Born in
Khoy,
Iranian Azerbaijan in 1169, he moved to
Kayseri, Turkey and established the Ahi
guild there. He was skilled in the leatherworking trade and he organized guilds from 32 different professions. He led and organized the Ahis into a force capable of fighting the invading Mongols. He was a
Bektashi preacher who had gone to
Trabzon during the
Empire of Trebizond to spread
Islam. As a scholar, he was taught by teachers in
Baghdad and
Khorasan. He was killed by
Mongols in
Kırşehir on 1 April 1261. His grave site is in debate, but thought to be in
Boztepe. The site is near Trabzon. It is considered as sacred and has been visited by many people. This grave, however, may instead be that of a clan leader or a
Greek metropolitan who had accepted Islam. According to Şakir Şevket, in 1863, Muslim preacher Sheykh Haji Hakki Efendi was inspired to build a place near Ahi Evren's grave. So when Sheykh Haji Hakki Efendi died in 1890, he was buried there. The government then built a tomb and mosque at the site. == Legacy ==