Velâyetnames

Velâyetnames, or Velâyetname texts, are a genre of hagiographic literature in Persian, Ottoman Turkish and related languages that centers on the concept of wilaya (spiritual guardianship) within Sufi Islam. The term velâyetname literally means “book of guardianship” or “name of wilayah,” and these works present the life, miracles, and spiritual authority of a Sufi saint, often tracing a chain of transmission (silsila) back to the Prophet or to established authorities within a tariqa.

The genre developed in the medieval and early modern Persianate world, flourishing in regions where Sufi orders such as the Bektashi, Naqshbandi, Qadiriyya and others were influential. Velâyetnames are typically written in Turkish or Persian, with some later copies in other regional languages. They are usually manuscript texts, though some were printed. A Velâyetname combines biographical material, reports of miracles (karamat), visions, and ethical or devotional instructions for disciples. In many cases it also contains letters, revelations, or official-sounding attestations that purportedly confer or preserve spiritual authority (wilayah) within a lineage.

Scholars view Velâyetnames as valuable for understanding Sufi practices, networks of spiritual authority, and the social history of the regions where orders thrived, including Anatolia, the Balkans, and Iran. They function as both hagiography and moral instruction, often serving to legitimize a saint’s influence, recruit followers, and codify particular interpretations of mysticism within a given community.