Ahi Evren

Ahi Evren (1169 – 1261) was believed to be the Muslim preacher who came Trabzon in Empire of Trebizond times and extended Islam there. His grave in Boztepe was sacred and visited by many people. His real name is Sheyh Nasreddin Ebul’ Ha-kayik, Mahmud Bin Ahmed El-Hoyi and he was born in Hoy, Iran in December 1169. He grew up in Azerbaijan and then came to Kayseri and established the Ahi community. He was killed by Mongols in Kırsehir on 1 April 1261. The grave’s owner in Boztepe could be someone else, for example a clan leader or a Greek metropolitan who accepted Islam later.

According to Sakir Sevket, in 1863 the Muslim preacher Seyh Haci Hakkı Efendi claimed that he was charged by God and had a place built near Ahi Evren Dede’s grave. When he died in 1890 he was buried near this place and the government built a tomb and mosque on his grave.

Sources

*Özhan Öztürk. Black Sea: Enyclopedic Dictionary (Karadeniz: Ansiklopedik Sözlük. 2. Cilt. Heyamola Publishing. Istanbul. 2005. ISBN 975-6121-00-9.