PĪR OF THE WRESTLERS MAHMŪD-I PĪRYĀR-I VALĪ, HIS LIFE, LEGENDS AND WORKS

Abstract

Evliya Çelebi, in the description of wrestlers in his famous Seyahatname, mentions that their master is “Hazrat-i Mahmūd-i Pīryār-i Valī”, although he fails to provide further details, mentioning only that he is “Hazrat-i Hamza’s kamar-basteh.” Even he wants to mention where her grave is, but probably he could not reach this information so leaves the place blank in the relevant line. There is a lack of significant information about this character in Turkish modern studies, even sometimes it is possible to find wrong information, however, there is much written about him both in historical and hagiographic sources and in studies conducted outside of Turkey. In the present article, the life, legendary sagas and works of Pahlavan Mahmūd-i Pīryār-i/Pūryā-yi Valī, who lived in the 13th-14th centuries and is still known as the master of traditional wrestling athletes, have discussed and the current discussion on these issues have evaluated. In the results, it was determined that Pahlavan Mahmūd was born in the Khiva of Khwārazm in the middle of the 13th century and died in the same city in the first quarter of the 14th century. In addition, it has been revealed that the claims that his grave was found in the city of Khoy in Azerbaijan are unfounded. In the article, the nickname "Pīryār-i/Pūryā-yi Valī", which is an integral part of the name of Pahlavan Mahmūd and is often used instead of his name, has been examined in detail and based on the oldest sources, and different views on this subject have been discussed. While some sources emphasize that this name is a nickname, some sources insist on the thesis that in reality this name was the name of Pahlavan Mahmūd’s father and was used as the name and nickname of his son Mahmūd over time. This issue still remains a mystery! Keywords: Mahmūd-i Pīryār-i Valī, Pūryā-ı Valī, Wrestling Lodges, Wrestling, Malamatiyya, Sufism, Persian Literature, Khwārazm.