Ahmet Myftar

Ahmet Myftar was born in Brataj, Albania, about 40 km southeast of Vlora. From in 1924 to 1929, he attended school in Vlora.[1]

In 1937, he was stationed in the Dibra region as part of his military service. There, at the tekke of Bllaca, he became a dervish under Baba Zenel, residing in Bllaca until 1939. He then served in Elbasan and Turan, near Tepelena.[1]

Ahmet Myftar returned to Vlora in 1942 and wanted to build a new tekke in Brataj, the village where he was born. However, World War II completely halted his plans, and from 1942 to May 1944, he was a pro-Communist fighter. He was subsequently interned (i.e., imprisoned in a forced labor camp) in Durrës. After the war, He served as a baba in Vlora from October 1945 to 1948 at the tekke of Kusum Baba.[1]

After the murder-suicide of Abaz Hilmi in March 1948, Ahmet Myftar was appointed Dedebaba of the Bektashi Order on 8 June 1948 by the Communist regime, essentially serving as a puppet for the government. In 1958, he was no longer allowed to serve as Dedebaba as the Communist government continued to remove religion from public Albanian life.[1]

The tyrbe of Ahmet Myftar Dede at the World Headquarters of the Bektashi in Tirana, Albania

From around 1958 to 1967, he was interned in Drizar, Mallakastra together with Reshat Bardhi, one of his dervish disciples who would later go on to become the 7th Dedebaba of the Bektashi Order. Finally, the Bektashi Order was completely banned in 1967 under the dictatorship of Enver Hoxha, forcing the retirement of Ahmet Myftar from public life. He spent his final years in Kruja and Tirana under constant surveillance from the Sigurimi (the Albanian secret police), and died in 1980.[1]