Hacı Bektaş Veli Lodge, the Dedegân and Babagân Branches, Talips, and Giving İkrar to the Lodge
In this video, Baba Sedat Bican discusses the concept of the dergâh (lodge), which occupies a central place in the Bektashi tradition, and examines it in relation to the concept of the Ocak in Alevi tradition. Referring to the historical and religious position of the Hacı Bektaş Veli Lodge within Anatolian Bektashism, Bican emphasises that the Hacı Bektaş Veli Lodge in Nevşehir is regarded as the serçeşme (supreme centre) of the Bektashi tradition in Türkiye.
After presenting a concise overview of Hacı Bektaş Veli and the history of Bektashism, Baba Sedat Bican provides historical and contemporary information on the Dedegân and Babagân branches of the Bektashi tradition. The discussion explains the relationships between the independent Alevi Ocaks of Anatolia and the Bektashi Lodge, focusing on the talip communities affiliated with the lodge, the granting of icazetnames (authorisations), and the ritual practices accompanying these processes.
Particular attention is given to the concept of ikrar. Baba Sedat Bican explains that, within the Bektashi tradition, authorisation can only be obtained through questioning, the görgü cemi, and the giving of ikrar. He further notes that both Alevi and Bektashi traditions recognise, alongside biological birth, a second spiritual birth achieved through ikrar. In this respect, the video provides important insights into the historical authority of the Hacı Bektaş Veli Lodge, the distinction between the Dedegân and Babagân branches, lodge–talip relations, and the ritual order of the Bektashi tradition.
This recording was made on 18 April 2026 at Alevitische Gemeinde und Cemevi e.V. (Lange Streng 12, 65462 Ginsheim-Gustavsburg), near Frankfurt, as part of the “In the Words of the Spiritual Guides” series of the Alevi Encyclopedia.
After presenting a concise overview of Hacı Bektaş Veli and the history of Bektashism, Baba Sedat Bican provides historical and contemporary information on the Dedegân and Babagân branches of the Bektashi tradition. The discussion explains the relationships between the independent Alevi Ocaks of Anatolia and the Bektashi Lodge, focusing on the talip communities affiliated with the lodge, the granting of icazetnames (authorisations), and the ritual practices accompanying these processes.
Particular attention is given to the concept of ikrar. Baba Sedat Bican explains that, within the Bektashi tradition, authorisation can only be obtained through questioning, the görgü cemi, and the giving of ikrar. He further notes that both Alevi and Bektashi traditions recognise, alongside biological birth, a second spiritual birth achieved through ikrar. In this respect, the video provides important insights into the historical authority of the Hacı Bektaş Veli Lodge, the distinction between the Dedegân and Babagân branches, lodge–talip relations, and the ritual order of the Bektashi tradition.
This recording was made on 18 April 2026 at Alevitische Gemeinde und Cemevi e.V. (Lange Streng 12, 65462 Ginsheim-Gustavsburg), near Frankfurt, as part of the “In the Words of the Spiritual Guides” series of the Alevi Encyclopedia.
Interviewer
- Dr. Ahmet Kerim Gültekin
