Achiyya

Achiyya (Arabic for "brotherhood") was a guild-like association of young and unmarried men in Anatolia during the 13th and 14th centuries. The union was in the tradition of the Futuwwa .

The founder of the Achiyya in Anatolia is Nasir ad-Din Mahmud (d. 1262), who would later be called Achi Ewran. This religious and social institution spread rapidly in Anatolia and had considerable influence, especially during the Mongol invasions the Achiyya took on state tasks.

Ibn Battuta in particular reported in his travelogue from the first half of the 14th century about this "brotherhood", whose hospitality and generosity he particularly emphasized. Only sparse reports about the Achiyya have survived from the 15th century. The tradition in the tanners' guild lasted even longer. Their patron was Achi Ewran.

The derivation from Arabic is not completely certain. The word may also come from the Turkic languages ​​and originally meant "generous".

literature

• Mehmed Fuad Koprulu: Early Mystics in Turkish Literature. London and New York 2006, p. 235