bektashis follow the teachings of Haji Bektash, who preached about the Twelve Imams. Bektashis differ from other Muslims by also following the Fourteen Innocents, who either died in infancy or were martyred with Husayn.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Moosa|first=Matti|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WYO1BqdvX9EC&dq=fourteen+innocents+bektashis&pg=PA108|title=Extremist Shiites: The Ghulat Sects|date=1988-02-01|publisher=Syracuse University Press|isbn=978-0-8156-2411-0|language=en}}</ref> [[Abbas ibn Ali]] is also an important figure in Bektashism, and Bektashis visit Mount [[Tomorr]] to honor him in an annual pilgrimage to the [[Abbas Ali Türbe]] on August 20–25.<ref name="Elsie">{{harvnb|Elsie|2001|loc="Tomor, Mount", pp. 252–254}}.</ref>

In addition to the Muslim [[Salah|five daily prayers]], Bektashis have two specific prayers, one at dawn and another at dusk for the welfare of all humanity.<ref name=":1" /> Bektashism places much emphasis on the concept of [[Sufi metaphysics|''Wahdat al-Wujud'']] ({{Langx|ar|وحدة الوجود|translit=Unity of Being}}) that was formulated by [[Ibn Arabi]].

[[Malakat (text)|''Malakat'']] is an important Bektashi text, perhaps written by Haji Bektash.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Borges|first=Jason|date=2019-11-19|title=Haji Bektash Veli|url=https://www.cappadociahistory.com/post/haci-bektash-veli|access-date=2021-09-09|website=Cappadocia History|language=en}}</ref>  Some scholars question whether the Malakat was actually authored by Haji Bektash. Resultingly, those scholars question whether the presentation of Haji Bektash and Bektashism as orthoprax in Islam (practicing orthodox Islam). There remains dispute as to whether Bektashis have historically followed the shariah law of Islam. For example, they are known to use both wine and raki in their ceremonial meetings, and were not known, in earlier times, to have observed the fast of Ramadan or the obligation of five daily prayer times. (ref: "Conforming Haji Bektash: A Saint and His Followers between Orthopraxy and Heteropraxy"; Mark Soileau, Die Welt des Islams 54 (2014) 423-459)  

Bektashis follow the modern-day Bektashi Dedebabate, currently headed by [[Baba Mondi]]. Bektashis consider the ''Dedebaba'' as leader over the entire branch.

Bektashism is also heavily permeated with Shiite concepts, such as the marked reverence of Ali, the Twelve Imams, and the ritual commemoration of [[Ashura]] marking the [[Battle of Karbala]]. The old [[Iran|Persian]] holiday of [[Nowruz]] is celebrated by Bektashis as Ali's birthday (see also [[Nevruz in Albania]]).

The Bektashi order is a Sufi order and shares much in common with other Islamic mystical movements, such as the need for an experienced spiritual guide—called a ''[[Baba (honorific)|baba]]'' in Bektashi parlance — as well as the Sufi doctrine of "the four gates that must be traversed": [[Sharia|''Sharī'a'']] ([[religious law]]), [[Tariqah|''Ṭarīqa'']] (the spiritual path), [[Marifa|''Ma'rifa'']] (true knowledge), and [[Haqiqa|''Ḥaqīqa'']] (truth).

There are many other practices and ceremonies that share similarities with other faiths, such as a ritual meal (''muhabbet'') and yearly confession of sins to a ''baba'' (''magfirat-i zunub'' مغفرة الذنوب). Bektashis base their practices and rituals on their non-orthodox and [[Esoteric interpretation of the Quran|mystical interpretation]] and understanding of the [[Quran]] and the prophetic practice (''[[Sunnah]]''). They have no written doctrine specific to them, so rules and rituals may vary from one ''baba'' to another. Bektashis generally revere non-Bektashi Sufi mystics, such as [[ibn Arabi]], [[al-Ghazali]] and [[Rumi]], who are close to Bektashism in spirit though many are from more mainstream Islamic backgrounds.

