Somuncu Baba Kimdir?

Who was Somuncu Baba, and why did one of Anatolia’s influential Sufi teachers live in Bursa as an ordinary baker?

Known as Sheikh Hamiduddin Aksarayi and Hamid-i Veli, Somuncu Baba lived during the early Ottoman period and became the spiritual teacher of Haci Bayram Veli.

In this documentary, NEWLY MOTION visits the historic Somuncu Baba House and Bakery in the Mollafenari neighborhood of Bursa, Turkey.

We explore his life in Bursa through historical sources while clearly separating documented history from legends and traditional Sufi narratives passed down through generations.

Somuncu Baba became known in Bursa for baking and distributing bread. This is why he became known as Somuncu Baba and Ekmekci Koca.

The historic house associated with him today contains two small bread ovens, stone and brick sections, residential spaces and an area described as a spiritual retreat room.

According to a well-known Bursa tradition, Somuncu Baba baked bread for workers during the construction of the Bursa Grand Mosque. This story belongs to local and Sufi tradition rather than a surviving contemporary construction record.

One of the most important events associated with his life in Bursa is the opening of the Bursa Grand Mosque.

Historical and traditional sources connect Somuncu Baba with the first prayer held at the mosque and with major figures of early Ottoman Bursa including Emir Sultan, Molla Fenari and Sultan Bayezid I.

A famous Sufi tradition also says that Somuncu Baba interpreted Surah Al-Fatiha in seven different ways during a sermon at the Grand Mosque.

After his kno