Sufism and politics in Turkey during the Mongol domination era

In 13th century medieval Turkey, the effects of the migrations caused by the Mongol invasion must be analyzed in order to understand the social background of sufi groups such as the Kalenderīds, Haydarīds, Rifāīs, Mawlawīs, Kübrevīs, Babaīs and Bektashīs. As a matter of fact, people living in different Islamic geographies migrated to Turkey together with the sheikhs and dervishes belonging to these groups in order to escape the destructive effects of the invasion. Thus, the social and cultural structure of Turkey, especially its sufi map, was reshaped. Because immigrants brought their cultural elements as well as their material assets to Turkey. They also created a syncretism (compatibilism) by utilizing the existing cultural heritage of Anatolia. After analyzing the effects of migration on the formation of syncretism in Turkey, political developments such as the occupation of Alamut and Baghdad are mentioned. Subsequently, the Battle of Aynicālūt, which constituted a turning point in the course of the Mongol invasion, is discussed. This study claims that the aforementioned political developments affected Turkish sufism as much as the migrations. Based on this claim, first of all, the interactions between the Batinids and sufis after the occupation of Alamut are identified and the ways in which these interactions were transmitted to Turkish sufism are indicated. It has been argued that a new social order was established with the invasion of Baghdad, which represented the Sunni world, and the subsequent Battle of Ainjālūt. In this new social order, urban culture and the established Sunni thought remained in place, but the rise of sheikhs and dervish groups, which completely rejected this culture and thought, as representatives of an alternative form of piety, was questioned. Finally, this study explains how the sheikhs and dervishes operating in Turkey calmed people in the anarchy caused by the invasion and why they established close relations with the Mongols, who were seen as a "fitna" that shook the Islamic world. While analyzing the network of relations that accelerated the changes and transformations in this period, the Sufi circles are not classified as pro- or anti-Mongol, and examples are given as to why this is not possible. Not only in this regard, but throughout the study, sufi biographies, poems, divans and letters of sheikhs and dervishes were analyzed along with contemporary sources when selecting examples or making judgments. These works not only revealed the general content of the relations but also described the sheikhs' and dervishes' conception of the Mongols. In the light of the same works, it was also possible to see why the invasion movement started and the reasons that led to the downfall of the Mongols from the sheikhs' and dervishes' lodges.