The Tomb of Telli Baba

Istanbul · Turkiet · Cemetery

Some say a bride lies in the grave — so visitors take a thread away with them and bring it back fastened to a wedding veil.

On the road toward Rumelikavağı lies a small grave that is among the most visited in Istanbul. Who rests in it nobody knows for certain. One account makes him İmam Abdullah Efendi, field imam in the Conqueror's army; another the Bektashi dervish Mehmet Emin Efendi. The most persistent says something quite different: that the person buried there was in fact a young bride, and that Telli Gelin, the veiled bride, became Telli Baba over time because saints were always assumed to be men. Hence the custom. Anyone hoping to marry takes a strand of tinsel thread from the tomb and carries it away, and once the wedding happens the thread is pinned to the veil and brought back. The chamber is now entirely clothed in such threads. Anyone may take a thread, at any hour of the day or night.

FAQ

Where is The Tomb of Telli Baba located?

The Tomb of Telli Baba is in Istanbul, Turkiet.

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