Bekhtashi Order of Dervishes

“A Rare Look at a Little-Known Branch of Islamic Sufism…This is a revised edition of an older work which remains the primary English source of information about the beliefs, practices, and history of the Bektashi Sufi Order. Despite its relatively liberal beliefs, the Bektashi Order is little known in the West because it is largely confined to Turkey and the Balkans. This book provides a good look at the origin and basic beliefs of the Bektashis… The distinct-but-related Alevi and Bektashi movements have became a major social and political force in modern Turkey and the Balkans, and English language accounts of these developments are almost non-existent. This is a shame, for any liberalizing trends in the Islamic world can only be for the good, and such movements deserve wider publicity. For now, John Kinsley Birge’s interesting presentation will have to do.” –By Stephen Triesch