Evliya Çelebi in the Circassian lands: Vampires, tree worshippers, and pseudo Muslims
Evliya Çelebi in the Circassian lands: Vampires, tree worshippers, and pseudo-Muslims

Summary/Abstract: Evliya Çelebi (1611–c. 1685), the Ottoman traveller (scholar, courtier, raconteur, dervish, musician, and linguist) journeyed the entire empire and beyond over the course of forty years and authored what is considered the largest travel account in history (ten volumes), providing a unique record of his times. This article focuses on his travels in the Circassian lands where he encountered vampire witches, polities with no rulers, vegetarian tribes, and “other jollities”. His travelogue replete with references to their population, settlements, and troops sheds light on the religious, cultural, and linguistic characteristics of the Circassians as well as their incipient Islamisation.

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