A reflection of Anatolian sufism in the Dasht-i Qipchaq: Abu Bakr Aksarayi and his Kalendername

Ebubekir Kalenderi was a Kalenderi dervish who lived between the end of the 13th century and the beginning of the 14th century. It is understood from his work that he was born in Aksaray and was a disciple of Sultan Veled, the founder of Mevlevi Order in Konya. After his education, he went to Crimea, one of the centers of the Golden Horde Khanate established in the Desht-i Qipchaq region. During this period, during the reign of Özbek Khan and Canibeg, the Muslim rulers of the Golden Horde Khanate, he wrote his work called Kalendernâme and the work was completed in 1360. This work, written in Persian and in the mesnevi style, consists of five notebooks and 800 pages. In this thesis, which was conducted using the qualitative research method document review technique, the work was translated and the topics were created by analyzing its content. In order to approach the subject with a holistic approach, the political and religious structure of that period formed the basis of the study. In this context, it is clear that the regions and movements in which Abubekir Kalenderi lived were influential in the formation of his intellectual structure. For this reason, Turkiye, where he grew up, the Golden Horde region and the Sufi movements that were influential at that time constituted the first subjects of this thesis. Then, general information about Ebubekir Kalenderi and his work, Kalendernâme, was given. Finally, the analysis of the work was made. In the work, the teachings of Kalenderism are explained on the basis of the four doors expressed as sharia, tariqah, haqiqah and marifat, which are the basis of Sufism. Since Ebubekir Kalenderi grew up in Turkiye, he provided important information in his work about scholars who lived in Turkiye during that period and before, some of whom we cannot find in other sources. Apart from these, it has been possible to obtain information about many religious and mystical figures and important rulers in history from the stories told as a basis for the concepts explained in the work. In this respect, the work not only shows the beliefs and practices of Kalenderism but also serves as a source for historical events. Although some studies have been found on Kalenderism, especially the work of Ahmet Yaşar Ocak, no Kalendernâme written in Turkish or translated directly by members of the order has been found. Therefore, examining the work called Kalendernâme, which was written directly by a Kalender dervish, will provide the opportunity to evaluate Kalenderism from the perspective of its own members. Thus, with this thesis, it is aimed to contribute to the field, to reveal the beliefs and practices of the sect with their own discourse and to promote the work.