HIGHLIGHTS
Demokratik Barış Hareketi (The Democratic Peace Movement) and Barış Partisi (the Peace Party) (1995–1999): The Quest for Representation in Alevi Politics
The Democratic Peace Movement (Demokratik Barış Hareketi, DBH) and its successor, the Peace Party (Barış Partisi, BP), emerged in the mid-1990s, when Alevis were becoming...
Kemeré Duzgı / Düzgün Baba
This entry examines the place of Kemeré Duzgı, commonly known as Düzgün Baba, within Dersim’s sacred geography and the religious world of Raa Haqi. As...
Munzur Gözeleri (The Munzur Springs): Living Sacrality and Spatial Transformation
This entry examines the sacred status of the Munzur Springs within Dersim Alevism and the transformations the site has undergone over time. In Raa Haqi...
The Religious Calendar in Dersim Alevism (Raa Haqi): Gağan, Xızır/Hızır, Black Wednesday (Kara Çarşamba), and Hawtemal/Heftemal
This entry provides a comprehensive analysis of the sacred days and periods that constitute the religious calendar of Dersim Alevism (Raa Haqi)—with particular attention to...
The Institution of Analık in Alevism
Analık, as a socio-religious role in Alevism, constitutes a significant component of the traditional and social structure of the Alevi belief system. It plays a...
Rızalık in Alevism: Dual Interpretations, Communal Practice, and Social Transformation
Rızalık (mutual agreement), commonly translated as mutual consent, approval, reconciliation or contentment, is a central ethical and ritual principle in Alevism. This entry examines Rızalık...
Evdıl Musa (Abdal Musa) in Raa Haqi Belief and Folklore
This entry examines the place of Evdıl Musa—also referred to in various sources as Avdel Musa, Avdel Mursa, Avdıl Mursa, and Ewdali Muse—in Raa Haqi...
A Brief Sketch of the Development of Alevi Studies
This is an annotated bibliography of the most significant contributions to Alevi studies, in chronological order from the mid-nineteenth century onwards. It identifies American Protestant...
Kadıncık Ana
Kadıncık Ana is an important female figure in the Alevi-Bektashi-Kızılbaş belief, particularly associated with Hacı Bektaş Veli, whose memory has been transmitted through hagiographic narratives-most...
Kızılbaş (Kizilbash)
The Kizilbash movement emerged in fifteenth-century Anatolia through the transformation of the Safavid order and the convergence of various Sufi, dervish, and messianic currents. Recent...
Ana Fatma, Ali (Oli), and Muhammad in Raa Haqi Belief and Folklore
This entry examines the place of Ana Fatma, Ali, and Muhammad within the world of Raa Haqi belief and folklore, treating these figures not as...
Roman (Gypsy) Alevis
Groups with diverse ethno-cultural characteristics such as "Rom", "Dom", "Lom", and "Blacksmith" communities largely use the term "Roman" in order to reduce the effects of...
ALEVISM THROUGH THE VOICES OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS
- Baba Sedat Bican
Taking Dem, Sâkilik, Taking Dem in the Cem Ritual, and Dem in Everyday Life – Baba Sedat Bican
In this video, Baba Sedat Bican discusses the practice of dem almak (“taking dem”) within the Alevi-Bektashi tradition. Contrary to the exclusionary and discriminatory claim...
- Pir Hüseyin Bildik
Naci and Naciye – The Enlightened Community – The Community of Light
In this video, Pir Hüseyin Bildik offers an in-depth discussion of Gurûh-ı Nâci and Gurûh-ı Nâciye, two foundational concepts of the Alevi creation narrative. Also...
- Ana Narin Gülçiçeği
The Gender of Cans
In this engaging video, Ana Narin Gülçiçeği addresses contemporary debates shaped around ikrar, musahiplik, and in particular the question of the “gender of cans.” Drawing...
- Pir Rıza Yağmur
Derviş Cemal Ocak – Alevi Uprisings, the Bābāʾīs, and Ocak Organization
In this video, Pir Rıza Yağmur offers a comprehensive examination of the historical origins of the Derviş Cemal Ocak and its place in Alevi religious...
- Pir Haydar Buğa
The Dersim Alevi Calendar, Gağan, the Xızır/Hızır Fast, Hewtemal – Black Wednesday, and the Month of Mourning
In this video, Pir Haydar Buğa provides a comprehensive discussion of the religious understanding of time known as the “Alevi calendar” in the tradition of...
- Celal Fırat
Abdal Musa – the Abdal Musa Cem – Görgü Cem – İkrar – Kurban (Ritual Sacrifice)
In this video, Pir Celal Fırat provides a detailed explanation of the central position of Abdal Musa within the Alevi belief system and the meanings...
- Ana Cevahir Altunok
Jiare / Jare / Ziyaret – Feminine Sacred Places & the Dersim 38 Memorial (Berlin)
This video approaches the concept of jiare (ziyaret), one of the fundamental pillars of Alevi belief, from a women’s perspective. Female-centered pilgrimage sites located in...
- Pir Erkan Çanakçı
Deyiş & Nefes
In this section, Pir Erkan Çanakçı focuses on the fundamental forms of oral literature and music in the Alevi world of belief. He provides comprehensive...
- Pir Cemal Cenan
Ağuçan Ocak
In this video, Pir Cemal Cenan, an Ocak member of the Ağuçan Ocak and an active pir, presents an insider perspective on how Ocak memory...
- Pir Haydar Buğa
Gülbenk, Deyiş, Nefes, Raa Haqi, Dersim, and Kırmancki Prayer – Pir Haydar Buğa
In this video, Pir Haydar Buğa examines in detail the central importance of deyiş, nefes, and gülbenk in Alevism. He emphasizes that the ethical codes,...
- Pir Hüseyin Bildik
Sır – Hakikat – Nesimi – Hallacı Mansur – Gurûh-ı Nâciye
In this video, Pir Hüseyin Bildik provides a comprehensive explanation of Sır, one of the most fundamental and constitutive concepts of Alevi teaching, through the...
- Ana Didar Cenan
The Service of Ocak Households to Talips and the Role of Women in Dersim Alevism
In this video, Ana Didar Cenan presents an internal and detailed account of the services provided by Ocak households to talips in Dersim Alevism. The...
ANNOUNCEMENTS
III. Alevi Encyclopedia Symposium | 9–11 October 2026, Dortmund, Germany
The III Alevi Encyclopedia Symposium will take place in Dortmund on 9–11 October 2026. Bringing together around 30 invited academics and researchers from Türkiye and...
Second Workshop of Pirs and Anas Held in Dersim
The Alevi Encyclopedia’s first event in Turkey, the Second Workshop of Pirs and Anas, brought together academics, pirs and anas in Dersim. Discussions focused on...
The Second Pirs and Anas Workshop of the Alevi Encyclopedia
The Second Pirs and Anas Workshop, organised by the Alevi Encyclopedia, will take place in Dersim on 5–6 September 2026.
Alevi Encyclopedia Receives an International Standard Serial Number
The Alevi Encyclopedia has acquired an internationally identifiable institutional publishing identity through ISSN 3055-9928, assigned by the German National ISSN Centre.
Call for Authors: Group V Entries for the Alevi Encyclopedia (Submission Deadline: 15 June 2026)
The Alevi Encyclopedia is now accepting new entry submissions for its sixth publication cycle, scheduled for release on 15 October 2026.
First Recordings of the Alevi Encyclopedia Open Lecture Series Completed in Berlin
The first recordings of the Alevi Encyclopedia Open Lecture Series, developed as the new educational platform of the Alevi Encyclopedia, were held on 11 and...
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