Like other Muslims, Bektashis consider pork ''[[haram]]'' (prohibited) and do not consume it, though, unlike other Muslims, they also avoid eating rabbit.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Moosa |first=Matti |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WYO1BqdvX9EC&dq=bektashi+pork&pg=PA149 |title=Extremist Shiites: The Ghulat Sects |date=1988-02-01 |publisher=Syracuse University Press |isbn=978-0-8156-2411-0 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Elsie |first=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6inIiCF_930C&dq=bektashi+pork&pg=PA43 |title=Historical Dictionary of Albania |date=2010 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-8108-6188-6 |language=en}}</ref> ''[[Rakia]]'', a [[fruit brandy]], is used sacramentally in Bektashism,<ref>{{cite web |title=The Bektashis have stopped hiding |url=https://www.ekathimerini.com/society/1225686/the-bektashis-have-stopped-hiding/}}</ref> where it is not considered alcoholic and is referred to as ''Dem''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Soileau |first=Mark |date=August 2012 |title=Spreading the ''Sofra'': Sharing and Partaking in the Bektashi Ritual Meal |journal=History of Religions |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/665961 |url-access=subscription |volume=52 |issue=1 |pages=1–30 |access-date=June 5, 2021 |doi=10.1086/665961 |jstor=10.1086/665961}}</ref>

== Poetry and literature ==
{{Alevism|Crucial figures}}
Poetry plays an important role in the transmission of Bektashi spirituality. Several important Ottoman-era poets were Bektashis, and [[Yunus Emre]], the most acclaimed poet of the [[Turkish language]], is generally recognized as a subscriber to the Bektashi order.

The Bektashis were quite lax in observing daily Muslim laws, and women as well as men took part in ritual wine drinking and dancing during devotional ceremonies. The Bektashis in the Balkans adapted such Christian practices as the ritual sharing of bread and the confession of sins. Bektashi mystical writings made a rich contribution to Sufi poetry.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bektashiyyah {{!}} Islamic sect|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bektashi|access-date=2021-04-08|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref>

A poem from Bektashi poet [[Balım Sultan]] (died c. 1517/1519):
{{Blockquote|
:İstivayı özler gözüm, ''(My eye seeks out repose,)''
:Seb'al-mesânîdir yüzüm, ''(my face is the 'oft repeated seven (i.e. the [[Sura]] [[Al-Fatiha]]),)''
:[[Ana'l Haqq|Ene'l-Hakk]]'ı söyler sözüm, ''(My words proclaim "[[Ana'l Haqq|I am the Truth]]",)''
:Miracımız dardır bizim, ''(Our ascension is (by means of) the scaffold,)''
:Haber aldık muhkemattan, ''(We have become aware through the "firm letters",)''
:Geçmeyiz zâttan sıfattan, ''(We will not abandon essence or attributes,)''
:[[Balım Sultan|Balım]] nihan söyler [[Allah|Hakk]]'tan, ''([[Balım Sultan|Balım]] speaks arcanely of [[God in Islam|God]])''
:İrşâdımız sırdır bizim. ''(Our teaching is a mystery.<ref name="Algar">{{cite book | first = Hamid | last = Algar | title = The Hurufi Influence on Bektashism: Bektachiyya, Estudés sur l'ordre mystique des Bektachis et les groupes relevant de Hadji Bektach| publisher = Les Éditions Isis | location = Istanbul| pages = 39–53}}</ref>)''}}

==Community hierarchy==
Like most other Sufi orders, Bektashism is [[Initiation|initiatic]], and members must traverse various levels or ranks as they progress along the spiritual path to the [[Reality]]. The Turkish names are given below, followed by their Arabic and Albanian equivalents.<ref name="Elsie 2019"/>
#First-level members are called ''aşıks'' عاشق ({{langx|sq|ashik}}). They are those who, while not having taken initiation into the order, are nevertheless drawn to it.
#Following initiation (called ''nasip''), one becomes a ''mühip'' محب ({{langx|sq|muhib}}).
#After some time as a ''mühip'', one can take further vows and become a ''[[dervish]]''.
#The next level above dervish is that of ''baba''. The ''baba'' (lit. father) ({{langx|sq|atë}}) is considered to be the head of a ''[[Khanqah|tekke]]'' and qualified to give spiritual guidance (''irshad'' إرشاد).
#Above the ''[[Baba (Alevism)|baba]]'' ({{langx|sq|gjysh}}) is the rank of ''halife-baba'' (or ''[[Dedes|dede]]'', grandfather).
#The ''dedebaba'' ({{langx|sq|kryegjysh}}) is traditionally considered to be the highest ranking authority in the Bektashi order. Traditionally the residence of the ''dedebaba'' was the Pir Evi (The Saint's Home) which was located in the shrine of [[Hajji Bektash Wali]] in the central Anatolian town of [[Hacıbektaş]] (aka Solucakarahüyük), known as the [[Hajibektash complex]].

