Abstract
FROM HISTORICAL REALITY TO FOLK STORY: SAINT CULT FORMED AROUND THE ZINDAN BABA TOMB
Lüleburgaz, located on the passing route from Anatolia to the Balkans, is an agricultural, industrial and commercial city of the Kırklareli province. Lüleburgaz is a city that allows immigrants due to its location throughout history and thus has a multicultural population distribution. The fact that Lüleburgaz is located on the historical migration routes makes it important in terms of determining how the Turkish-Islamic culture and the belief system developed depending on this culture have been moved to Balkan geography and how the old beliefs of the Balkan geography have been reshaped by melting in the Turkish-Islamic culture pot.
Lüleburgaz has many shrines and tombs. Most owner of them are not known. Zindan Baba Tomb also vividly maintains its function as center of visit in the center of Lüleburgaz. The tomb is visited and various rituals are practiced in there. Could the tomb called Zindan Baba be Kasım Pasha who the son of Sokollu Mehmet Pasha?
In our study, we have tried to reveal how the historical facts have been reshaped in social memory for various reasons by suggesting our findings and thoughts about the real identity of this place, which is known as " Zindan Baba (Dungeon Father)" by the people of Lüleburgaz and became a center of visit due to ancestors cult.
Keywords
Zindan Baba Tomb, Kasım Pasha, Sokollu Mehmet Pasha, Lüleburgaz, Saint Cult