Chepni of Rumkale () is a distinct branch of the

Chepni Chepni (; ; ) is one of the 24 Oghuz Turkic tribes. History In the legend of Oghuz Qaghan, the Chepni was stated as one of the clans of the tribe of ''Gök Han'' that consists of Pecheneg (''Beçenek''), Bayandur (''Bayındır''), Chowdur ('' ...

tribe inhabiting the northeastern portion of the province of

Gaziantep Gaziantep, historically Aintab and still informally called Antep, is a major city in south-central Turkey. It is the capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Medi ...

in south-central

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, formerly the Ottoman

kaza A kaza (, "judgment" or "jurisdiction") was an administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire, administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. It is also discussed in English under the names district, subdistrict, and juridical district. Kazas co ...

Rumkale Rumkale (; ) is a ruined fortress on the Euphrates, located in the province of Gaziantep and 50 km west of Şanlıurfa. Although Rumkale is sometimes linked with places mentioned in ancient sources, the foundations of the structure can be tr ...

History

Chepni was already present in the region of Rumkale by early 16th century, but it is unknown when the tribe migrated to the region. In late 17th century, Chepni living around Rumkale were known to be settled and would ransack the localities of

Pazarcık Pazarcık () is a municipality and district of Kahramanmaraş Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,253 km2, and its population is 70,173 (2022). It is in the southeastern part of the province. The cement plant is a major source of greenhouse ga ...

and Keferdiz, a practice inherited from their nomadic past. Some tribesmen later built the Chepni or Kazımiye Tekke in

Aintab Gaziantep, historically Aintab and still informally called Antep, is a major city in south-central Turkey. It is the capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Medit ...

Chepni Tekke of Aintab

Although formed by Chepni, the Chepni Tekke in Gaziantep gradually became the center of all Alevi Turkmens living near

. In certain days of the year, people from the vicinity of Besni, Marash,

Sakçagözü Sakçagözü, also known as Keferdiz, is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Nurdağı, Gaziantep Province, Turkey. Its population is 3,920 (2022). Before the 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (''belde''). The village is populat ...

, Islahiye, and

Barak Barak ( or ; ; Tiberian Hebrew: '' Bārāq''; "lightning") was a ruler of Ancient Israel. As military commander in the biblical Book of Judges, Barak, with Deborah, from the Tribe of Ephraim, the prophet and fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israe ...

villages would travel to the city for traditional celebrations. Visitors then kiss the hand of the Chepni Dede, who would arrive the same day, bring presents, and take part in recreational activities. The visitors then would take some of the water from the tekke's well home, since it is considered as holy as the

Zamzam Well The Zamzam Well ( ) is a Water well, well located within the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is located east of the Kaaba, the holiest place in Islam. In the Islamic teachings, the well is a miraculously generated source of water, ...

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

Religion

All Chepni in the region traditionally follow the

Alevi Alevism (; ; ) is a syncretic heterodox Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Islamic teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, who taught the teachings of the Twelve Imams, whilst incorporating some traditions from shamanism. Differing ...

branch of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, and due to their belief, they were particularly distinguished from the nearby

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Kurd Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...

population, who would traditionally see any kind of interaction with Alevis as a sin. Chepni of Rumkale namely belong to Dede Garkın and Musa Kâzım Ocaks.

References

{{Reflist Chepni people