Yedi İklim Dört Köşe (Seven Climates, Four Corners) is a work of spiritual and cultural geography authored by Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kara. It was published in November 2023 as part of Dergâh Publications' Contemporary Islamic Thought series. With its 320 pages, the text describes the geographical spread of Islamic Sufism.
Subject
The book examines the progression of Sufism along the Silk Road through key geographical routes: Bukhara–Bursa–Bosnia, Kashgar–Konya–Kosovo, and Cairo–Crimea–Kazan. It offers both a spatial and an intellectual journey along these routes, focusing on the influence and works of great Sufis such as Ahmad Yasawi, Ibn Arabi, Mevlana, and Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani. The final section draws attention to female dervishes and the figures of the Bâcıyân-ı Rûm (Sisters of Anatolia).
Themes
- Geographical Spiritual Spread: The social and regional effects of Sufism are explained.
- Sufi Centers: Historical Sufi lodges (dergâhs), figures, and their universal understandings are discussed.
- Female Dervishes: The mystical tradition established by women in the Turkish-Islamic world is highlighted.
- Islamic Cultural Bridges: The figures who built cultural and spiritual bridges between the East and the West are examined.
Narration and Style
Mustafa Kara uses a method that blends academic language with storytelling. The book contains both documentary and narrative elements. The style is characterized by concrete geographical descriptions, biographical details of figures, and analyses of the period. The text integrates elements of enthusiasm and knowledge in a balanced manner.
