Necklace with twelve-pointed pendant for Bektashi Sufis

1955

Marble pendant in a twelve-pointed form. The pendant is worn on a cord around the neck by followers of the Sufi order of the Bektashi's. The pendant is part of the costume of the Bektashi dervishes and is given by the Bektashi sheikh (baba) to a follower after completion of the initiation into the order. Also, babas, older Bektashi sheikhs, transferred the pendant from baba to baba. Both married and unmarried dervishes wore the pendant. The Turkish name of the pendant (teslim tasi) translates as 'stone of surrender'. The pendant should be fastened with a hexagonal bead and a twelvefold wound cord. Sometimes two small olive or cube-shaped, opaque stones were also strung on the cord, as with this pendant.The pendants were made of different types of stones and minerals: crystal, carnelian, jasper, jade, and alabaster (both white and cream colored with reddish-brown spots). This last stone is called the Haci Bektash stone and is mined near the tekke and mausoleum of Haci Bektash in Central Anatolia. A Bektashi tradition tells that during the life of Haci Bektash, an enemy tried to poison him. He found this out and spit out all the food and drink he had taken. A splash of blood mixed with this which resulted in the coloring of the stone (Birge 1937: 233).‖ The shape of the pendant is always round or oval and has eight or, as in this case, twelve corners. The meaning of the twelve points can be interpreted in several ways. The most important meaning is that the points symbolize the twelve Shiite imams. When Bektashi's got into conversation with Christians, however, they referred to the twelve apostles (Birge 1937: 232). Another interpretation possibility was that the twelve corners symbolized the twelve nations of Israel, i.e. the progenitors of the Jewish people (Birge 1937: 217). The fact that an element like twelve corners could have all three of these meanings shows the connection and overlap of Bektashism with other religions. In addition, the symbols with dual meanings made it easier to convince both Muslims and Christians of Bektashism (Birge 1937: 210). \As with other Bektashi objects, the pendant refers to Bektashi thought. Bektashis wore the pendant as a symbol of the fusion of human individuality with "the eternal truth" aka the unity of God, Muhammad and Ali (De Jong 1989: 10, 12). The combination of the pendant with the two olive-shaped stones may also symbolise the Bektashi trinity (Birge 1937: 233, De Jong 1999: 9). There are also legends linking the pendant to Moses and Abu Bakr. In one tradition it is described that Abu Bakr once spoke inappropriately to the Prophet Muhammad and, because of his shameful memory of this, hung a small stone around his neck. Every time he spoke to the Prophet after that, he would take the stone in his mouth to remind him of his mistakes (Fremgen 1999: 207).‖ Luca Bruls, 2016