Haydar Sultan Complex: Shrine and Well Near Keskin

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1. What is Haydar Sultan Complex?
2. How do you get to Haydar Sultan Complex?
3. When is the best time to visit Haydar Sultan Complex?
4. What is the history of Haydar Sultan Complex?
5. What is Haydar Sultan Complex famous for?
6. What can you see at Haydar Sultan Complex?
7. Frequently asked questions about Haydar Sultan Complex
8. What do the official records say about Haydar Sultan Complex?

What is Haydar Sultan Complex?

The Haydar Sultan Complex is a shrine in the village of the same name in Keskin district, in the east of Kırıkkale province. It stands about 500 m from the village, on the lower slopes of the Böyrek Mountains, and consists of a mosque, a tomb, a graveyard, a fountain and a well. Pilgrims come to visit the tomb and to see the well, known as the Deliler Kuyusu, the “well of the mad”, whose cold water appears to boil.

The 2002 inventory notes that the complex lost much of its original character in later repairs, and that what survives from the old buildings is the well and two inscriptions. The interest of the site lies as much in its story as in its architecture.

How do you get to Haydar Sultan Complex?

Haydar Sultan village lies 22 km from the town of Keskin, according to the 2002 inventory. Keskin is east of Kırıkkale city; drive from Kırıkkale to Keskin and continue on local roads to the village. There is no public transport intended for visitors, so a car or taxi is the realistic option.

Kırıkkale is about 80 km east of Ankara, with a high-speed train station. A visit to Haydar Sultan fits into a day with the Ceritkale rock tombs, also in Keskin district.

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When is the best time to visit Haydar Sultan Complex?

Late spring and early autumn are best: mild days, clear air and green or golden hills under the Böyrek Mountains. Winters are cold and the upland roads can be snowy. Weekends and religious holidays bring more pilgrims. The Keskin culture and arts festival, listed for September in the 2002 inventory, is a lively time to be in the district.

What is the history of Haydar Sultan Complex?

The 2002 inventory states that the Haydar Sultan complex was built over a probable monastery that existed in the Late Roman or Early Byzantine period. Repairs over the centuries have altered it, and only the wells known as the Deliler Kuyusu and two inscriptions survive from the original complex.

The well and the tomb in Haydar Dede village have their own history and a legend told about them. According to this tradition, what is told and written about Haydar Sultan and the well strengthens the idea that Haydar, son of the great Turkish mystic and saint Hoca Ahmed Yesevi, was influential in the Islamisation and Turkification of the Kırıkkale–Keskin region. The inventory considers it a strong possibility that the tomb here is his.

Ahmed Yesevi, the 12th-century Sufi of Turkestan, is regarded as the spiritual ancestor of many dervishes who came to Anatolia, and several tombs in Central Anatolia are linked by tradition to his family or followers. As with most of these, the identification of Haydar Sultan rests on tradition rather than on documents.

What is Haydar Sultan Complex famous for?

• The Deliler Kuyusu. A cold-water well that seems to boil and give off steam because of its sulphur content.
• The Yesevi tradition. The belief that Haydar Sultan was a son of Ahmed Yesevi, which links this village to the founding figure of Turkish Sufism.
• Layers of use. A Muslim shrine built over what may have been a Christian monastery.

What can you see at Haydar Sultan Complex?

The Deliler Kuyusu. The inventory describes it in detail. The well is in a walled courtyard next to the mosque. It has a well ring 50 cm across, and below that a square shaft of 60 by 60 cm. The mouth of the well has been raised with concrete facing and it is about 1.5 m deep from ground level. Although the water is cold, it looks as if it is boiling and giving off steam. The sulphur in the water gives it this appearance.

The tomb. The tomb attributed to Haydar Sultan is the focus of the pilgrimage. Visitors enter quietly and pray.

The mosque, graveyard and fountain. The mosque has been heavily rebuilt, but stands on the old site; the graveyard (hazire) and fountain complete the complex.

The inscriptions. Two inscriptions are among the few surviving original elements; ask the caretaker to point them out.

The setting. The complex sits on the skirts of the Böyrek Mountains, with open views over the surrounding farmland.

Frequently asked questions about Haydar Sultan Complex

What do the official records say about Haydar Sultan Complex?

It lies in Haydar Sultan village, 22 km from Kırıkkale’s Keskin district, on the skirts of the Böyrek Mountains, about 500 m from the village. The Haydar Sultan Complex, built over a probable monastery that existed in the Late Roman or Early Byzantine period, consists of a mosque, tomb, graveyard, fountain and well. From the complex, which lost its original identity through repairs, the wells called the Deliler Kuyusu and two inscriptions have survived to the present day.

The Deliler Kuyusu is in a walled courtyard beside the mosque. Although the water of the well is cold, it looks as if it is boiling and giving off steam. The sulphur in the water gives it this appearance. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Kırıkkale Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)