Ahi Evran / Ahi Evren (Şeyh Nasîruddin Mahmûd el-Hoyi)

Hz. Ali, who was born in Mecca 22 years before the Hegira, was the son of Abu Talib, the uncle of
the Messenger Muhammed. Ali grew up under the guardianship of Hz. Muhammed for 18 years
and grew up under his discipline. The last of the four great caliphs, Hz. Ali is also one of the ten
people heralded with Jannah when he was alive. Hz. Ali gained great fame in courage and heroism
by participating in all wars during the birth and spread of Islam. Ali married Muhammed’s daughter
and his lineage survived to the present day in two branches. Hz. Ali is in the forefront of many sects
in the Turkish Sufi tradition and he is considered the piri of that sect. By taking Ali as the model of
the human being, he is based on an ontological basis. In Akhi tradition, Hz. Ali also has an important
place. The main written sources of Akhi are futuwwatnamas and genealogies. These sources describe
Hz. Ali as the master of Ahi Evran, the son of his uncle, and his father-in-law. These sources alsopoint to Hz. Ali as the person who has a very important place in the Akhism and who is been tied up
by Hz. Muhammed himself for wearing the shah of Sufis and the futuristic piety. The aim of this study
is to investigate the position and the importance of Hz. Ali in Akhi (a Turkish institution) tradition.
First, information about his historical personality was briefly explained. After, the perception of Hz.
Ali in some sects was emphasized. Seven futuwwat descriptions and six genealogies published from
the main sources of Akhism were examined. It was concluded that Hz. Ali had an important position
in Akhi tradition.

Kırşehir, Anadolu coğrafyasına ekonomik, siyasi ve sosyal bir nizam getiren Ahiliğin kurucusu Ahi Evran; Türklük şuuruyla yazdığı eserler sayesinde Türkçenin Anadolu’da yazı dili olmasını sağlayan Âşık Paşa; Türkçenin estetiğini âşıklığının verdiği erginlikle yüzyıllar ötesine taşıyan Yunus Emre; Türk-İslam medeniyetinin kurucularından Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli ve Osmanlı Devletinin kuruluşuna fikirleriyle ışık tutan Şeyh Edebali gibi isimlerin yetiştiği Anadolu’nun kültür merkezlerindendir.
Asırlarca Ahiliğin merkezi durumunda olan Kırşehir, teşkilatın işlerliğini kaybettiği 20. ve 21. yüzyıllarda da Ahiliği tanıtma ve yaşatma çabalarının merkezi olmuştur. Bu şehirde doğmuş olan Mustafa Karagüllü (1928-2018) de bu çabaların baş aktörlerinden biridir. Ömrünü Ahiliğin tanıtılması ve Kırşehir’in kalkındırılmasına adayan Karagüllü, bu fedakârlığının sonucu olarak “Ahi Baba” unvanına layık görülmüştür.
Bu kitapta Ahilik, Ahi Evran-ı Veli ile son Ahi Baba Mustafa Karagüllü’nün hayatı ve Ahilikle ilgili faaliyetleri ayrıntılı olarak ele alınmaktadır.

Ahi, which takes its source from the understanding of futuwwa, Turkish culture and Islamic belief, began to take shape among Muslim Turks in Anatolia under the leadership of Ahi Evran in the 13th century. The Ahi organization, which successfully continued its social, economic and moral activities until the 13th century, became unable to meet the needs with the expansion of the Ottoman Empire's territory. Thus, in the period of II. Ahmet (1703-1730), the work of the "Gedik" institution were adopted instead of the Ahi organization. The Ahis and Ahi lodges, who lost their formality in the eyes of the state, continued their activities in many parts of Anatolia until the end of the 18th century. In the Republic Period, the systematic organizational structure of the Ahi was updated according to the requirements of our age and led to the emergence of various institutions and organizations within the framework of laws. Among these organizations, the "Tradesmen and Craftsmen Chambers", which facilitate the organizational cooperation of tradesmen and craftsmen, and the "Tradesmen and Craftsmen Credit and Surety Cooperatives", which provide the necessary financing to continue their profession, have a special place and importance. The duties of these organizations, which operate in a similar way to the Ahi system, are determined within the framework of the social, economic and moral rules of the Ahi community. Mustafa Karagüllü, who is among the founding members of these organizations in Kırşehir, worked as the chairman of both institutions for more than half a century and worked for the craftsmen of Kırşehir to provide services and products compatible with the values and principles of Ahi. Karagüllü, who thinks that the practices of Ahi are also necessary for today, has made it his duty to be on the front lines in every place where the name of Ahi is mentioned until the end of his life and worked with an endless energy to research, promote and keep alive Ahi culture. In this study, considering the organizational structure of the Ahi community, the "Kırşehir Union of Merchants and Craftsmen Chambers" and "Kırşehir Tradesmen and Craftsmen Credit and Surety Cooperative", which were established in Kırşehir in 1952, and the activities of Mustafa Karagüllü during his presidency in these organizations will be focused on.