Traditionally there were twelve of these hierarchical rankings, the most senior being the ''dedebaba'' (great-grandfather).

== Administration ==
{{see also|List of Bektashi tekkes and shrines}}
In [[Albania]], the [[World Headquarters of the Bektashi]] ({{langx|sq|Kryegjyshata}}) divides the country into 6 different [[administrative district]]s (similar to Christian [[parish]]es and [[patriarchate]]s), each of which is called a ''gjyshata''.<ref name="Elsie 2019">{{cite book | last=Elsie | first=Robert | author-link=Robert Elsie | title=The Albanian Bektashi: history and culture of a Dervish order in the Balkans | publisher=I.B. Tauris | publication-place=London | year=2019 | isbn=978-1-78831-569-2 | oclc=1108619669}}</ref>

* The '''Gjyshata of [[Gjirokastra]]''' (headquarters: [[tekke of Asim Bab]]): the regions of [[Gjirokastra]], [[Saranda]] and [[Tepelena]].
* The '''Gjyshata of [[Korça]]''' (headquarters: tekke of Turan): the regions of [[Korça]], [[Devoll (municipality)|Devoll]], [[Pogradec]] and [[Kolonja]], including [[Leskovik]].
* The '''Gjyshata of [[Kruja]]''' (headquarters: tekke of Fushë Kruj): the regions of [[Kruja]], [[Kurbin]], [[Bulqiza]], [[Dibra]], [[Mat (municipality)|Mat]], [[Shkodra]] and [[Durrës]].
* The '''Gjyshata of [[Elbasan]]''' (headquarters: tekke of Baba Xhefai): the regions of [[Elbasan]], [[Gramsh, Elbasan|Gramsh]], [[Peqin]], [[Lushnja]], [[Kavaja]], and [[Librazhd]], including [[Përrenjas]].
* The '''Gjyshata of [[Vlora]]''' (headquarters: tekke of Kusum Bab): the regions of [[Vlora]], [[Mallakastra]], [[Fier]], including [[Patos, Albania|Patos]] and [[Roskovec]].
* The '''Gjyshata of [[Berat]]''' (headquarters: tekke of Prisht): the regions of [[Berat]], [[Skrapar]] and [[Përmet]].

During the 1930s, the six ''gjyshata'' of Albania set up by [[Sali Njazi]] were:<ref name="Elsie 2019"/>

*'''[[Kruja]]''', headquartered at the tekke of [[Fushë-Krujë]]
*'''[[Elbasan]]''', headquartered at the tekke of [[Krastë, Dibër]]
*'''[[Korça]]''', headquartered at the tekke of [[Melçan]]
*'''[[Gjirokastra]]''', headquartered at the [[tekke of Asim Baba]]
*'''[[Prishta]]''', representing [[Berat]] and part of [[Përmet]]
*'''[[Vlora]]''', headquartered at the [[tekke of Frashër]]

National headquarters in other countries are located in:<ref>[https://kryegjyshataboterorebektashiane.org/en/bektashi-quarters-gjyshatat/ Bektashi Quarters (Gjyshatat)]. Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane. Accessed 19 September 2021.</ref>
* [[Gjakova]], [[Kosovo]]
* [[Tetovo]], [[North Macedonia]]
* [[Taylor, Michigan]], United States

There is also a Bektashi office in [[Brussels]], [[Belgium]].<ref>[https://kryegjyshataboterorebektashiane.org/en/office-in-brussels/ Office in Brussels]. Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane. Accessed 19 September 2021.</ref>

