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

managed to preserve their traditional social structure and way of life – that was tribal
nomad- against the Ottoman expansion. We always witness them as allies of the
Karamans in their struggle against the Ottomans. 571 But for the purpose of my analysis
the foremost characteristic of the Varsak was that they were still immune to the high
Islamic culture culminating among the educated elites of the great cities. Rather they
were under the heavy influence of the traditional Turkish way of life. 572
Nonetheless, Junayd’s stay in Varsak territories was not a long one. Shaykh
Abdullatif wrote a letter to Ibrahim Bey, the ruler of Karaman, stipulating that the actual
aim of Junayd was not mystical, but that he aimed to deteriorate the actual religion
(sha’ria) and to be a temporal ruler as well. Upon receiving this letter from the most
prestigious Shaykh of Konya, Ibrahim Bey ordered Varsak tribal chiefs to arrest Junayd.
Being an ally and vassal of Karaman, Varsak Begs could not resist this order. But it is
clear enough in the narration of Aşıkpaşazāde that they were quite reluctant to seize
Junayd. Rather, Varsak leaders somehow allowed him to escape from their region.
Aşıkpaşazāde indicates an important detail that must be taken note of here. Before
leaving Varsak territory, Junayd had recruited many disciples from among them. 573
However, one may well propose that he already had disciples from among the Varsak
before visiting their lands. Anyhow, we have convincing reasons to think that by the
time of Junayd’s personally visiting the Varsak tribes, the Safavid Order already had a
571 There are many references in Şikârî’a Karamanoğulları Tarihi as well as Ottoman chronicles such as
Ashikpashazāde, Ananim Tevārih, Neşrî, Kemalpaşazāde, and others depicting Varsaks as an intrinsic ally
of Karamanoğlu.
572 For further reading on Varsak tribes see Ahmed Gökbel, Anadolu Varsaklarında Đnanç ve Adetler,
Ankara: Atatürk Kültür Merkezi Başkanlığı Yayınları, 1998; Ali Sinan Bilgili, Osmanlı Döneminde
Tarsus Sancağı ve Tarsus Türkmenleri: Sosyo-ekonomik Tarih, Ankara: Kültür Bakanlığı Yayınları, 2001.
573 APZ, p. 250.
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