Abstract:

Ahmed-i Siyâhî was one of the scholar-sufis of Kastamonu in the nineteenth century. In Ottoman era, there were many sufi orders represented in Kastamonu and Khalidiyya sub-order of Naqshbandiyya was introduced to the irfan/wisdom life of this city by Sheikh Hacı Ahmed Ziyaeddin Efendi, renowned as Ahmed-i Siyâhî. He received ijazats from prominent scholars of that era in Kastamonu, Amasya and Çorum, steeped himself in hadith science as he was called “hadith hafiz”, and he was in search of a murshid as well. Çerkeşî Mustafa Efendi, one of the leading sheikhs of Khalwati sufi order, directed him to Hâlid-i Bağdâdî. In hajj trip, Siyâhî met with Hâlid-i Bağdâdî in Damascus and submitted to him, they went together to Hijaz and he took hilafetnâme from him, then came back to his hometown. In this study, we will investigate the life of Siyâhî, mentioned as the last khalifa of Hâlid-i Bağdâdî in some archives, the dervish lodge which he established, the library that he set up in the lodge and all his endowments regarding these. Furthermore, we will introduce his only work and the icazetnâme/vasiyetnâme (diploma/testament) that he gave to his son Seyyid Ahmed-i Hicâbî, and will give summary information about his ecole/school after him.