<\/p>\n
What is Gulyabani? One of the most terrifying figures in Anatolian\/Mesopotamian folklore; a creature with backward feet, hairy body, wandering through graveyards, attacking travelers and graves.<\/p>\n
Origin:<\/strong> A multi-layered legend extending from Persian and Arab mythology to Anatolia.<\/p>\n Physical characteristics:<\/strong> Tall, bearded, foul-smelling, sometimes appears disguised as a woman.<\/p>\n Literature & cinema:<\/strong> Popular culture impact extending from H\u00fcseyin Rahmi G\u00fcrp\u0131nar’s novel to the film “S\u00fct Karde\u015fler.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Imagine a creature wandering among graveyards on dark nights, confusing those who follow it with its backward feet, terrifying people with its hairy body and horrific smell. If you immediately thought “jinn” at the backward feet part, you’d be wrong. Gulyabani, one of the most horrifying figures in Anatolian\/Mesopotamian mythology, has been a cornerstone of our horror culture for centuries with legends told throughout Anatolia.<\/p>\n Though this name, born from the combination of “gul” (\u063a\u0648\u0644) (monster) that passed from Arabic to Persian, and the Persian word “biyaban” (\u0628\u064a\u0627\u0628\u0627\u0646) (desert, desolate place), translates to meanings like desert monster\/werewolf, it has taken on an entirely different identity in Turkish folklore.<\/p>\n According to Mehmet Berk Yalt\u0131r\u0131k’s work “Gulyabani in Turkish Culture – Studies \/ Illustrations,” citing Orhan Han\u00e7erlio\u011flu, Gulyabani is a creature rooted in Arab culture that can take any form, deceiving and even eating people. As Yalt\u0131r\u0131k also notes, it is believed that a type of jinn called “Gul” misleads people on their paths, then attacks and tears them apart, and at night enters graves to eat human corpses.<\/p>\n Gulyabani’s roots extend back to pre-Islamic Persian mythology. This creature, called \u063a\u0648\u0644 \u0628\u064a\u0627\u0628\u0627\u0646 (Gul-i Beyabani) in Persian, was initially depicted as a monster living in deserts and attacking travelers<\/a>. Over time, this legend spread to the Arab world, probably along with Islamic culture, and from there to Anatolia.<\/p>\n Each region added characteristics reflecting its own fears and beliefs to Gulyabani. Thus, in Anatolia, Gulyabani emerged from the deserts and became an entity that could now be seen in many conceivable places: the countryside, graveyards, mountains.<\/p>\n Similar creatures known as “Ghul” in Arab folklore frequently appear in the Arabian Nights tales<\/a>. However, the Turkish version differs from the Arab and Persian versions with its own characteristic features. The Turkish Gulyabani encountered in popular culture has more humanoid characteristics and typically uses physical force rather than deception and trickery.<\/a><\/p>\n Although Gulyabani’s appearance varies by region, certain fundamental characteristics can be mentioned. As we commonly encounter in today’s popular jinn narratives, its feet are said to be backward. As depicted in the famous film “S\u00fct Karde\u015fler,” it’s also portrayed as very tall with an extremely long beard. Its body is said to be covered head to toe in fur and hair, and it reeks terribly. There are also narratives of it appearing disguised as a woman. (See: Turkish Mythology Encyclopedic Dictionary – Celal Beydilli)<\/p>\n Gulyabani’s most preferred locations are abandoned places where people don’t frequent. Graveyards are ideal habitats for it<\/a>. During the day, it hides in graveyards, especially old and neglected ones. Ruins, desolate areas, and abandoned village houses are also among the places Gulyabani makes its home.<\/p>\n Deserts and desolate plains are considered Gulyabani’s original habitat. In the Arabian Nights tales, the creature called Ghoul, which we mentioned might be Gulyabani’s origin, appears as a flesh-eating creature that hunts men chasing lust by disguising itself as attractive women<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gulyabani’s most important place in Turkish literature is in H\u00fcseyin Rahmi G\u00fcrp\u0131nar’s novel of the same name, written in 1912. This work, while criticizing superstitious beliefs, was the piece that – most likely – permanently embedded the Gulyabani figure in popular culture.<\/p>\n In the novel, a young woman named Muhsine starts working as a servant in a mysterious mansion outside the city to earn a living. The mysterious events in the mansion and the fear of Gulyabani are actually the machinations of malicious people.<\/p>\n The 1976 film “S\u00fct Karde\u015fler,” directed by Ertem E\u011filmez and adapted from H\u00fcseyin Rahmi G\u00fcrp\u0131nar’s Gulyabani novel for cinema, led many of us to our first terrifying encounter with the “Gulyabani” figure on television – along with the giant octopus in Tarkan Viking Blood. The film, starring Kemal Sunal and \u015eener \u015een, became perhaps Ye\u015fil\u00e7am’s only horror-comedy example through its use of the Gulyabani theme.<\/p>\nDefinition and Origin of Gulyabani<\/h2>\n
Physical Characteristics of Gulyabani<\/h2>\n
Habitat and Behavioral Patterns in Gulyabani Legends<\/h2>\n
Gulyabani in Literature and Cinema<\/h2>\n