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 information on the meanings, functions, and places within cem rituals of religious expressive forms such as nefesler, deyişler, devriyeler, Hızırnameler, nevruziyeler, şathiyeler, duvazlar, semahlar, mersiyeler, tevhidnameler, and miraçnameler. This account offers an in-depth exposition of how Alevi teaching is transmitted through word and nefes, and how it resonates within emotional and cosmological contexts.

This video is compiled from oral narratives recorded during the Pirler–Analar Workshop held on 10–11 May 2025 at DAKME (Dortmund Alevi Cultural Center – Rıza Şehri Academy). Conducted within the framework of the Alevi Encyclopedia project, this work aims to document and digitize the oral transmission of Alevi religious leaders.