Inside the complex of the Seyitgazi Külliyesi.
On the picture: the lower courtyard. On the left: some of the buildings of the ‘Tekke’, built in 1511.
In the background, a gallery and to its right side: the octagonal Türbe (mausoleum) of Seyit Battal Gazi, with a dome. On the right of the picture: the apse of the former byzantine monastery (10th century), which has been transformed into a ‘Çilehane’ when sultan Selim I gave the sanctuary to the Bektaşi Brotherhood.

Çilehane (= House of ascesis) was where Sufis would go to pray in seclusion. Before being accepted as a full member, each novice of a Sufi Order had to stay in such seclusion in a Çilehane for some time (mostly: forty days).

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Sources: ‘Türkye Tarihi Yerler Kılavuzu’ – M.Orhan Bayrak, Inkılâp Kitabevi, Istanbul, 1994.
Leaflet of the Seyitgazi Külliyesi (1995) , ‘Guide Fodor: Turquie’ - Edition 1988
& Personal visits (1995 – 1996).