Ayvaz Dede Festivals

Ayvaz Dede Festivals (Ajvatovica) are a religious and cultural event held in Bosnia and Herzegovina to commemorate Ayvaz Dede. The festivals take place annually on the last Sunday of June near the town of Prusac (Akhisar), which is under the municipality of Donji Vakuf in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Activities include collective processions visits prayers worship and traditional practices.

History

The origin of the Ayvaz Dede Festivals is linked to a widely transmitted narrative in Bosnia and Herzegovina associated with Ayvaz Dede. According to this narrative during a period of drought in Prusac and its surroundings Ayvaz Dede withdrew for forty days to pray and on the fortieth day the large rock blocking the water source split in two bringing water to the region. It is reported that this event played a significant role in the local population’s acceptance of Islam.^【1】 

It is stated that the festivals have been held regularly or with limited participation over centuries. Even during wartime and exceptional circumstances the tradition was maintained through small group visits and prayers. During the era of former Yugoslavia the festivals were banned starting in 1947 and resumed after the ban was lifted in 1990. Today the Ayvaz Dede Festivals are recognized as a tradition with a history spanning over five centuries.

Ayvaz Dede

Ayvaz Dede is a dervish associated with the spread of Islam in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There are differing views regarding his real name origin and the time of his arrival in Bosnia:

• According to one view Ayvaz Dede was one of the forty dervishes brought to the region by Fatih Sultan Mehmed during his 1463 campaign to Bosnia to support the spiritual dimension of the conquest.
• Another view suggests that Ayvaz Dede can be identified with Halveti Sheikh Hasan Kafi of Akhisar who lived in the second half of the 16th century.
• A third view holds that Ayvaz Dede was a Bosnian dervish. This view is based on a qasida that describes the defense of Bosnian Muslims against King Matthias who attacked Bosnia in 1480 and is attributed to Ayvaz Dede.
• The claim that Ayvaz Dede was of Bogomil origin has not gained general acceptance due to lack of scholarly foundation.

It is stated that beliefs related to Ayvaz Dede in Bosnia and Herzegovina extend back to the 13th century. The belief that Ayvaz Dede came from Anatolia to the Balkans is widespread and the district of Akhisar in Manisa is often cited as his ancestral homeland. Although opinions about him differ it is generally accepted that his activities contributed to the Islamization of the region.^【2】 

Location of the Festivals

The Ayvaz Dede Festivals are held approximately 7–8 kilometers from the town of Prusac in a forested and expansive area. The festival site includes the rock believed to have split open by Ayvaz Dede’s prayer and the Ayvaz Dede spring. The site is located at a high elevation and features a structure capable of accommodating large-scale collective worship.

Ayvaz Dede Festivals (Anadolu Agency)

Rituals and Practices

Horseback processions hold a central place among the main practices of the festivals. Horsemen from various cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina gather in the village of Karaula near Travnik dressed in traditional attire. There the Qur’an is recited and prayers are offered. Afterwards the horsemen begin a one-day journey toward Prusac chanting takbir and offering prayers.

Horsemen Setting Off for the Ayvaz Dede Festivals (Anadolu Agency)

On the morning of the festival day the tomb of Ayvaz Dede in Prusac is visited and prayers are offered. Then a collective procession departs from in front of the Prusac Camii toward the festival site. During the procession religious leaders lead the recitation of salawat takbir and hymns. The horsemen carry banners representing their home towns.

Ayvaz Dede Festivals (Anadolu Agency)

Participants pass sequentially through the rock believed to have been split by Ayvaz Dede’s prayer. The rock is approximately 30 meters long and 7 meters high. At its end the Qur’an is recited and prayers are offered. Afterwards the gathering joins collective worship and prayer ceremonies held in an open area near the Ayvaz Dede spring and on the mountain peak.

Social and Cultural Framework

The Ayvaz Dede Festivals are an integral part of Bosniak cultural heritage as a religious and historical tradition. They are regarded as a practice that preserves and transmits narratives associated with the acceptance of Islam in Bosnia and Herzegovina from generation to generation. Men women and children of all ages participate in the events and attendees come not only from Bosnia and Herzegovina but also from various other countries.

Ayvaz Dede Festivals (Anadolu Agency)

Contemporary Practices

During the 2025 festivals hundreds of horsemen from various cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina gathered in the village of Karaula and set off toward Prusac with prayers. In the same year more than 300 horsemen participated in the central events in Prusac and a concert was performed by the Mehteran Unit of the Turkish Ministry of National Defense.

The festivals were attended by the President of the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina representatives of the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina the Turkish Ambassador to Sarajevo and participants from various countries. The events concluded with recitation of the Qur’an prayers and the midday prayer.

Institutional Relations with Türkiye

Based on the belief that Ayvaz Dede was from Akhisar the Akhisar Municipality of Manisa and the Donji Vakuf Municipality of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared the Ayvaz Dede Festivals and the Akhisar Çağlak Festival as sister festivals in 2010. In 2015 the two municipalities formally established a sister-city relationship. Additionally both municipalities are conducting joint efforts to have the Ayvaz Dede Festivals and the Çağlak Festival included under the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritageprogram.

Ayvaz Dede Festivals (Anadolu Agency)