Customs of the Akhiyya Brotherhood

Customs of the Akhiyya Brotherhood, including music and dancing. This kind of brotherhood is considered as part of the broader phenomenon of the "futuwwa". The sense of fraternity existed between the fityān of each town and others elsewhere by whom they were received when travelling, like the old “companions” in Europe (see Futuwwa, EI-2).

وأحد الأخية أخي على لفظ الأخ إذا أضافه المتكلم إلى نفسه، وهم بجميع البلاد التركمانية الرومية في كل بلد ومدينة وقرية، ولا يوجد في الدنيا مثلهم أشد احتفالًا بالغرباء من الناس وأسرع إلى إطعام الطعام وقضاء الحوائج والأخذ على أيدي الظلمة وقتْل الشرط ومن لحق بهم من أهل الشر، والأخي عندهم رجل يجتمع أهل صناعته وغيرهم من الشبان الأعزاب والمتجردين ويقدمونه على أنفسهم، وتلك هي الفتوة أيضًا، ويبني زاوية ويجعل فيها الفرش والسرج وما يحتاج إليه من الآلات ويخدم أصحابه بالنهار في طلب معايشهم ويأتون إليه بعد العصر بما يجتمع لهم، فيشترون به الفواكه والطعام إلى غير ذلك مما ينفق في الزاوية، فإن وَرَدَ في ذلك اليوم مسافر على البلد أَنْزَلُوه عندهم، وكان ذلك ضيافته لديهم، ولا يزال عندهم حتى ينصرف، وإن لم يَرِدْ وارد اجتمعوا هم على طعامهم فأكلوا وغنوا ورقصوا وانصرفوا إلى صناعتهم بالغد وأتوا بعد العصر إلى مقدمهم بما اجتمع لهم [...] وقد اصْطَفَّ في المجلس جماعة من الشبان ولباسهم الأقبية وفي أرجلهم الأخفاف وكل واحد منهم متحزم على وسطه سكين في طول ذراعين وعلى رءوسهم قلانس بيض من الصوف بأعلى كل قلنسوة قطعة موصولة بها في طول ذراع وعرض أصبعين، فإذا استقر بهم المجلس نزع كل واحد منهم قلنسوته ووضعها بين يديه وتبقى على رأسه قلنسوة أخرى من الزردخاني وسواه حسنة المنظر، وفي وسط مجلسهم شبه مرتبة موضوعة للواردين، ولما استقرينا المجلس عندهم أتوا بالطعام الكثير والفاكهة والحلواء، ثم أخذوا في الغناء والرقص [ص. ٢٠١-٢٠٢]

The singular of akhiyya is akhī, pronounced like the word akh ('brother') with the possessive pronoun of the first person singular. They exist in all the lands of the Turkmens of al-Rūm, in every district, city, and village. Nowhere in the world are there to be found any to compare with them in solicitude for strangers, and in ardour to serve food and satisfy wants, to restrain the hands of the tyrannous, and to kill the agents of police and those ruffians who join with them. An Akhī, in their idiom, is a man whom the assembled members of his trade, together with others of the young unmarried men and those who have adopted the celibate life, choose to be their leader. That is [what is called] al-futuwwa also. The Akhī builds a hospice and furnishes it with rugs, lamps, and what other equipment it requires. His associates work during the day to gain their livelihood, and after the afternoon prayer they bring him their collective earnings; with this they buy fruit, food, and the other things needed for consumption in the hospice. If, during that day, a traveller alights at the town, they give him lodging with them; what they have purchased serves for their hospitality to him and he remains with them until his departure. If no newcomer arrives, they assemble themselves to partake of the food, and after eating they sing [ġannū] and dance [raqaṣū]. On the morrow they disperse to their occupations, and after the afternoon prayer they bring their collective earnings to their leader. [...] Standing in rows in the chamber were a number of young men wearing long cloaks, and with boots on their feet. Each one of them had a knife about two cubits long attached to a girdle round his waist, and on their heads were white bonnets of wool with a piece of stuff about a cubit long and two fingers broad attached to the peak of each bonnet. When they take their places in the chamber, each one of them removes his bonnet and puts it down in front of him, but retains on his head another bonnet, an ornamental one, of silk taffeta or some other fabric. In the centre of their hall was a sort of platform placed there for visitors. When we had taken our places among them, they brought in a great banquet, with fruits and sweetmeats, after which they began their singing [ġināʾ] and dancing [raqṣ].

418-420

1330 circa