TURKOMANS BETWEEN TWO EMPIRES: THE ... - Bilkent University

historians that the Ottomans dispatched regular gifts and money as a symbol of their
reverence to Ardabil Tekkesi and its Shaykhs. So considering the traditional Ottoman
policy towards mystical fraternities, the answer of Murad II then marks a recognizable
deviation from the traditional Ottoman attitude towards Safavid order. 541 The reason
behind such a deviation must be sought in the political intentions of Junayd skillfully
kneaded by the mystical tradition of the order. When consulting Halil Pasha about
Junayd’s demand, Halil Pasha’s answer makes it clear that the Ottoman administration
was quite aware of the political content in the new orientation of the Safavid order under
Junayd. He said: ‘No two sultans can fit onto one throne!’ 542
Murad II’s negative response, however, must presumably have been due to a
much more intimate reason for the Ottoman state. As already indicated above, the
Safavid Order achieved a wide-spread acceptance among the population of many cities
and towns in Asia Minor, within the Ottoman realm. Up until Shaykh Junayd, since the
order was a typical sufi order of Islam and since its disciples were barely spiritual
followers, the Safavid message did not create any suspicion or reaction within the
Ottoman administrative circles. On the contrary, Ottoman sultans were to dispatch
annual gifts to the headquarters of the order in Ardabil. 543 Sultan Murad II’s refusal of
Shaykh Junayd’s request marked the turning point in the relationship between the
Ottomans and the Safavids. The question to be asked at this point is, thus, what had
happened with the succession of Junayd that the Ottoman policy against the order began
to change? The answer to this question should be sought in the changing portrayal of
541 One should keep in mind that this was not a cumulative change in the Ottoman policy towards sufi
orders, but only towards the Safavid order.
542 APZ, p. 249. Compare Hinz, p. 17.
543 Hinz, p. 7.
190