The cult of sainthood in the city of Manisa

ABSTRACT After Turkish people converted to islam, they were included in a new civilization. They brought some elements of their old religion into their new öne. This syncretism helped to make the sainthood cult a signifîcant part of traditional beliefs in Turkey. Manisa had been captured by Saruhanogullari but then it was ruled under Ottoman sovereignty, therefore in Manisa a strong Islamic mysticism emerged. Both what Turkish people had been inherited from their old religions, and this strong emergence of Islamic mysticism caused people of Manisa to build a lot of shrines and tombs throughout centuries. Only twenty three of these shrines survived to the present day. People in Manisa visit these shrines for their worldly expectations. in ör around shrines and tombs they perform traditional practices such as bounding pieces of cloth, lighting candles, charity, votive animal slaughtering. Legends about the saints are told. in this study I tried to make an effort to define and analyze these legends and practices.