Minstrels (âşıks) are folk poets who perform poems accompanied by the bağlama in various regions of Anatolia. Belonging to the âşık tradition and trained through transmission processes that ensure its continuity - particularly the master-apprentice relationship - many âşıks possess a significant level of competence in religious and Sufi knowledge, accompanied by a corresponding spiritual maturity. In this context, the âşıks’ ability to improvise and their other skills within the bağlama-muamma tradition should be evaluated not merely as elements of aesthetic performance, but also as indicators of their religious-Sufi erudition, gnostic depth, and imaginative capacity. These qualities further demonstrate the âşık’s capacity to transmit collective memory and cultural consciousness. Indeed, the bağlama-muamma tradition is frequently shaped by Qur’anic references, sufi concepts, and symbolic modes of expression, revealing the âşık’s familiarity with both exoteric (zahirî) and esoteric (bâtınî) realms of meaning. Furthermore, the performance of this tradition serves to facilitate the internalization of religious and Sufi teachings among the broader public.

This study utilizes a qualitative research design based on document analysis. The data were obtained from classical sources, anthologies of âşık literature, and audiovisual performance recordings available on digital platforms. The collected data were examined through descriptive and content analysis within the framework of religious-Sufi terminology and the formal principles of the bağlama-muamma tradition. The analysis reveals that the bağlama-muamma tradition provides a multilayered expressive domain that manifests the religious-Sufi competence of the âşıks, possessing a symbolic and epistemological depth beyond aesthetic performance. It was concluded that this practice serves as a functional transmission mechanism that integrates religious-Sufi knowledge into social circulation and ensures the continuity of cultural memory.

Minstrel (âşık), baglama-muamma, extemporaneous poetry, Islam, sufism.