SUFIS IDENTIFIED WITH THEIR CITIES: KARS- ABU’L-HASAN KHARAKANÎ (CONTRIBUTIONS OF KHARAKANI STORIES TO SOCIAL DOCUMENT AND SOCIAL INTEGRATION OF KARS)
The wise (enlightened) people are like candles; they enlighten surroundings as they melt. They are like mirrors which reflect your soul to you. Many of the wise from Anatolia identify with the city they lived in. It is impossible to imagine Konya without Mevlana as well as it is impossible to think Kırşehir without Aji Evran, Nevşehir without Hacı Bektaş and Ankara without Hacı Bayram-ıVelî. Likewise, it is also impossible imagine Kars without Ebu’l-Hasan Harakani. The contribution of Ebu’l-Hasan Kharakani and his anecdotes to social pattern, socio-cultural structure and social integrity of Kars is pretty quite important. Inter alia Ebu’l-Hasan Kharakani is a man who still contributes Kars and the city culture of Kars. The purpose of this presentation is to show His contribution to the city and the culture of city. He is like a social instrument which attaches the sunni, alewi people and people from different ethnicities. He is still illuminating and enlightening.

Keywords
Kars, Abu’l-Hasan Kharakânî, city, co-existence, social texture