Güney Kazakistan: ‘Evliya Diyarı
Southern Kazakstan: "The Land of Saints (Evliyas)"

Summary/Abstract: Turkistan is the name of the geography where the conversion of the Turks into Islam began. The present name of the city which is in the Southern Kazakstan today and known as Yesî in the past is Turkistan. The city Yesî later turned into the nickname (cognomen) of Ahmet, who had created the founding name of the Dervish Lodge poetry. Hodja Ahmet Yesevî combined the Turk's religion (belief) with the provisions of Islam, made this philosophy an order of life and for this reason, he became influential for long. He generated the sample model in the penetration of Islam into the old Turkish belief system, the main source of the cult (sect) systems and the infrastructure of the Hacı Bektaş Veli character that would establish the main frame of the Alevi-Bektaşi systematics. In this study, considerable information about Ahmet Yesevî and the legendary and religious characteristics of the central figures emerged around him has been given and the belief factors concerning the spiritual identity and holiness the public attributed to these figures have been identified. Introducing the tombs in South Kazakhstan/ Turkestan, mission of ancestry cult in the visits of tombs, determination of rituals in tombs and finding out the functions of rituals are the aims of this work.

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