HIGHLIGHTS
Tevhids and Münacats: A General Overview
Religious–Mystical Turkish Literature is a deeply rooted tradition that took shape with the acceptance of Islam and, over the centuries, has functioned both as a...
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...
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...
Xızır's (Hızır's) Sacred Herd (Sacred Mountain Goats of Dersim)
In Kurdish Alevi traditions, ibexes are considered sacred—blessed beings associated with Xızır and other territorial protectors in local cosmologies. Although hunting them was long practiced,...
Sociology of Emotions and Collective Memory in the Deyişes of Pir Sultan Abdal
Pir Sultan Abdal is one of the most important poets of the Alevi tradition and lived in the sixteenth century. His deyişs have held a...
Seyyid Seyfeddin (Piri Sevdin) Ocak (Alevi sacred lineage)
The Seyyid Seyfeddin Ocak (locally known as the Piri Sevdin Ocak) is one of the Alevi Ocaks that has been active for centuries in the...
Genocide
Genocide is a concept applied to different event contexts for various reasons and perspectives (legal, moral, analytical, activist). At its centre is the intentional destruction...
Music of the Zaza
The music of the Zaza (Kırmanj–Dimilî)-speaking population in Anatolia remains largely unexplored, and a comprehensive overview of their musical traditions is therefore not yet possible....
Women in Alevism
In Alevism, women are not only foundational to social life but also to the spiritual cosmos. In Alevi theology, female womb is revered as the...
Hızır / Xızır
In Alevism, Hızır (Xızır) is a meaningful and central figure around which revolve many myths, rituals, hymns, sacred places and lived experiences. It combines many...
Dersim - Jiar u Diyar (Sacred Geography)
This entry reconceptualises Dersim not as a mere geographic or administrative region but as a sacred-political topography (a cultural geography) central to the Raa Haqi...
Sivas Massacre (2 July 1993)
The Madımak Massacre, which took place during the Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Festival in Sivas on 2 July 1993 and claimed the lives of thirty-nine...
ALEVISM THROUGH THE VOICES OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS
- Pir Cemal Cenan
Ağuçan Ocak
Bu videoda Pir Cemal Cenan, Ağuçan Ocağı’na mensup bir Ocak üyesi ve aktif bir pir olarak, yüzlerce yıldır Ocak içinde sözlü kültür yoluyla aktarılagelen anlatılardan...
- Ana Didar Cenan
The Service of Ocak Households to Talips and the Role of Women in Dersim Alevism
Bu videoda Ana Didar Cenan, Dersim Aleviliğinde (Raa Haqi) Ocak hanelerinin taliplere sunduğu hizmetleri, içeriden ve ayrıntılı bir biçimde aktarmaktadır. Ocak hanelerinin talipleri nasıl karşıladığı,...
- Pir Haydar Buğra
Derviş Cemal Ocak
Bu videoda Pir Haydar Boğa, Dersim Aleviliği (Raa Haqi) geleneğinde önemli Ocaklardan biri olan Derviş Cemal Ocağını son derece ayrıntılı biçimde ele almaktadır. Pir, Ocağın...
- Pir Ecevit Emre
Görgü Cemi, Dara Çıkma, Dardan İndirme, Aklanma–Paklanma, İkrar, Rızalık
Bu videoda Pir Ecevit Emre, Alevi ritüellerinde merkezi bir yere sahip olan “Görgü Cemi”ni (görgüye girmek) çok yönlü ve katmanlı biçimde ele almaktadır. Pir, dar,...
- Ana Didar Cenan
Kurmanci Dua ve Gülbenkler, Dersim’de Güneşe ve Aya Dualar
Bu videoda Ana Didar Cenan, Dersim Aleviliğinde (Raa Haqi) dua ve gülbenk geleneğini, özellikle Kurmanci dilinde aktarılan güneşe ve aya yönelik dualar üzerinden ele almaktadır....
