The Spread of Khalwati Tariqa, as Reflected in Visits of Mustafa Al-Bakri Al-Siddiqi Al-Diashqi Al-Khalwati to Jerusalem and Syria in the Eighteenth Century
Ghaleb Anabseh, Department of Arabic, Beit Berl College Academy.
Abstract
In this article I wish to survey the impressions of al-Bakrī (Mustafā bin Kamāl al-Dīn al-Bakrī al-Siddīqī, d. 1749) of his visit to Syria and Jerusale in 1710, as documented in his al-Khamra al-mahsiyya fī al-rihla al-Qudsiyya, (The Sipped Drink on a Journey to Jerusalem) which he began writing during his stay in Palestine. In his manuscript al-Bakrī describes not only the places he visited but also the religious, social and cultural life of the Muslims there.
His second journey to Syria and Jerusalem, in 1714, is described in al-Khatarāt al-thāniya al-insiyya lil-rawda al-dāniya al-qudsiyya, (The Second Friendly Gait to the Nearby Garden of Jerusalem).
Al-Bakrī's desire to visit Jerusalem clearly had a religious and historical motivation. However, it appears that he had another objective as well, namely to bring new members into the Khalwatī Order, and to visit holy sites in Palestine.
Al-Bakrī was the head (shaykh) of the Khalwatī Order in Syria and Palestine and did much to enhance the order's status in the eighteenth century. To the best of our knowledge the Khalwatī Order originated in Anatolia and the Caucasus. It penetrated into Istanbul in the fifteenth century and from there it spread to Syria and Palestine, Egypt and Hejaz.