== World Bektashi Congress ==
{{main|World Bektashi Congress}}
The [[World Bektashi Congress]], also called the National Congress of the Bektashi, a conference during which members of the Bektashi Community make important decisions, has been held in Albania several times. Since 1945, it has been held exclusively in [[Tirana]]. The longest gap between two congresses lasted from 1950 to 1993, when congresses could not be held during [[People's Socialist Republic of Albania|Communist rule in Albania]]. A list of congresses is given below.<ref name="Elsie 2019"/><ref>[https://kryegjyshataboterorebektashiane.org/kongreset-bektashiane/ Kongreset Bektashiane]. [[World Headquarters of the Bektashi]]. Accessed 19 September 2021. {{in lang|sq}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
!No.
!Congress
!Date
!Location
!Notes
|-
!1
|First National Congress of the Bektashi
|14–17 January 1921
|tekke of [[Prishta]] in the [[Skrapar]] region
|The name ''Komuniteti Bektashian'' (Bektashi community) was adopted.
|-
!2
|Second National Congress of the Bektashi
|8–9 July 1924
|[[Gjirokastra]]
|
|-
!3
|Third National Congress of the Bektashi
|23 September 1929
|tekke of Turan near [[Korça]]
|The Bektashi declared themselves to be a religious community autonomous from other Islamic communities.
|-
!4
|Fourth National Congress of the Bektashi
|5 May 1945
|[[Tirana]]
|[[Xhafer Sadiku Dede]] was made ''kryegjysh'' (or ''dedebaba''), and the influential [[Baba Faja Martaneshi]], a communist collaborator, was made secretary general.
|-
!5
|Fifth National Congress of the Bektashi
|16 April 1950
|Tirana
|
|-
!6
|Sixth National Congress of the Bektashi
|19–20 July 1993
|Tirana
|
|-
!7
|Seventh National Congress of the Bektashi
|23–24 September 2000
|Tirana
|
|-
!8
|Eighth National Congress of the Bektashi
|21 September 2005
|Tirana
|
|-
!9
|Ninth National Congress of the Bektashi
|6 July 2009
|Tirana
|
|}

== List of Dedebabas ==
This section lists the [[Dedebaba]]s (Supreme Leaders) of Bektashism.

=== In Turkey (before 1930) ===
List of Dedebabas (mostly based in [[Hacıbektaş]], Anatolia), prior to the 1925 exodus of the Bektashi order from Turkey to Albania:<ref>[https://kryegjyshataboterorebektashiane.org/kryegjyshet-boteror/ Kryegjyshët Botëror]. ''Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane''. Accessed 19 September 2021.</ref>
<!-- Albanian spellings are given below. -->
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* [[Haji Bektash Veli]] (1282-1341)
* [[Hidër Llalla]] (1341-1361)
* [[Resul Balli]] (1361-1441)
* [[Jusuf Balli]] (1400s)
* [[Myrsel Balli]] (1400s)
* [[Balım Sultan]] (1509-1516)
* [[Sersem Ali]] Dede Baba (1551–1569)
* [[Eihaxh Ahmed]] Dede Baba (1569–1569)
* [[Ak Abdulla]] Dede Baba (1569–1596)
* [[Kara Halil]] Dede Baba (1596–1628)
* [[Eihaxh Vahdeti]] Dede (1628–1649)
* [[Eihaxh Sejjid Mustafa]] Dede Baba (1649–1675)
* [[Ibrahim Agjah]] Dede Baba (1675–1689)
* [[Halil Ibrahim]] Dede Baba (1689–1714)
* Haxhi [[Hasan Dede]] Baba (1714–1736)
* [[Hanzade Mehmed Kylhan]] Dede (1736–1759)
* [[Sejjid Kara Ali]] Dede Baba (1759–1783)
* [[Sejjid]] Dede Baba (1783–1790)
* Haxhi [[Mehmed Nuri]] Dede Baba (1790–1799)
* Haxhi [[Halil Haki]] Dede Baba (1799–1813)
* [[Mehmed Nebi]] Dede Baba (1813–1834)
* Haxhi [[Ibrahim Dede]] Baba (1834–1835)
* [[Sejjid Haxhi Mahmud]] Dede Baba (1835–1846)
* [[Saatxhi]] Dede Baba (1846–1848)
* [[Sejjid Hasan]] Dede Baba (1848–1849)
* [[Elhaxh Ali Turabi]] Dede Baba (1849–1868)
* Haxhi [[Hasan Dede]] Baba (1868–1874)
* [[Perishan Hafizali]] Dede Baba (1874–1879)
* [[Mehmed Ali Hilmi]] Dede Baba (1879–1907)
* Haxhi [[Mehmed Ali Dede]] Baba (1907–1910)
* Haxhi [[Fejzullah]] Dede Baba (1910–1913)
* [[Sali Njazi]] Dede Baba (1913–1925)
}}

