The Problem of Reconstruction of the Sacred Space Perception in Anatolia in the Context of Khidr-Elijah Faith - Elvan Celebi's Zawiya -

Abstract

This study examines the role of Khidr-Elias belief in the transformation of the holy areas of Elvan Celebi's lodge and in particular the medieval Islamic world, which is constantly changing in the border regions. When the different opinions of orientalists are examined, it is seen that three basic theories about the claim of dialectical origin are developed according to Christian influence about the history of this sepulcher. The interest of Hasluck, the proprietor of the first theory, is based mainly - known as the double holiness (Doppelheiligtum)- on the identity between the Christian and Muslim holy places. The second theory was put forward by Wolper. Wolper claims that the antique stones used in the place of Elvan Celebi lodge are intentionally used. These two theories are based on establishing a connection between Christian saints such as St. Theodore and St. George and Khidr-Ilyas belief in the history of Anatolian mysticism. The third theory was put forward by Busbecq and Dernschwam in the sixteenth century. This theory overcomes architectural considerations and highlights the analogy between monks and dervishes. This situation turns this issue into a problem not only of the architect but of Sufi history and Islamic thought. In this framework, the article examines the nature of the possible strategic construction of the Elvan Celebi lodge. Moreover, this article is questioning the function of the work named Menakibu'l-Kudsiyye fi Menasibi'l-Unsiyye. Contrary to the Christian influence thesis it has been examined that Islamic dynamics related to the position of the shrine in the study may also play a role. The article was structurally analyzed as a text by Menakib.