Elder of the Tradition

Murat Yagan was born into a Circassian family in Abkhazia, located in the Caucasus Mountains between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. He received his earliest spiritual training from the Elders of his Tradition of Ahmsta Kebzeh and later was accepted by and studied with the Bektashi dervishes in Turkey. In 1963, he immigrated to Canada with his wife Maisie and their younger children, where he transmitted the ancient teachings of Ahmsta Kebzeh.

Mr. Yagan was the author of many books including: The Essence of Sufism in the Light of Kebzeh, The Abkhazian Book of Longevity and Well-Being, I Come From Behind Kaf Mountain (a spiritual autobiography), The Teachings of Kebzeh – Essentials of Sufism from the Caucasus Mountains and Ahmsta Kebzeh: The Science of Universal Awe, Volumes I and II.

Murat Yagan in Traditional Circassian Garb

Maisie Yagan in Traditional Circassian Dance Costume

In addition, he translated into English, The Gathering, the mystical poetry of Sun’ullah Gaibi, 17th century Turkish Sufi Master and Selected Poems of Yunus Emre, who was a 13th century mystic.
Mr. Yagan worked with several Kebzeh groups in North America and abroad.