=== In Albania (1930–present) ===
{{main|Bektashi Dedebabate}}
List of Bektashi [[Dedebaba]]s following the 1925 exodus of the Bektashi order from Turkey to Albania:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"  width="50%"
|-
! No.
! Portrait
! Name
! colspan=2|Term in office
|-
! rowspan="2"|1
| rowspan=2|[[File:Sali Nijazi Dede (portret).jpg|85px]]
| rowspan=2|'''[[Salih Nijazi]]'''<br>{{small|''(1876–1941)''}}
| 20 March 1930<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://telegraf.al/speciale/kryegjyshata-botrore-bektashiane-sot-90-vjetori-i-ardhjes-ne-shqiperi-te-kryegjyshit-botror-te-bektashinjve-sali-niazi-dedei-kryegjyshi-botror-haxhi-dede-edmond-brahimaj-sot-ne-korce-zhvillohe/|title=Kryegjyshata Botrore Bektashiane/ Sot, 90-vjetori i ardhjes në Shqipëri të Kryegjyshit Botror të Bektashinjve, Sali Niazi Dedei. Kryegjyshi Botror, Haxhi Dede Edmond Brahimaj: Sot në Korçë zhvillohet aktiviteti për "Nderin e Kombit". Ja historia e plot e klerikut atdhetar|work=Gazeta Telegraf|last=Çuni|first =Nuri|date=28 January 2020 |language=sq}}</ref>
| 28 November 1941
|-
| colspan="2"|''{{age in years, months and days|1930|03|20|1941|11|28|}}''
|-
! rowspan="2"|2
| rowspan=2|[[File:Ali Riza Dede.jpg|85px]]
| rowspan=2|'''[[Ali Riza Dede|Ali Riza]]'''<br>{{small|''(1882–1944)''}}
| 6 January 1942
| 22 February 1944
|-
| colspan="2"|''{{age in years, months and days|1942|01|06|1944|02|22|}}''
|-
! rowspan="2"|3
| rowspan=2|[[File:Kamber Ali Dede.jpg|85px]]
| rowspan=2|'''[[Kamber Ali]]'''<br>{{small|''(1869–1950)''}}
| 12 April 1944
| 1945
|-
| colspan="2"|''{{age in years, months and days|1944|04|12|1945|||}}''
|-
! rowspan="2"|4
| rowspan=2|[[File:Xhafer Sadik Dede.jpg|85px]]
| rowspan=2|'''[[Xhafer Sadik]]'''<br>{{small|''(1874–1945)''}}
| 5 May 1945
| 2 August 1945
|-
| colspan="2"|''{{age in years, months and days|1945|05|05|1945|08|02|}}''
|-
! rowspan="2"|5
| rowspan="2"| [[File:Ikonë Bektashiane.svg|85px]]
| rowspan="2"|'''[[Abaz Hilmi]]'''<br>{{small|''(1887–1947)''}}
| 6 September 1945
| 19 March 1947
|-
| colspan="2"|''{{age in years, months and days|1945|09|06|1947|03|19|}}''
|-
! rowspan="2"|6
| rowspan="2"|[[File:Ahmet Myftar Dede.jpg|85px]]
| rowspan="2"|'''[[Ahmet Myftar]]'''<br>{{small|''(1916–1980)''}}
| 8 June 1947
| 1958
|-
| colspan="2"|''{{age in years, months and days|1948|06|02|1958|||}}''
|-
! rowspan="2"|7
| rowspan="2"| [[File:Ikonë Bektashiane.svg|85px]]
| rowspan="2"|'''[[Baba Reshat]]'''<br>{{small|''(1935–2011)''}}<br>[[File:Baba Reshat (nënshkrim).svg|47px]]
| 20 July 1993
| 2 April 2011
|-
| colspan="2"|''{{age in years, months and days|1993|07|20|2011|04|02|}}''
|-
! rowspan="2"|8
| rowspan="2"|[[File:Baba Mondi 2017.JPG|85px]]
| rowspan="2"|'''[[Baba Mondi]]'''<br>{{small|''(1959)''}}<br>[[File:Baba Mondi (nënshkrim).svg|47px]]
| 11 June 2011
| ''Incumbent''
|-
| colspan="2"|''{{age in years, months and days|2011|06|11||||}}''
|-
|}

==Religious figures==
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
Some notable Bektashi religious and legendary figures are:<ref name="Elsie 2019"/>

