Ali Koçlular from Balkans to Anatolia in the context of pir and talip relations

This study deals with the sons of Ali Koç Baba, who are called Ali Koç people, and their talip communities, in the context of the relationship between the pir and the talip. Ali Koç Baba is a Seyit and one of the caliphs of Koyun Baba. He came to the Balkans from Anatolia and first settled in Vidin and died in Niğbolu. After the 93 War between the Ottoman Empire and the Russians, a significant part of the Ali Koç people had to migrate to Anatolia and were settled in Eskişehir. Ali Koç Baba's sons and talip communities still exist both in the Balkans and in Anatolia. The Ali Koç people are considered to be the last family whose Seyit lineage continues in the Balkans. When the literature on Ali Koç people was examined, no study could be found on the effects of the migration they experienced on their family structures and ocak systems. This thesis has emerged in order to fill the gap in the literature. This is the first study that deals with Ali Koç people at the graduate level. Qualitative research method was preferred in order to penetrate deeply into the field. In this context, field studies were organized. Purpose-oriented sampling method was used to determine the sample of the thesis. The sample of this study consists of Ali Koç people residing in Eskişehir. Since field studies spread over time and in different places, data acquisition was achieved by asking questions on specific topics instead of a fixed interview form. The main data were obtained through participant observation. In order to determine the effects of the migration of the family from the Balkans to Anatolia on the relations of the pir and the talip, a trip was organized to the places where they migrated in 2017 and to their villages, which are located on the Bulgarian border today. From this travel period until 2022, field studies were organized with participant observation at various times. In addition, important sources kept by Ali Koç people among themselves and related Ottoman Empire archive documents were also used. After the data obtained from the field reached the saturation point, the analyzes were carried out and thus, it was determined that a family who migrated from the Balkans to Eskişehir, the pir and talip relations, which are the basis of the ocak systems, were interrupted, dispersed to different geographies, and this fragmentation continues increasingly today. As a result, Ali Koç Baba's ocak, its representatives and talip communities, which is the last ocak in the Balkans, whose path and rank continued through his own lineage, have been brought to the academic literature. In addition to this, attention was drawn to the effects of the migration process they experienced on their family structures and ocak systems.