Spiritual Migration in the Context of Political Change: The Bektashi Babas of Rumeli

Abstract

Spiritual migration, both physical movement for compelling personal religious reasons as well as the inner journey to come closer to the Truth, is found in many traditions—from Plato with his great circuit following the gods toward enlightenment to the travels and awakening of the Buddha. In Islam, spiritual migration builds on a particularly well-developed understanding of travel and religion. And just as the Sufi or mystic orders of Islam emphasize spiritual dimensions of Islamic practices, so Sufi understandings of Islamic travel are especially rich with spiritual dimensions that lead to forms of spiritual migration.