*[[Abaz Hilmi]], Dede Baba, of the [[Tekke of Frashër]] (1887–1947)
*[[Abbas ibn Ali]]
*[[Abdullah Baba of Melçan]] (1786–1857 (−1853?))
*[[Abedin Baba of Leskovik]]
*[[Adem Baba of Prizren]] (d. 1894)
*[[Adem Vexh-hi Baba of Gjakova]] (1841–1927)
*[[Ahmet Baba of Prishta]] (d. 1902)
*[[Ahmet Baba of Turan]] (1854–1928)
*[[Ahmet Karadja]]
*[[Ahmet Myftari]], Dede Baba (1916–1980)
*[[Ahmet Sirri Baba of Mokattam]] (1895–1963)
*[[Ali Baba of Berat]]
*[[Ali Baba of Tomorr]] (1900–1948)
*[[Ali Baba Horasani of Fushë Kruja]] (d. 1562)
*[[Ali Haqi Baba of Gjirokastra]] (1827–1907)
*[[Ali Riza of Elbasan]], Dede Baba (1876–1944)
*[[Alush Baba of Frashër]] (c. 1816–1896)
*[[Arshi Baba of Durballi Sultan]] (1906–2015)
*[[Arshi Baba of Gjirokastra]] (d. 1621)
*[[Asim Baba of Gjirokastra]] (d. 1796)
*[[Balim Sultan of Dimetoka]] (1457–1517)
*[[Dylgjer Hysejni of Elbasan]] (b. 1959)
*[[Edmond Brahimaj]], Dede Baba (1910–1947)
*[[Faja Martaneshi Baba]]
*[[Fetah Baba of Backa]]
*[[Hajdar Hatemi Baba of Gjonëm]] (early 19th century)
*[[Hajdër Baba of Kardhiq]] (d. 1904)
*[[Haji Bektash Veli]] (1248–1337) (Albanian: ''Haxhi Bektashi Veli''; Turkish: ''Hacı Bektaş Veli'')
*[[Hasan Dede of Përmet]]
*Haxhi [[Baba Horasani of Përmet]] (d. 1620)
*Haxhi [[Baba of Fushë Kruja]]
*[[Hidër Baba of Makedonski Brod]]
*[[Hysen Baba of Melçan]] (d. 1914)
*[[Hysen Kukeli Baba of Fushë Kruja]] (1822–1893)
*[[Ibrahim Baba of Qesaraka]] (d. 1930)
*[[Ibrahim Xhefai Baba of Elbasan]] (d. 1829)
*[[Iljaz Vërzhezha]], Dervish (d. 1923)
*[[Kamber Ali]], Dede Baba (1869–1950)
*[[Kasem Baba of Kastoria]] (late 15th century)
*[[Kusum Baba of Vlora]]
*[[Lutfi Baba of Mokattam]] (1849–1942)
*[[Mehmet Baba of Fushë Kruja]] (1882–1934)
*[[Meleq Shëmbërdhenji Baba]] (1842–1918)
*[[Muharrem Baba of Frashër]] (early 19th century)
*[[Muharrem Mahzuni Baba of Durballi Sultan]] (d. 1867)
*[[Myrteza Baba of Fushë Kruja]] (1912–1947)
*[[Qazim Baba of Elbasan]] (1891–1962)
*{{ill|Qazim Baba of Gjakova|sq|Baba Qazim Bakalli}} (1895–1981)
*[[Qamil Baba of Gllava]] (d. 1946)
*[[Reshat Bardhi]], Dede Baba (1935–2011)
*[[Rexheb Baba of Gjirokastra]] (1901–1995)
*[[Salih Baba of Matohasanaj]] (19th to 20th centuries)
*[[Salih Nijazi]], Dede Baba (1876–1941)
*[[Sari Saltik]]
*[[Seit Baba of Durballi Sultan]] (d. 1973)
*[[Selim Kaliçani Baba of Martanesh]] (1922–2001)
*[[Selim Ruhi Baba of Gjirokastra]] (1869–1944)
*[[Selman Xhemali Baba of Elbasan]] (d. 1949)
*{{ill|Sersem Ali Baba of Tetova|sq|Sersem Ali Dedei}} (d. 1569)
*[[Shemimi Baba of Fushë Kruja]] (1748–1803)
*[[Sulejman Baba of Gjirokastra]] (d. 1934)
*[[Tahir Nasibi Baba of Frashër]] (d. 1835)
*[[Tahir Baba of Prishta]] (19th century)
*[[Xhafer Sadiku]], Dede Baba (1874–1945)
}}

