Inside the türbe (mausoleum) of Hacı Bektaş Veli no less dan 8 cenotaph sarcophagi (turkish: ‘sanduka’) wait for the many visitors te come: the big one belongs to the saint himself, the other seven belong to relatives of him.
They are made from pine-tree wood, but hidden under embroidered covers.

Hacı Bayram’s sanctuary (and more particularly his tomb) attract a lot of pilgrims, who will pray nearby the saint’s cenotaph. Although not approved of by strict Sunni doctrine, the veneration of saints and the pelgrimage to their graves is a widely spread tradition in Turkey. People come to honour the saint’s memory, to ask for his intercession in order to obtain some favour or special help from Allah, to fulfil a promise made, or in search of spiritual inspiration. Much the same, thus, as in most other religions of the world.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Source: ‘Türkye Tarihi Yerler Kılavuzu’ – M.Orhan Bayrak, Inkılâp Kitabevi, Istanbul, 1994.