Bir Tarihî Vesika: Ali İlhami Dede’nin Bilinmeyen Divanı A Historical Document: Unknown Diwan (Poetry) of

There is very few information in the sources about Ali İlhami Dede, the last postnishin (Mawlavi sheikh) who grew up in the Alevi Bektashi order. His poems are included in several books, while his poems collected by his grandson have been published as a diwan, including the place where his lodge is located and its historical development, especially the environment where he lived in the early 20th century. Apart from the information about the life of Ali İlhami Dede between the lines, the name range of the grandparents and fathers who managed the lodge since the 10th century is very important. In the work in which the place where Battal Gazi is buried in historical sources, his bond with Danişment Gazi, the ties of the Seljuk Khans and Ottoman Sultans with the lodge, the maintenance and repairs they have done are explained in detail, transferring the inscriptions found in the tombs to the court is also important in terms of extracting the Alevi Bektashi lineage. There are 49 poems of Ali İlhami Dede in the Divan. While these poems are seen as four, five and six lines, at the same time, they are written with both syllabic meter and aruz prosody, which is an indication that he knows all the features of Turkish poetry. The subjects of the poems are the love of Hazrat Allah, Hazrat Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh), Hazrat Ali, Hazrat Hasan and Hüseyin, the twelve imams, Karbala, Battal Gazi, Haci Bektashi Veli, and also the beauties of nature, the sect rules, love and the mortality of the world. Ali İlhami Dede used the pen names İlhami, İlhami Abdal, İlhami derviş, İlhami Fakir, Garip İlhami in his poems. In our study, the connection of the Alevi Bektashi sect with Battal Gazi, which is on the council of Ali İlhami Dede, and the subjects and introduction of his poems are included.


Extended summary
İlhami Dede, whose real name is Ali, is estimated to have been born in Seyyid Gazi town, which is located near Afyonkarahisar in Eskişehir city today. Although he lived in the 19th century, his grandson Mustafa Şükrü Efendi published his divan (poetry) and poems reflecting his Sufi view in the 20th century. This Divan (poetry) is located in Istanbul Atatürk Library under the name "Divan-ı Şeyh İlhamî and Seyyid Battal Gazi".
In the work, the architectural structure of the tomb of Battal Gazi, the characteristics of the tomb and the lodge, its endowments, the various vineyards on the dervish, the names of the various products grown in the garden and the field, the names of the animals fed are explained in detail. It is stated that the tomb and lodge, which was stated to be built by the mother of I. Kılıçaslan in the Seljuk period, was frequently visited by Orhan Gazi and Temur Pasha during the establishment of the Ottoman State. And in the work, it is stated that the maintenance and repairs of the tomb were carried out and that repairs continued in the following periods.
It is stated that there is a "Şücâ'addin Veli" tomb and dervish lodge near the Battal Gazi tomb and dervish lodge. It is stated that Şücâ'addin Veli was the son of Gudül Bey's grandson Tolı Bey and Terkenşah who was the son-in-law of Kılınç Arslan I and was the governor of Amasya on (619/1222/1223). At the same time, there is historical information that he is a disciple of Baba İlyas Horosani. The articles in the inscriptions about the construction and repair of the tomb and dervish of Şücâ'addin Veli are included.
The link between Battal Gazi and Danişment Gazi is also mentioned in Divan. It is stated that Melik Gazi was Turkmen and got the nickname "Danişmend" due to his knowledge, education, Turkish history and life among Turkmens. It is stated that the real name of Melik Gazi is "Gazi Ahmed bin Ali bin Muzrib".
One of the features of the divan is that Battal Gazi and Danişment Gazi, who are the heroes of the epic, reveal their connection with the order, different from historical information. In addition, the feature of the divan is that the lineage of the sects was removed and that it was brought up to the 20th century, making it necessary to re-examine all aspects of other Sufi sources.
It is known that many dervish lodges were trained in Battal Gazi and Şeyh Şücâ'addin Veli tomb and lodge in the following years. Apart from Seyyid Battal Gazi and Şüca'eddin Veli dervish lodges and holy tombs, there are also tombs of 'Gök Nebi', 'Üryan Baba', 'Melik Gazi' and 'Hacı Baba' in that region.
According to another rumor, Seyyid Mehmed Haci Bektashi Veli came to Seyyid Battal Gazi lodge from Kirsehir with his 755 followers, taking the permission of Hoca Ahmed Yesevi. Sultan Orhan Gazi came to him from Bursa to visit Hacı Bektashi Veli and respected him and received ratification.
The genealogy of everyone who served in the lodge is connected to Hazrat Ali because of Battal Gazi and they are all known as Sayyid (Descended to Hazrat Mohammed pbuh) . Ali İlhami Dede ranks 73nd after Hazrat Ali and 59th as a sheikh, in the ranking of 75 Sayyid tags from Hazrat Ali to the 20th century.
Although there is not much information about Ali İlhami Dede, according to the Alevi Bektashi tradition, we know that his father was Cemaleddin and his grandfather was Pir Mehmed because he was descended from the rank of Dede (Alawi leader). Due to his grandson Şükrü Efendi's writing of his poems, it is seen that Ali İlhami Dede is a Dede who knows the Alevi Bektashi sect tradition through his life and poems, has a good education and also has a command of Turkish culture. He used both prosody and syllable in his poems. He deals with Allah, Hazrat Muhammed pbuh, Hazrat Ali, Twelve Imams (Ali, Hasan, Hüseyin, Zeynel'abidin, Muhâmmed Bâkır, Ca'fer el-Sâdık, Musa-el Kâzım, 'Ali el-Rızâ, Muhammed Taki,' Ali El-Taki, Hasan el'A Askeri, Muhammed Mahdi), Hacı Bektashi Veli and Battal Gazi in his poems from various aspects. His poems include both human and divine love, and he has 49 poems in Divan.
It is possible to classify Ali İlhami Dede's poems according to the number of lines, including those with 4, 5 and 6 lines and those written in couplet form.  (Ehl-i Beyt) and twelve imams. Battal Gazi and Şücâeddin Veli, who are the leaders of the lodge and the tomb, and their devotion to Hacı Bektaşi Veli is expressed in almost every poem. For Karbala, where Hazrat Hüseyin was martyred, there is a poem in the form of "lament" as well as in the form of elegiac, which is a type of divan literature. In his poems, which include basic teachings such as Bektashi sect rules, modesty, virtue, and not eating right of servants, advice is at the forefront. Ali İlhami Dede informs about the transience of the world and how to live in this world by criticizing those who prolong sacred values. In addition, he wrote poems on both Sufism and human love on subjects such as "heart, leyla, rose, nightingale". Although the work, which consists of Ali İlhami Dede's poems, is considered as classical Turkish poetry with the concept of Divan in its name, he is more successful in his poems based on quatrains. The language used by Ali İlhami Dede in his poems, and the types he uses in his poetry reflect the general characteristics of Sufi poetry. At the same time, the reappearance of the poem "Aman leylâm leylâm didim [I said my dearest Leyla]", which he wrote on the subject of "love", in the later periods shows its influence in folk poetry.
Ali İlhami Dede, who mostly uses the pen name İlhami in his poems, also used the names "İlhami, Garip İlhami, İlhami Abdal, İlhami Derviş, İlhami Fakir". There is not much information about Ali İlhami Dede in the sources. However, we believe that focusing on the poems found in this poetry and its various aspects, especially the Sufi aspect, will make this work achieve its purpose.  (Oytan 1956: 13).