Sheikh Ali Samarkand Museum and Complex

The father of Sheikh Ali Semerkandi is the grandson of Hz. Omer, so he is a descendant of Hz. Omer. He was born in Isfahan in 1320. Ali Semerkandi went to Samarkand, one of the most important science centers of the period, and took mathematics, astronomy, medicine and law lessons there. After the education he received, he started giving lessons in many places and later served as an imam in the Kaaba for many years. While he was serving as an imam, in his dream, Hz. Muhammad's daughter Fatma told him that Hz. Muhammad declared him his own child. In this dream, Sheikh Ali Semerkandi, who started the mission of spreading Islam given to him by the prophet from Konya Karaman, is said to have been to Alanya, Çankırı, Karabük, Kızılcahamam and finally came to Çamlıdere. He contributed to the development of trade in the region by establishing a farm in Çamlıdere and encouraging the people to farm.

According to a story told, Ali Semerkandi, who was grazing cattle there while the village women were harvesting, could not find water to perform ablution and when he hit his staff on the ground and said, ‘Come out, oh blessed!’, water gushed out from the ground. After the farmer women insulted him by saying that this water would harm our crops, Semerkandi said, ‘Oh blessed water. Let neither your coming out nor your flowing out be known.’ and the place where the water came out turned into a well. As a result, a locust plague occurred in Bursa, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, and they used the water that Semerkandi brought out to save themselves from this disaster. The region was saved from this disaster in a very short time. The source of this water is today in the village of Sadeyaka, in the Eskipazar district of Karabük province.

The tomb of Ali Semerkandi, who always held morality, discipline and justice in high regard, is located in Çamlıdere, one of the greenest districts of Ankara, also known as the Şeyhler neighborhood. Apart from the tomb located in a complex, there is a mosque, tomb, museum, resting areas, and an area where local products are sold. The tomb located on a high hill is entered through a magnificent gate. After walking along a long road, the tomb where the graves of Ali Semerkandi and his students are located welcomes its visitors. Experiencing 15th century Çamlıdere in the complex gives the feeling of having traveled through history. The museum, which presents images from that period, also conveys the lifestyle of the people to its visitors in an interesting way. It is also possible to rest and have a drink in the countryside coffeehouse located in the middle of the complex, which is almost a living museum.

Images: Newspaper First Page, evliyalar.net, Mapio