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Tillo is a village near the city of Siirt in Southeastern Anatolia. It features an interesting tomb belonging to a Muslim scholar.
Introduction to Tillo
Tillo is a small unassuming village populated by Kurds and Arabs. It wouldn’t typically be of any interest if not for the Tomb of Ismail Fakirullah, and the cemetery covers an area nearly as big as the village itself. In addition to the tomb, there’s also a terrace overlooking Botan Valley National Park, but we weren’t able to visit on this trip. In the future, I’ll visit the terrace and spend some more time in the village seeing other minor points of interest.
Tomb of Ismail Fakirullah
A path from the entrance to the cemetery leads directly to the Tomb of Ismail Fakirullah (İsmail Fakirullah Türbesi). Ismail Fakirullah (1656-1734) was a Sufi religious scholar born in Tillo. He taught in the local madrasa and one of his students was Ibrahim Hakkı (1703-1780).
After Fakirullah’s death, Hakkı built a specially designed tomb for him. The tomb consists of two domed rooms joined by a hallway. A 10 meter high octagonal tower sits atop the first room and is part of a remarkable light refraction mechanism.
Every year on March 21 and September 23, the first light of the rising sun reflects to the tower from another tower a few kilometers from Tillo. That light is then reflected down through a small window in the second room, illuminating the sarcophagus of Ismail Fakirullah for six minutes before slowly fading away.
Unfortunately, a botched restoration in 1963 damaged the original system, but it was later corrected with the placement of another window. The tomb has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List since 2015.
Buried in the tomb along with Fakirullah are members of his family. They’re in both the first and second rooms as well as in the hallway. To get to an extension off the first room, you have to walk over two graves. Ibrahim Hakkı is buried next to his teacher.
Tomb of Sheikh Ibrahim al-Mujahid
A few steps north is the Tomb of Sheikh Ibrahim al-Mujahid (Şeyh İbrahim El Mücahid Türbesi). Sheikh Ibrahim al-Mujahid (d. 1262) was a Muslim holy man born in Tillo.
Ismail Fakirullah Mosque
In the center of town you’ll find the Ismail Fakirullah Mosque. Also known as the Grand Mosque of Tillo, the courtyard contains a house and a prayer room belonging to Fakirullah. You’ll also find a pomegranate tree he planted. It continues to bear fruit to this day.
