Zazaki in the Context of Alevism
This entry examines the function of Zazaki (Kırmancki) within the Alevi religious world, particularly centred on Dersim. Zazaki plays an important role in Alevism not...
Splendor and Light of God: Sun Worship Among the Raa Haq Followers and Their Neighbors
The sun is the star closest to Earth and forms the center of the solar system. Solar radiation is one of the basic prerequisites for...
Xızır's (Hızır's) Sacred Herd (Bezoar Goats of Dersim)
This entry explores pantheistic nature worship in the Raa Haqi faith, using the example of the worship of bezoar goats living in Dersim. These wild...
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....
Ahl-e Haqq (Yarsanism)
Ahl-e Haqq (also called Yarsanism, Yaresan and Kaka'i ) is a religion connected with Western Kurdistan, often classified as one of the movements inspired by...
Alawiness (Arap Alevism) and The Production of Space
Alawites, also known as Nusayris, are an ethno-religious community living mostly in Hatay, Adana and Mersin in Türkiye as well as Latakia and Tartus in...
Güruh-u Naci The Creation Myth in Raa Haqi (Dersim Alevism)
In Raa Haqi (also referred to as Dersim Alevism or Kurdish Alevism), the Creation Myth constitutes a fundamental narrative and symbolic universe through which the...
Dersim Massacre and Intergenerational Trauma Transmission
This entry looks at the long-term emotional and psychological effects of the Dersim Massacre, which took place in eastern Turkey between 1937 and 1938. Thousands...
Mountains and Fire Worship: Sacred Peaks and Fiery Rituals: Tracing the Pre-Christian Roots of Dersim’s Alevi Beliefs
The entry informs about the continuity of pre-Christian/pre-Islamic veneration of high, usually volcanic mountains in the antic Armenian Highlands, including Dersim. These venerated mountains were...
Alevi Television Networks: Media and Alevism
Alevi television networks, created by and for Turkey’s Alevi community, have become central to the public articulation of Alevi culture, religion, and politics. Emerging in...
The Institutionalization of Alevi Religious Education in Germany
This article examines the emergence of Alevi religious education in Germany, its process of institutionalization, and its current framework of implementation. It first considers how, from the 1980s onward, the...
Why Is It Important to Preserve the Memory of Alevism?
Alevism preserves its identity, faith, and culture through collective memory and memory sites, resisting historical oppression and displacement, while ensuring intergenerational transmission via physical, cultural, and digital means.
Alevilik, köklü bir inanç ve kültürel mirasa sahip olup, barış, adalet ve insan sevgisi gibi evrensel değerleri ön planda tutan
A Historic Turning Point and the Will to Safeguard the Future of Alevi Knowledge
The Alevi Encyclopedia is a vital project enabling Alevis to combat centuries of physical and epistemic violence and assimilation. It seeks to document their cultural heritage using their own voice...
The Alevi Encyclopedia
The Alevi Encyclopedia is a comprehensive initiative that aims to preserve the historical, cultural, and spiritual heritage of Alevism, supporting accurate knowledge production and passing it on to future generations...
