Legends of saints in Rize and the rituals around their shrines

Located on a small port surrounded with green vegetation cover in Eastern Black Sea, Rize is a small and archaic city with unmatched natural beauties; and it has appeared on the front pages of many native and foreign travellers' notebooks throughout the years. Many members of sects were sent here for revival and guidance in the past years and as a result, this land developed with the efforts of saints and it was nourished with Sufism. These saints were enshrined in people's hearts, and the love and respect for them is still alive despite the long years, even centuries. The legends of these beloved saints are about their miraculous deeds and they have been very popular among people, reaching us through both verbal and written culture throughout the centuries. People still hold the belief that the miraculous deeds and favours of saints during their lifetime will still continue and they will still give moral and material support to people even after their deaths. Shrines have been put up for these people who are called the undying dead and many rituals, beliefs and practices have appeared around these shrines. In this study, the legends of these saints in Rize and the rituals around their shrines have been discussed. Keywords: Rize, saint, legend, shrine, ritual.