Guide
This lodge in Harput, in what used to be called the Cami-i Kebir quarter, is known locally as the tomb of Mansur Baba. An endowment deed of the sixteenth century survives for it, recording an annual income of 8,980 akce at that date.
The story of how it came to be a tomb is told as follows. Following a dream seen by a woman named Sahende, a dig was carried out in the presence of Beyzade Efendi, one of the spiritual figures of Harput, and a large sarcophagus was uncovered holding the graves of a man, a woman and two children. When the man's grave was opened an undecayed body was found; the matter was reported by telegraph to the office of the Şeyhülislam, and on the reply that came back a tomb was built and given the name Mansur Baba after the gravestone. Some sources hold that the graves may belong to the Artuqid dynasty. The tomb has been repaired and opened to visitors: it is octagonal in plan, monumental, of two storeys, with the interior keeping its original form and the covering added later.
