Following its publication in Turkish and English, the Alevi Encyclopedia has now also launched its German edition. With this step, the contents available in the main menu of the Alevi Encyclopedia website, as well as a first selection of entries, are now accessible in German.
Approximately 100 entries published to date are being translated into German within the framework of a gradual and structured plan. In the initial phase, around ten entries will be made available in German, with this number increasing steadily in the coming period. These translations are not based on a word-for-word approach; rather, they follow a method that remains faithful to the conceptual framework adopted by the Alevi Encyclopedia and to the internal epistemology of Alevitentum, while being intelligible and academically coherent for a German-speaking readership.
One of the important components of the Alevi Encyclopedia, the “Pirs and Anas” video archive, will also be made accessible in German. At this stage, the videos will be presented in German through synopses that introduce their content. In subsequent phases, transcriptions and multilingual translations of these video recordings are planned.
The German edition represents a strategically significant step in relation to one of the core objectives of the Alevi Encyclopedia: multilingual and intergenerational accessibility. Especially in view of the more than 60-year presence of the Alevi diaspora in Western Europe, particularly in Germany, and the emergence of a third generation of Alevi youth within this diaspora, the German-language publication constitutes a critical milestone for transmitting Alevi belief and cultural worlds to new generations in their own conceptual terms.
Launched on 2 July 2025, the Alevi Encyclopedia has, despite its relatively short publication history of six months, achieved high visibility and strong recognition within academic circles, the Alevi community, and the broader public. Internationally attended symposia, workshops, and academic events, together with an expanding scientific advisory network and multidisciplinary contributions, form the institutional foundation of this engagement.
The scope of German-language translations and content will continue to be expanded in a gradual and sustainable manner in the coming period. The Alevi Encyclopedia remains committed to its goal of transmitting knowledge of Alevitentum—grounded in its own sources, shaped by scholarly methods, and conveyed through a multilingual digital platform—to future generations.
