Kureyş and Duzgı (Düzgün Baba) in Dersim Alevism (Raa Haqi), Kırmancki Deyiş and Prayer
In this video, Pir Ahmet Karabulut offers a comprehensive interpretation of Kureyş and Duzgı (Düzgün Baba), two central figures of the belief world of Dersim Alevism (Raa Haqi), through examples of Kırmancki (Zazaki) deyiş and prayers. He explains the position of these figures within Raa Haqi cosmology not only through historical narratives, but also through the original linguistic and emotional forms of expression found in Dersim’s distinctive oral tradition.
Pir Ahmet Karabulut emphasizes that the depth of meaning carried by Kırmancki oral culture—especially deyiş, prayers, and mythopoetic narratives—makes visible how Kureyş and Duzgı have become ethical, protective, and guiding figures. These narratives reflect not only the biography of belief figures, but an entire worldview shaped by Dersim Alevis in relation to cosmology, social order, moral principles, and relationships with nature.
Throughout the video, Pir Ahmet Karabulut explains, through original Kırmancki expressions, the place of Kureyş and Duzgı in popular memory, their symbolic meanings, how they are transmitted orally in collective memory, and the roles they assume in Raa Haqi practice. In this way, the recording offers a historical, cosmological, and poetic framework for these two central figures and enables an understanding of Dersim Alevism through its own language and concepts.
This narration constitutes an original and valuable source that documents firsthand the richness of Alevi oral tradition, the cultural depth carried by Kırmancki, and the mystical universe of symbols of Dersim.
This recording was made on 6–7 December 2025 at the CAN TV studios in Cologne, Germany, within the framework of the “From the Voices of the Path Leaders” series of the Alevi Encyclopedia.
Pir Ahmet Karabulut emphasizes that the depth of meaning carried by Kırmancki oral culture—especially deyiş, prayers, and mythopoetic narratives—makes visible how Kureyş and Duzgı have become ethical, protective, and guiding figures. These narratives reflect not only the biography of belief figures, but an entire worldview shaped by Dersim Alevis in relation to cosmology, social order, moral principles, and relationships with nature.
Throughout the video, Pir Ahmet Karabulut explains, through original Kırmancki expressions, the place of Kureyş and Duzgı in popular memory, their symbolic meanings, how they are transmitted orally in collective memory, and the roles they assume in Raa Haqi practice. In this way, the recording offers a historical, cosmological, and poetic framework for these two central figures and enables an understanding of Dersim Alevism through its own language and concepts.
This narration constitutes an original and valuable source that documents firsthand the richness of Alevi oral tradition, the cultural depth carried by Kırmancki, and the mystical universe of symbols of Dersim.
This recording was made on 6–7 December 2025 at the CAN TV studios in Cologne, Germany, within the framework of the “From the Voices of the Path Leaders” series of the Alevi Encyclopedia.
Interviewer
- Ahmet Kerim Gültekin
