Sarû Baba

General Information

Also Known As

Sarû Baba shrine, Ziyareta Sarû Baba, Sarı Baba, سارُه بابا

Type

Ziyareta

Nahiya (Subdistrict)

Şiyê

Village or Nearby Villages

Şiyê

Religious Affiliation

Alevi

Sarû Baba is a shrine near the town of Şiyê (Şêxê Hesin, Sheikh al-Hadid) in the Şiyê sub-district. It stands beside the main road as a traditional building, still in place, with a massive plane tree beside it.1

Dedicated Figure & Historical Identification

Ibn al-Shihna's fifteenth-century chronicle Al-Durr al-Muntakhab records that the tomb of Yusuf bin Asbat lies in the village of Sheikh al-Hadid. The tomb is no longer identified, and the TirejAfrin survey suggests that either Sarû Baba or the nearby cemetery shrine of Xidir may be it.2

Dr. Mihemed Ebdo Elî, the historian and geographer of the Afrin region, names Sari Baba at Şiyê, together with Bizilme Dede and Xidir, among the Dede- and Baba-named sacred places of the Alevi sect found across the district, whose spread shows that Alevi followers were once present in much of the district in greater numbers than today.3

Bibliography

  • Elî, Mihemed Ebdo. Çiyayê Kurmênc (Efrîn): Dîrok, Civak, Belgekirin. Efrîn: Çapnivîsa Kurdî, 2007.
  • Ibn al-Shihna. Al-Durr al-Muntakhab fî Târîkh Halab. p. 127.
  • TirejAfrin. "Major Shrines in the Efrîn Region." https://www.tirejafrin.com/site/mazarat.htm.

References

  1. TirejAfrin, "Major Shrines in the Efrîn Region," https://www.tirejafrin.com/site/mazarat.htm. Arabic quote: "ـ زيارة ( سارُه بابا ) يقع المزار قرب القرية بجانب الطريق العام، لها مبنى تقليدي لا يزال قائماً، وبجانبها شجرة دلب ضخمة." English translation: "The shrine of Sarû Baba is located near the village beside the main road; it has a traditional building still standing, and beside it is a massive plane tree." ↩

  2. TirejAfrin, "Major Shrines," quoting Ibn al-Shihna, Al-Durr al-Muntakhab fî Târîkh Halab, p. 127. Arabic quote: "وقد ذكر ابن الشحنة في الدر المنتخب ص127، (( إن قبر يوسف بن أسباط يقع في قرية شيخ الحديد )). وهذا القبر غير معروف الآن، وقد تكون لإحد هذين المزارين علاقة بالقبر الذي ذكره ابن الشحنة." English translation: "Ibn al-Shihna mentioned in Al-Durr al-Muntakhab, p. 127: 'The tomb of Yusuf bin Asbat is in the village of Sheikh al-Hadid.' This tomb is now unknown, and it is possible that one of these two shrines is connected to the tomb Ibn al-Shihna mentioned." ↩

  3. Mihemed Ebdo Elî, Çiyayê Kurmênc (Efrîn): Dîrok, Civak, Belgekirin (Efrîn: Çapnivîsa Kurdî, 2007). Kurdish quote: "gava ku mera li navçê digere, mera pêrgî gelek cigehên pîroz tê, ku bi navên Dede yan Baba tên nasîn, ew navnîşan jî yên bineola 'Elewî ne. Ji wan cih û navan tê naskirin, ku şopedarên wê bineolê li piraniya deverên navçê hebûn û hejmara wan ji ya niha bêtir bû. Ew cihên pîroz ku me naskirin ev bûn: ... Bizilme Dede û Sari Baba û Xidir - Şiyê..." English translation: "When one goes around the district, one encounters many sacred places known by the names Dede or Baba; those designations belong to the Alevi sect. From those places and names it is known that followers of that sect were present in most parts of the district and that their number was greater than it is now. The sacred places we know are these: ... Bizilme Dede, Sari Baba, and Xidir at Şiyê..." ↩