- Pir Hasan Hayri Şanlı
Pirship, Cem, and the Four Gates and Forty Stations
Bu videoda Pir Hasan Hayri Şanlı, cemlerin Alevi toplumundaki önemini, toplumun eğitimindeki yerini ve küskünleri barıştırma işlevini kendi aile deneyimleri üzerinden anlatmaktadır. Anlatıda, dedelerin bilge...
- Pir Cemal Cenan
Marriage and the Marriage Ceremony in Alevism, Musahiplik, and the Deyiş & Gülbenk Recited during the Ceremony
Bu videoda Pir Cemal Cenan, Alevilikte nikâh ve evlilik kurumunu, bu sürece eşlik eden ritüellerle birlikte içeriden bir perspektifle açıklamaktadır. Anlatının merkezinde, Alevi inanç ve...
- Ana Narin Gülçiçeği
Gağan – Haftamal (Howtemal) – Xızır Ayı – Kara Çarşamba – Kırmancki Dua
Bu videoda Ana Narin Gülçiçeği, Dersim Aleviliğinde (Raa Haqi) son derece önemli yere sahip olan “Xızır Ayı”, “Gağan”, “Kara Çarşamba” (“Haftamal”), “Kavut” ve diğer kutsal...
- Pir Haydar Buğra
Dersim Alevi Takvimi, Gağan, Hızır Orucu, Hewtemal – Kara Çarşamba, Matem Ayı
Bu videoda Pir Haydar Boğa, Dersim Aleviliği (Raa Haqi) geleneğinde “Alevi takvimi” olarak adlandırılan ve farklı Alevi topluluklarında coğrafya, dil, kültürel gelenekler ve tarihsel arka...
- Pir Hasan Hayri Şanlı
Kurban (Sacrifice/Offering) in Alevism
Bu videoda Pir Hasan Hayri Şanlı, Alevi inancında kurban anlayışını ve yol içindeki anlamını ele almaktadır. Kurbanın, kan akıtmaya indirgenmeyen; rızalık, paylaşım ve lokma anlayışı...
- Pir Ali Doğan
Hakk & Hakk Kapısı
Bu videoda, Seyyid Seyfeddin (Pîrî Sevdîn) Ocağı mensubu Pir Ali Doğan, Alevi inanç sisteminin merkezinde yer alan "Hakk" kavramı üzerine kapsamlı bir anlatı sunmaktadır. "Hak...
- Ana Cevahir Altunok
Analık Kurumu – Ocak Sistemi – Sosyal Değişme
Bu videoda Ana Cevahir Altınok, Alevi inanç dünyasında “ana” kavramının kutsiyetini ve ocak sistemiyle olan iç içe geçmişliğini derinlemesine anlatmaktadır. “Hakk Ana” anlayışı çerçevesinde, analığın...
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Alevi Encyclopedia Is Now Available in German
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...
Entering 2026 through Academic Solidarity and Collective Scholarship: A New Year Message from the Alevi Encyclopedia
The year 2025 has marked not merely a publication milestone for the Alevi Encyclopedia but a decisive historical threshold in the institutionalisation of a long-term,...
Alevi Encyclopedia – Austrian Academy of Sciences Partnership
The Alevi Encyclopedia and the Commission “Vanishing Languages and Cultural Heritage” (VLACH) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) have established a partnership based on...
The 2nd Alevi Encyclopedia Symposium: Scholarly Solidarity and the International Network “A New Threshold in Alevi Studies: Collective Memory, Collaborative Production, and Digital Publishing”
The 2nd Alevi Encyclopedia Symposium (10–12 October 2025, Dortmund) institutionalized international networking and scholarly solidarity within the field of Alevi Studies, transforming the encyclopedia into...
Call for Authors: Alevi Encyclopedia – Third Group of Entries (Submission Deadline: 15 December 2025)
Dear colleagues, We would like to invite you to contribute to the third round of entries for the Alevi Encyclopaedia.
II. Alevi Encyclopedia Symposium — Dortmund, 10–12 October 2025
The Second Alevi Encyclopedia Symposium will take place on 10–12 October 2025 at DAKME Alevitisches Kulturzentrum e.V. in Dortmund. Bringing together scholars, researchers, and experts...
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