Jan 15, 2019
Softa Baba Teke, the tyurbe (mausoleum) of Sabri Hussayn in Tutrakan, Bulgaria. He is known as Softa Baba, and is venerated as a saint by the Bulgarian Alevis. He lived in the late 19th to the mid 20th century, and was a well respected Naqshbandi teacher.
The ground the tyurbe stands on is soft, so it is supported by stones, which, along with relics from the shrine, are often stolen. Softa Baba’s family runs the shrine, growing apricots and peaches and selling rakia.
Pilgrims visit the site in the summer, eating together, and lighting candles and praying. Folklore holds that Softa Baba dwells in the home or has patronage of the home, so devotees clean their homes for his sake.
