Haji Garaman shrine

Haji Garaman shrine — a pilgrimage site located in the territory of the Chelebiler village in the Jabrayil district, where the grave of Haji Garaman (Ahmed) Chelebi is situated. Haji Garaman Chelebi was one of the revered miracle sheikhs of the Ahmedli period, having received perfect religious‑madrasah education. He supervised all the religious and secular affairs of the people. Because the shrine is not included in the list of immovable historical and cultural monuments taken under state protection by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan, it has no inventory number.

History

The Haji Garaman shrine is the grave where Ahmed Chelebi was buried (Chelebi – the word Chelebi is a religious and secular term used as a nickname for rulers and princes, meaning lover of God, writer, poet, scholar). It is known from history that in the first half of the 13th century — during the Mongol invasions — members of the famous Garaman tribe from Small Asia (mainly the territories of Turkey) came to Azerbaijan (the Garaman tribe included the commander of the Kara Koyunlu ruler Kara Yusuf, the Karabakh ruler Amir Yahmad, and Zulfukar Khan, appointed by Shah Abbas I as ruler of Shamakhi).

Haji Garaman, one of the named leaders of the Chelebiler, arrived in the Jabrayil area in the 13th–14th centuries, first settling in the place between the villages of Niftalılar and Nüsüs, and later moving to the Chelebiler village. Therefore, the grave where Haji Garaman was buried was later sanctified as a shrine. The mosque in Chelebiler village was built by Muhammad ibn Haji Garaman Ahmedli in Hijri year 1088 (AD 1678). Haji Garaman’s name was taken from the name of the famous Oghuz Turkic tribe, the Garaman tribe.

Pilgrimage Site

The Haji Garaman shrine is located in the Chelebiler village of the Jabrayil district. The village is situated in the administrative territorial unit of the Jabrayil district of the Republic of Azerbaijan. When the village was occupied by the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia in 1993, the shrine remained in the occupied area. When the village was liberated from occupation by the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan on October 25, 2020, the shrine was also liberated.

The shrine contains the tomb of Haji Garaman. On his tombstone there is a text written in Arabic script. The shrine is not composed of a single tombstone. It is surrounded by various stones. Before the occupation it was constantly a place of visitation for people coming both from the district itself and from surrounding areas. Visitors would recite prayers, read Yasin, tie their small wishes – petitions – to the little tree branches, ask God for sustenance – prosperity, health of life, and would circle the tomb three times.

The shrine is widely known throughout Azerbaijan, and generally in Eastern countries.

Genealogical tree

Haji Garaman Chelebi came from Diyarbakir to Azerbaijan in the late 16th century to the early 17th century to spread Islam. He arrived in the area of the Jabrail district, first settled in the place between the villages of Niftalılar and Nüsüs, later moved to the village of Chelebi. Haji Garaman married Yetar, the daughter of Gulahmed from the Jabrail zone, and carried out great missionary work in this land, showing many miracles, for which he received the nickname “Khizr”. The tomb where Haji Garaman was buried later became sacred like a hearth. The mosque in Chelebi village was built by Haji Garaman. Haji Garaman’s name was taken from the Qaraman tribe of the famous Oghuz Turks. Ahmad Chelebi had two sons named Mustafa and Muhammad.

His 7th descendant, Sheikh Haji Qasim Chelebi, continued his missionary work at a high level. Today’s Chelebis are his descendants. The word “Chelebi” is a secular religious term meaning a poet or scholar who loves God.

Another prominent representative of this lineage, Ali Chelebi, was born in 1928 in the village of Sirik of Jabrail district. Until the end of his life he served as an elder for the people of that village, was a prayerful supporter of charitable works that were founded, and a helper to those who sought refuge in his presence.