The Alians are a Shi`a orer similar to the Sufi Mevlevi, who live in several regions of Bulgaria. They follow the mystical rituals of the wandering dervishes. Their exact origin is not certain, since there are hardly any historical records preserved from that time, but according to the prevailing theory they settled in Bulgaria after the victory won in 1512 by the Ottoman sultan Selim I, a Sunni, over the first Safavid shah of the Persians, Ismail I.