THE SCHOLAR FAMILIES - THE SIKIRICS SHEIKH, POETS, SCHOLARS, CALLIGRAPHERS

Abstract

The Sikirics, a family of sheikhs and scholars from Oglavak near Fojnica, are originally from Turkey. The most famous of them was sheikh Abdurrahman Sirri, founder and the head of the Oglavak tekke. His father Mehmed, was a Fojnica judge, and his grandfather, Fadlullah, moved from Amasia where he was serving as mufti. We know that Fadlullah served as judge in Fojnica, and probably as professor in the Fojnica maddrassah. During his time, the seat of the qadi district was moved from Kresevo to Fojnica. Their family name in Turkey was Balta (ax) and it was translated here into the local form of the same word - Sikira. Apart from Sirri, who was sheikh, scholar and a poet, the most famous of the Sikirics were his sons. Sakir and Abdullatif, grandson Behauddin and dr. Sacir Sikiric, as well as other members of this famous family deserve our attention and respect. The most written about was sheikh Abdurrahman Sirri, which is only logical since he was the founder of the Oglavak tekke and a true leader of this family, while other sheikhs were written about only sporadically. This is the first attempt
to shed more light and provide more facts about the life of the most of the sheiks and scholars in the Sikirc family. All of them, except Abdullah, wrote poetry and calligraphy. The most famous calligrapher was Behauddin ‘Izzi, who also taught calligraphy in several Sarajevo schools. Some of them wrote short prosaic works. The Naqshbandiyya Sufi order spread all over Bosnia from the Oglavak tekke. Followers of sheikh Sirri, and of his sons, were some of the most prominent citizens of Bosnia; statesmen, mufti and professors. Sirri was buried in Oglavak and Herzegovina vezir Ali-pasha Rizvanbegovic built him a tomb (turbe). Alongside him were buried his oldest son Abdullatif, his wife and some other offspring.