ALTIN ORDA DEVLETİ’NİN İSLAMLAŞMASINDA YESEVİYYE VE KÜBREVİYYE TARİKATLARININ ROLÜ

Abstract

The Golden Horde was founded in 1241 by Batu Khān, the grandson of Chingghis Khān. People of all religions lived in the vast geography of this state, whose borders stretched from the Dniester River in the west to the Irtysh River in the east. From the middle of the 13th century, ṣūfī orders began preaching in the Golden Horde, and in the middle of the 14th century, most people, including the ruling class, converted to Islam. Islam begun to dominate the life of the people and the functioning of the state. Islam was easily accepted by society through the channel of ṣūfism, and this was facilitated by the similarity of ṣūfī spiritual practices with the forms of faith of nomadic peoples. In this process, in particular, the Yasawiyya ṣūfī order, formed by the teachings of Aḥmad al-Yasawī, and the Kubrāwiyya order, founded by Najm al-Dīn al-Kubrā, played a significant role. The dervishes of these two orders spread Islamic culture in the region from Khwārazm to Crimea. Yasawī and Kubrawī ṣūfīs conducted communication work between various religious and ethnic communities of the Golden Horde, as well as carried out informal educational activities in institutions such as khānqāh (ṣūfī convent), zāwiyah (ṣūfī lodge) and madrasahs, using the support of the authorities, and some even participated in wars for the support of Islam. Zāwiyas became a refuge for the population of the Golden Horde in times of crisis and played an important role in ensuring social peace and restoring the country’s sovereignty. Thus, this article will discuss topics such as which orders were active in the Golden Horde, which periods were active, the contribution of ṣūfī sheikhs to the process of Islamization, their place in the administrative system of the state and their spiritual heritage. Keywords: Golden Horde, Islamization, Ṣūfism, Orders, Yasawiyya, Kubrāwiyya.