Overview

One of more poorly understood aspects of the history of the Ottoman Empire has been the flourishing of Sufi mysticism under its auspices. This study tracks the evolution of the Halveti order from its modest origins in medieval Azerbaijan to the emergence of its influential Sa'b niyye branch, whose range extended throughout the Empire at the height of its expansion. By carefully reconstructing the lives of formerly obscure figures in the history of the order, a complex picture emerges of the connections of Halvet groups with the Ottoman state and society. Even more importantly, since the Sa'b niyye branch of the order grew out of the towns and villages of the northern Anatolian mountains rather than the major urban centres, this work has the added benefit of bringing a unique perspective to how Ottoman subjects lived, worked, and worshiped outside the major urban centres of the Empire. Along the way, it sheds light on less-visible actors in society, such as women and artisans, and challenges widely-held generalizations about the activities and strategies of Ottoman mystics.

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9780748653225

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Reviews

This book will be indispensable to scholars and students of both Ottoman history and the history of Sufism. I highly recommend it for its analytical and methodological approaches, its engaging narrative, and its ability to open a window to still poorly appreciated social and religious dynamics in the early modern period of Islamic history. --Dina le Gall, CUNY, International Journal of Middle East Studies A fine piece of scholarship on the development of a specific Sufi order over a period of centuries, with special attention given to its relationship to the Ottoman state... It should be considered required reading for anyone interested in the history of Sufism or in the religious history of the Ottoman Empire. --Jamal J. Elias, University of Pennsylvania, The American Historical Review John Curry's book is an important contribution to the history of Sufism in the early Ottoman empire. Based on an in-depth analysis of Sufi writings, it leads the reader to the very heart of Sufi life that developed in Anatolia in a broad social, political, and religious context. This work belongs to the very valuable trend in the study of mysticism that takes advantage of Sufi texts, whether theological or hagiographical, and thus informed by an understanding of the mechanics of assimilation and transformation of earlier traditions, as well as of the contemporary aims of the writers, John Curry's foray into writing history is successful indeed. --Nathalie Clayer, CNRS-EHESS, Paris, Journal of the American Oriental Society

Author Information

John Curry is Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas

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