Gul Baba turbeje - Gul Baba's shrine, Budapest

Baba was a Turkish warrior-saint who acted as the army's Imam during the conquest of Hungary in the 1541 campaign. Some of his poems - Guldeste = Bunch of Roses - and some of his mystical prose survive. The original mausoleum was built by the Ottoman commander Mehmed Pasha. Today, the renovated tomb, topped with a copper roof, is one of the few reminders of the 150 years of Turkish rule in Hungary. This was the true highwater mark for the Ottomans. At the peak of Turkish times, there were 61 mosques in Buda alone. Defeat in 1686 led to Hapsburg renewal and a gradual, bloody rollback of the Turks. In its time, the tomb was a local center for Islamic activity. Today, it sits quietly on a back street of Buda high above Margarethe Island, visited by the odd tourist or two.

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The Gul Baba monument is well known between european Muslisms communities as the northest pilgrimage site in the Old Continent. Maybe for all other people it couldn't deserve a visit, but Roses Hill (where this quiet Sanctuary has been built) offers one of most beautiful views of Budapest skyline. And gives the opportunity for an unusual walk in a green and elegant part of the town.

Mausoleum of the Turkish dervish, Gul Baba (Roses' Father), who lived in 16th century, when the Ottomans started to occupy Buda.

Baba, revered as a saint, is buried in a pretty small building with eight walls and a oriental copula. His tomb, situated in neglected roses' garden, is a Muslim place of pilgrimage.

Open: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Entrance: 300 forints (a bit more than 1 euro)
Now - as far as I know - it is reconstructing and for this reason closed for tourist.

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Mausoleum of Gul Baba (Rose Father), who lived in 16th century during the beginning of the Ottomans occupation.

Baba, revered as a saint, introduced Roses to Budapest. His tomb, located in a rose garden, is a Muslim place of pilgrimage.

Every body knows that Gül Baba introduced roses to Hungary. Rose is the symbol of beauty, purity, good character.But he also had another weapon a wooden-sword. Sword is the symbol of justice.
Gül Baba, the Turkish Bektaschi Derwisch, with a wooden-sword in his left hand and roses in his right hand is the protector and wacher of Budapest and Hungary. He is also the protector of all living and non living things in the very utmost frointer. Those who know Turkish can take a look at http://www.macaristan.org

Galatasaray is familiar to you with the football club rather than the Lycee. But what you don't know that Gül Baba is the founder of Galatasaray Lyceum in Ýstanbul. The legend of how it was founded lays back in the 15th century. Sultan Bayezid was out hunting in a winter day what is now the Tophane-Galata area of Istanbul and he came upon an elderly Bektaschi Derwisch seated in his rose garden.
The man who was called Gül Baba (Rose Father) presented him a red and a yellow rose, the colors, which would later be adopted by the school. Sultan Bayazid was amazed "Roses in winter ? " he thought. The sultan was so taken with the gesture and had enjoyed his conversation with him to such an extent that he asked the man what he would like and the latter said for a school to be established there. The sultan kept his promise and, founded a Lyceum called Galatasaray. Gül baba became the first master of the school.To day Galatasaray Lycee and University plays an important role in Turkish culture There is a symbolic grave of Gül Baba in the garden of the Lyceum.. For centuries Gul Baba's grave has been an attraction for people, who came to pray to him, and to partake, if possible, in any good fortune which might come of this.
If you know Turkish you can take a look at
http://www.macaristan.org

The tomb of Güll Baba is a noteworthy monument for for Mohammedan pilgrim. The Turkish armies secured possession of Buda in the mid 1500's when Güll Baba died during the victory celebrations. The tomb has been renovated twice in the late 1800's and again in the late 1900's, and today is beautifully reburbished.

The famous Hungarian historiker Gy. Gerö gave this information about Gül Baba in his article "Beitraege zur Geschichte der Türkischen Bautaetigkeiten in Ungarn “ Acta Historiae Artium XIV 1968

“ Das Grab des Gül Baba wurde aus sorgfaeltig behauenen Quadersteinen errichtet, den einzigen Fassadenschmuck bilden die glatten, vertieften Spiegelfelder.(Fekete, “ Török Müemlekek s.336 “ ) und die aus einfachen steinprismen gefüghten Tür- und Fensterrahmen. Den Bau krönt eine halbkugelförmige Kuppel, um denen Ansatz ein einfach geglidertes Steinzims laeuft. Von den das innere schmückenden einstigen Koranzitaden und sonstigen Inschriften, von denen manche von Evliya Çelebi selbst stammten, bleib nicht mehr erhalten. Der Gross teil der heutigen Einrictung ist eine Spende des Efkaf Humajun, der kaiserlich türkischen Stiftungsverwaltung aus der zweiten Haelfte des vorigen Jahrhunderts, waehrend die übrigen Einrictungsgegenstaende votrfgaben(?) der frommer Pilger sind. (Die gegenwaertig in der Türbe befindlichen Einrichtungsgegenstaende gelangten nach ihrer wiederherstellung 1962 wieder an ihrer platz.) “

Daniel Spitzer (3.Juli 1835- 11.1.1893) visited Gül Baba June 2nd 1878 and wrote his memories:
"Ich habe es auch nicht versäumt, das Grab des türkischen Heiligen Gül-Baba in Ofen zu besuchen. [...] Auf der Höhe sind Weingärten, von wo man zur Linken einen kleinen freundlichen Halbmond winken sieht, auf einer dicken geschindelten Kuppel, die einen unbedeutenden, ärmlichen achteckigen Bau bedeckt. [...] Eine Frau [...] hielt [...] dem türkischen Heiligen eine schwungvolle Lobrede, wobei sie freilich manche Uebertreibung seiner Verdienste sich zu Schulden kommen ließ, indem sie ihm beispielsweise nachrühmte, er sei schon über tausend Jahre todt. Dabei nahm sie ihre Schürze auf und wischte sich die Augen,und als ich sie zu trösten versuchte, daß wir ja Alle ins Grab müßten, ob wir nun türkische Heilige seien oder gewöhnliche Sterbliche, schluchzte sie:
I bin halt dem gnädigen Herrn gar so anhänglich. Unter dem gnädigen Herrn verstand sie den türkischen Heiligen [...] und indem sie tief aufschluchzte, fragte sie ihre Freundin, ob diese sich noch an jenen Fremden erinnere, der sich von dem Grabe nicht habe trennen können und schließlich jeder von Ihnen einen Gulden geschenkt habe. Die Gärtnerin vermochte sich glücklicherweise an den Fall zu erinnern.

If you know Turkish you may visit
www.macaristan.org to know much about Gül Baba

The famous Turkish traveller Evliya Celebi wrote in his "Book of Travels" in XVIIth century that Gul Baba came to Buda during the time of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent from Merzifon/Turkey.

"Baba bir kan-ı kerem sultandır
Degil elbette teh-i pir u geda
Merzifondan gelerek tuttu vatan
Şeyh Suleyman zamanı Gullubaba"

"A szultáni kegyesség bányája a Baba,
Nem marad üresen az öreg koldus,
Merzifunból jővén, itt hazát talált,
Szulejmán sáh idejében Gülli-baba."

This picture, called as Death of Gül Baba was painted in 1886 by the famous Hungarian painter Ferech Eisenhut. Gül Baba was presented as a very old man dying in the arms of his best friends. The rose which he carried in his hand drops down slowly. The masterpiece is furnishing today the saloon of the Hungarian Ambassador's residance in Ankara.