The Bektashi Order or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi mystic order originating in the 13th-century. It is named after the Turkish saint Haji Bektash Veli (d. 1271). The Albanian community is currently led by Baba Mondi, their eighth Bektashi Dedebaba and headquartered in Tirana, Albania. Bektashis believe in the Ismah of the Prophets and messengers, the Twelve Imams, the Fourteen Infallibles and the current Dedebabas. In addition to the spiritual teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, the Bektashi order was later significantly influenced during its formative period by the Hurufis (in the early 15th century), the Qalandariyya stream of Sufism, figures like Ahmad Yasawi, Yunus Emre, Shah Ismail, Shaykh Haydar, Nesimi, Pir Sultan Abdal, Gül Baba, Sari Saltik and to varying degrees more broadly the Shia belief system circulating in Anatolia during the 14th to 16th centuries. The mystical practices and rituals of the Bektashi order were systematized and structured by Balım Sultan in the 16th century. According to a 2005 estimate made by Reshat Bardhi, there are over seven million Bektashis worldwide. Albania is the country with the most Bektashis, where they make up 20% of the Muslim population, and 2.5% of the country's population. Bektashis are mainly found throughout Turkey, the Balkans and among Ottoman-era Greek Muslims communities.

Bektashi Order - Wikipedia