Tomb of Somuncu Baba

Somuncu Baba (1331–1412), whose real name was Sheikh Hamîdüddin or Hamid-i Veli, was one of the most influential Sufis of the early Ottoman period. Born in Kayseri and educated in Damascus, Tabriz and Ardabil, he became known in Bursa as “Somuncu Baba” (Father Loaf) and “Ekmekçi Koca” (Master Baker) because he handed out bread to the people.

He spent his last years in Aksaray, where he trained Hacı Bayram-ı Veli. When he died in 1412, Hacı Bayram-ı Veli led his funeral prayer and he was buried where his tomb stands today. The city’s Şeyhhamit neighbourhood is named after him.

Who was Somuncu Baba?

Sources describe him as the son of Shamsaddin Musa al-Kaysari, one of the Khorasan dervishes who spread Islam in Anatolia. In Bursa he baked loaves in an oven next to his hermitage and distributed them in the streets. He delivered the inaugural sermon of Bursa’s Grand Mosque, built by Sultan Bayezid I, interpreting the Fatiha in seven different ways and deeply moving the sultan and the congregation.

Fleeing fame, he left Bursa, lived for a while near Kozan (Sis), travelled via Damascus to Mecca for the Hajj and settled in Aksaray on his return. His students included Hacı Bayram-ı Veli, Molla Fenari and his son Yusuf Hakiki Baba.

The story of the loaves

His nickname comes from the bread he baked in Bursa and gave away for free, calling out “loaves for the faithful”. The story became the popular symbol of his teaching of humility and sharing.

The tomb and complex

The tomb is part of a group of buildings also known as the Hakiki Yusuf Baba complex, after his son. The same complex holds the grave of the scholar Cemaleddin Aksarayî, one of the first teachers of the Zinciriye Madrasa.

Historians debate the exact location of his grave: the stronger view is Aksaray, while Darende in Malatya, where his other son Halil Taybî settled, also has a complex in his name. In the 17th century Evliya Çelebi listed Sheikh Hamid-i Veli first among Aksaray’s places of pilgrimage, calling him “the head of the people of wisdom in the lands of Rum” and noting that he lay beneath an open-topped dome; he added that his son Sheikh Hakiki led the Bayrami order in Aksaray.

Getting there from Neva Apart

Neva Apart is in Aksaray city centre, a few minutes’ walk from the Zinciriye Madrasa and the Grand Mosque; the distances below are measured from our aparthotel.

The tomb is around the Şeyhhamit neighbourhood north of the centre, about 1.2 km from Neva Apart — a 15-minute walk. Kılıçarslan Park is in the same neighbourhood.

Tips for your visit

This is a place of devotion: keep your voice low, dress modestly and be respectful of people praying. Entry is free.

To place Somuncu Baba in the wider story of the city, see our history of Aksaray guide.

Other places nearby

• Zinciriye Madrasa – Built in 1336 under the Karamanids, with a four-iwan courtyard plan and castle-like crenellated walls — the only historic madrasa still standing in Aksaray.
• Kılıçarslan Park – A green space near the centre named after Seljuk Sultan Kılıç Arslan II, who rebuilt Aksaray — with walking paths and places to relax.
• Grand Mosque of Aksaray (Ulu Cami) – Built in 1408–1409 for Mehmed II of Karaman, Aksaray’s Grand Mosque pairs a Seljuk-style carved portal with a pointed-arched stone prayer hall.
• Crooked Minaret (Eğri Minare) – A red-brick Seljuk minaret built under Sultan Alaeddin Kayqubad I (1221–1237) whose pronounced lean made it the symbol of Aksaray.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Somunju Baba
• Wikipedia – Aksaray