Twelve-sided Bektashi stone (Teslim Tasi)

Twelve-sided Bektashi stone (Teslim Tasi) Haci Bektash stone, Ottoman, circa 1900 or earlier

Good condition, with two original beads. Ø 5.2 cm

The 12-sided Bektashi stone (Turkish: “Teslim Taşı” or “Balgam”) is a twelve-sided stone worn around the neck by dervishes in the Bektashi tradition. This stone is also called the “stone of submission” or “stone of devotion (Balgami)” and is usually made of Balgami stone from Hacibektaş, which is mined in Kirshehir near the convent of the order’s founder, Hadji Bektash, in Nevshehir (eastern Turkey).