The Indian Sufis of Istanbul: Between 1453-2023
The Horhor Sufi Tekke was commissioned by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1453. It later hosted delegations from Tipu Sultan of Mysore in the 1700s and Sufi shaykhs from various orders.
For over a thousand years, the Sufi lodge functioned as a cross-cultural and transregional means for Muslims from different parts of the world to get to know each other. Known as a zāwiya in Arabic, khānqā in Urdu/Persian, and tekke in Turkish, Sufi lodges were what you would call a membership-based hotel. People of a certain ethnic background or affiliation to a Sufi order tended to stay in these lodges in their travels. At a time when travel was not cheap nor safe, the most common journey was that for the Hajj. By the decree of the Ottoman sultan, these lodges were built and funded all over the empire for travelers and murīds. In the case of Indian sufi logdges (Hindiler Tekkesi), they were quite common throughout the Hijāz, in Istanbul, and were built even as far as Croatia, which was inclusive of Ottoman dominion. In the case of the Horhor Tekkesi in Aksaray, it is reported to have been commissioned and funded by Fatih Mehmet Sultan (d. 1481) himself.
The Two Indian Tekkes of Istanbul: Between Üsküdar & Aksaray
Üsküdar: Feyzullah Hindi Effendi
My first stop was the Selamsiz neighborhood of Üsküdar, located across the Bosphorus on the Asian side of Istanbul. Located across of “Selami Ali Sosyal Tesisleri,” the first tekke I was looking for no longer actually existed. Instead, it had a sign marking the grave of a “Feyzullah Hindu Hazratleri.” Not much is known about this shaykh. His gravestone read that he died in 1161 hijri (1748 AD). It said the following:
Al-Fātiha, Marhūm Ghafūr, Quṭb al-’Ārifīn, Al-Shaykh Al-Sanad, Faizullāh al-Hindī, Al-Qādirī Al-Muqīm _______ Ruhuna Ridallāhi Ta’ālā, Sene 1161
(Al-Fatiha - Enveloped in Mercy, Forgiven, Leader of the Gnostics, Faizullah Hindi al-Qadiri, Resident of ________, Pray for him, year 1161/1748)
A point that Rishad Choudhury mentions is that the word “Hindi” came to be used in a loose manner by the Ottomans in the 18th century. It was not a term that was restricted to South Asia, but was inclusive of Central Asia. Hence, there is very much so a possibility that this shaykh may not have been from Hindustan. But that is likely not the case with the Horhor Indian Tekke in Aksaray.
Aksaray: Home to Shaykhs from Moradabad, Delhi, & Kashmir
After leaving Üsküdar, I made my way across the Bosphorus into the European side of Istanbul. A fortuitous moment, I found the Horhor Indian tekke literally outside of the Aksaray Metro Station, a place I frequent quite regularly. I had actually seen the tekke dozens of times, but never realized what it was!
I went inside and began reading the gravestones. The first one was an emissary of the Indian-Muslim rule Tipu Sultan (d. 1799), Muhammad Imam Sardar. Tipu Sultan sent a delegation of 900 Indian soldiers and diplomats in 1786 to seek permission from the Ottoman empire to use their ports in Basra, and to seek assistance against the Qajars of Iran and the expanding British empire, as the Mughals were not an option since they were in a state of decline. During this time, a terrible plague swept Istanbul, in which many of the emissaries died in the city. Most were buried and were not identified, save this one man. His gravestone is further demarcated by a hat matching that of Tipu Sultan himself!
Huwa al-Khallāq, Marhūm wa Ghafūr, Muḥammad Imām Sardār, Askar Elçi Tipu Sultan Hindi, Ruhuna al-Fatiha, Sene 1202 Hijri
(He is the Creator - Enveloped in Mercy, Forgiven, Muhammad Imam Sardar, military emissary of Tipu Sultan Hindi, Pray for him, year 1202/1787-8)
Next to him, there were several others marked by the term “Hindi” to denote their land as Hindustan (the entirety of the Indian subcontinent). Some of them had the specific city from on their gravestones.
Al-Shaykh Al-Ḥāj Sayyid 'Abd al-Raḥmān Effendi from Kashmir. Died 1250/1834.
Al-Ḥāj Maḥbūb Effendi al-Dahlawī (from Delhi). Died 1250/1839.
After examining the graves in the front of the tekke, I went to the back and found another grave tucked away in the corner. This one was had a much more detailed gravestone. It listed the name of the Shaykh, along with what specific district he was from in his hometown of Moradabad, which is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
Al-Shaykh ‘Abd Allāh Ākā (Agha?) from Moradabad, in the district of “Mardakarnan”. Died 1226/1812.
Conclusion
The Horhor Indian Tekke is now under the Tügva Istanbul Provincial Representitive Training Centier (Tügva İstanbul İl Temsilciliği Eğitim Merkezi). The students and professors were kind enough to give me a tour of the facility and speak to me about the history of the tekke. The other point to keep in mind is that the former masjid behind the graves also has many unmarked graves. There have been renovation efforts to preserve the site, but much of the old structure does not exist anymore. For further reading on this topic, I recommend The Hajj From India In An Age Of Imperial Transitions, 1707-1820 by Rishad Choudhury & Sufis and their Lodges in the Ottoman Hijaz by Naser Dumairieh.
Amazing work brother