==Gallery==
<gallery class="center">
File:Arabati Baba Tekke, svatyne radu Bektasi na okraji Tetova.jpg|[[Arabati Baba Tekke]], in [[Tetovo]]
File:Bektashi Tekke.jpg|Bektashi tekke of [[Gjakova]], Kosovo, established in 1790
File:20120519 east view Kutuklu Baba Tekkesi Selino Rhodope West Thrace Greece.jpg|Kutuklu Baba [[Tekke]] in Greece
File:Tempulli i bektashinjve ne vlore.jpg|Bektashi tekke on the Kuz-Baba Hill in [[Vlorë]], [[Albania]]
File:Демир Баба Теке.jpg|Demir Baba Teke near [[Sveshtari]], [[Bulgaria]] (16th century)
File:Qendra Botërore Bektashiane.jpg|[[World Headquarters of the Bektashi]] Community in [[Tirana]], [[Albania]]
</gallery>

==References==

{{Notelist}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===

* {{Cite encyclopedia |year=1989 |title=BEKTĀŠĪYA |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica |url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/bektasiya |last=Algar |first=Hamid |author-link=Hamid Algar |volume=IV |pages=118–122}}

* [[Albert Doja|Doja, Albert]]. 2006. "A political history of Bektashism from Ottoman Anatolia to Contemporary Turkey." Journal of Church and State 48 (2): 421–450. [https://doi.org/10.1093/jcs/48.2.423 doi=10.1093/jcs/48.2.423].
* [[Albert Doja|Doja, Albert]]. 2006. "A political history of Bektashism in Albania." Politics, Religion & Ideology 7 (1): 83–107. [https://doi.org/10.1080/14690760500477919 doi=10.1080/14690760500477919].
* {{cite book |last1=Elsie |first1=Robert |title=A Dictionary of Albanian Religion, Mythology and Folk Culture |date=2001 |publisher=New York University Press |location=New York |isbn=978-1-85065-570-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N_IXHrXIsYkC |language=en}}
* Nicolle, David; UK (1995). The Janissaries (5th). [http://www.ospreypublishing.com/ Osprey Publishing]. {{ISBN|1-85532-413-X}}.
* Muhammed Seyfeddin Ibn Zulfikari Derviş Ali; Bektaşi İkrar Ayini, Kalan Publishing, Translated from Ottoman Turkish by Mahir Ünsal Eriş, Ankara, 2007 [[Turkish language|Turkish]]
* Saggau, Emil BH. "Marginalised Islam: Christianity's role in the Sufi order of Bektashism." In ''Exploring the Multitude of Muslims in Europe'', pp. 183–197. Brill, 2018.
* Soileau, Mark (2014). "Conforming Haji Bektash: A Saint and His Followers between Orthopraxy and Heteropraxy."  Die Welt des Islams 54, pp. 423-459

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | last=Elsie | first=Robert | author-link=Robert Elsie | title=The Albanian Bektashi: history and culture of a Dervish order in the Balkans | publisher=I.B. Tauris | publication-place=London | year=2019 | isbn=978-1-78831-569-2 | oclc=1108619669}}
* {{cite book | last=Yürekli | first=Zeynep | title=Architecture and hagiography in the Ottoman Empire : the politics of Bektashi shrines in the classical age | publisher=Ashgate | publication-place=Farnham, Surrey Burlington, VT | year=2012 | isbn=978-1-4094-1106-2 | oclc=776031990}}
* [[Naim Frashëri|Frashëri, Naim Bey]]. ''Fletore e Bektashinjet''. Bucharest: Shtypëshkronjët të Shqipëtarëvet, 1896; Reprint: Salonica: Mbrothësia, 1909. 32 pp.

==External links==
* [https://kryegjyshataboterorebektashiane.org/ Official website of the Kryegjyshata Botërore Bektashiane] (World Headquarters of the Bektashi)
* [https://kryegjyshataboterorebektashiane.org/video/ Videos and documentaries] {{in lang|sq}}
* [http://www.hermetics.org/bektashi.html History of the Bektashi Order of Dervishes]

{{Islamic Theology|state=expanded|schools}}
{{Islam topics|state=collapsed}}
{{Sufi}}
{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:Alevism]]
[[Category:Dervish movements]]
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[[Category:Liberal and progressive movements within Islam]]
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[[Category:Religious organizations established in the 13th century]]
[[Category:Shia Islam in Albania]]
[[Category:Shia Islam in Turkey]]
[[Category:Shia Sufi orders]]
[[Category:Turkish words and phrases]]
[[Category:Religious organizations based in Bulgaria]]
[[Category:13th-century establishments in Asia]]