HALVETÎ ŞEYHİ BALİ EFENDİ VE SOFYA’DAKİ TÜRBESİ
THE HALVETI SHEIKH BALI EFENDI AND HIS TÜRBE (TOMB) IN SOFIA

Summary/Abstract: Bulgarian folklore tradition has transformed the personality of the Halveti sheikh Bali Efendi, who was in reality a devout follower of Sunni Islam and a rigid fighter against heretics, into a folkloric character called Ali (Bali) Baba, considered to have been a protector and patron of all people, regardless of their ethnic origin and religious affiliation. The Türbe of Bali Efendi in Sofia (in the quarter of Knyazhevo) is an example of a sacred place where the belief in the miracle working and healing powers of the saint unites representatives of different ethnic and religious communities despite the religious and ethnic affiliation of the saint himself. The Türbe of Bali Efendi, the church of St. Prophet Elijah and the consecrated stone cross dedicated to St. George form a sacred complex in which Islam and Orthodox Christianity co-exist on the basis of mutual respect and tolerance.

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