DENIZLI TAVAS SARI ISMAIL SULTAN SHRINE AND CEM HOUSE
Sarı İsmail Sultan, Caliph Blonde Ismael , is one of the students of Hadjı Baktashi Vali who was the great sufi lived in 13th century in Anatolia and was the founder of Baktashi sect. Blonde Ismael lived in between 1260 and 1350 years and trained Turcomen inhabitants living around Tavas & Kale towns. He had a big lodge with some buildings around and his followers used to stay here and was entertained by him. He was one of 360 students of Hadjı Baktashi Vali and he was in service of sect founder as pitcher while Hadjı Baktashi Vali was alive. Later he moved to Tekke village and begam training the people here. The Blonde Ismael Shrine is located in the boundary of Tekke village which belongs to Tavas town, 75 kms far away from Denizli city center and is on Tavas-Kale road. The shrine was built on a rectangular plan with cut stones and concrete walls are painted with white plaster. The shrine has two rooms; the mausoleum and guardroom. The Blonde Ismael Sarcohagi is covered with the lead roof and there are two windows on both side. The sarcopgahi has a fabric coating in color which reflects the principals of Baktashi sect. The visitors must be respectful and in silence while paying a visit to the shrine. The complex has a big charity kitchen where the meals are cooked every week and a large salloon where the Semah ceremonies & meetings are held. Blonde Ismael Cem House is one of the stops for Alevi-Baktashi sect members in this region. The shrine has a graveyard with graves and Baktashi gravestones with twelve sliced - Fahir & four sliced-Husseini headgears. The graveyards has a few dozens old tombstones as well as the new ones. The cemetery used to be large before but as the centuries went by, it began removing fast and was added so many building on.