A cemevi or cem evi (pronounced and sometimes written as djemevi; meaning literally "a house of gathering" in Turkish) is a place of fundamental importance for

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 ...

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 ...

tariqa A ''tariqa'' () is a religious order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking , which translates as "ultimate truth". A tariqa has a (guide) who plays the ...

populations. Certain Alevi organizations describe cemevis as places of

worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity or God. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition of a God. An act of worship may be performed individually, in an informal or formal group, ...

, and ask for this to be officially recognized. However, the Directorate of Religious Affairs of Turkey does not recognise cemevis as Muslim places of worship, and only recognises

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 ...

and Ja'fari-

Shi’ite Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

A place of gathering for Bektash’īyyah tariqa

It is primarily considered a place of assembly ( Cem; pronounced ''djam'', from Arabic الجمع, al-jamʕ). Historically, the cems were usually held outdoors, using candles and torches to light up the place of gathering when it got dark. Often, people from nearby places would come to a cem to have a collective meal. The participants would often bring along food, which they would then distribute during the meal. Nowadays, some of these customs are still preserved. Men and women conduct cem activities and rites together. The structuring of cemevi as into their present characteristics and rites owes much to the

Bektashi Bektashism (, ) is a tariqa, Sufi order of Islam that evolved in 13th-century western Anatolia and became widespread in the Ottoman Empire. It is named after the wali, ''walī'' "saint" Haji Bektash Veli, with adherents called Bektashis. The ...

tradition within various historical currents of Turkey's Alevi culture. Urbanization of many Alevis also brought changes in the conception of cem. In larger towns in Turkey today, cemevi are multi functional buildings where a broad range of cultural activities take place. In

, it is always problematic for a cemevi to get off the ground, due to strict state interference in religious matters, and cases of

discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...

against the Alevis, which results in the founding of each cemevi acquiring political dimensions and necessitating case-by-case lobbyism. The vast majority of Alevis consider themselves to be

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, a view shared by the Turkish state. There is some disagreement as to whether Alevism should be considered a religious tradition at all. Some Alevis may describe it as a subethnic solidarity and/or cultural tradition. For those who recognize it as religious, they consider it a form of Islam (often, a branch of Shia'ism), while a few claim it to represent an independent, non-Islamic religion (a radical position held by relatively few adherents). Relations with Turkey's

majority are difficult, though some dialogue has occurred. Besides historical or theological grievances, the issues often center around outbreaks of anti-Alevi violence, complaints of systematic discrimination, and official non-recognition of Alevi identity. The latter has resulted in attempts to assimilate Alevis into a Sunni-dominated Islam, e.g. through the construction of state-funded mosques, or compulsory religious education which excludes or marginalizes Alevi practices and teachings.

's Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ indicated that a total of 329 cemevis have been established since their political party came to power on Nov. 3, 2002.

Cemevi in Istanbul

*Erikli Baba Cemevi (

Zeytinburnu Zeytinburnu (literally, ''Olive Cape'') is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 12 km2, and its population is 292,616 (2022). It is a working-class area on the European side of Istanbul, T ...

) *Firuzköy Cemevi ( Avcılar) *Maltepe Cemevi ( Maltepe) *Garip Dede Cemevi ( Küçükçekmece) *Okmeydanı Cemevi ( Okmeydanı,

Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (; ) is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 9 km2, and its population is 225,920 (2022). It is on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey, separated from the o ...

) *Gazi Cemevi (Gazi Mahallesi,

Gaziosmanpaşa Gaziosmanpaşa (; old name: ''Taşlıtarla'') is a developing working class municipality ( belediye) and district of Istanbul, Turkey, on its European side. Its area is 12 km2, and its population is 495,998 (2022). Esenler and Bayrampaşa a ...

) *Sarıgazi Cemevi (Sarıgazi, Ümraniye) * Kartal Cemevi (

Kartal Kartal () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 38 km2, and its population is 483,418 (2022). It is located on the Asian side of the city, on the coast of the Marmara Sea between Maltepe and Pendik. De ...

) *Gürpınar Cemevi (Gürpınar, Büyükçekmece) *

Şahkulu Şahkulu (; 1500–1511), also known as Şahkulu Baba, or Karabıyıkoğlu ( 'son of black moustache' in Turkish), was the leader of the pro-Shia and pro-Safavid uprising in Anatolia – the Şahkulu Rebellion – directed against the Ottoman ...

Sultan Cem Kültür Merkezi ( Göztepe,

Kadıköy Kadıköy () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district on the Asian side of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 25 km2, and its population is 467,919 (2023). It is a large and populous area in the Asian si ...

) *Haramidere Cemevi (Haramidere, Büyükçekmece) *Tuzla Aydınlıköy Cemevi (

Tuzla Tuzla (, , ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inha ...

) * Karacaahmet Cem Kültür Merkezi (

Üsküdar Üsküdar () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 35 km2, and its population is 524,452 (2022). It is a large and densely populated district on the Anatolian (Asian) shore of the Bosphorus. It is border ...

) *Yenibosna Cemevi ( Yenibosna, Bahçelievler) *Bağcılar Cemevi (

Bağcılar Bağcılar is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 23 km2, and its population is 740,069 (2022). It is located on the East Thrace, European side of Istanbul, near the ...

/İstanbul)

References

{{reflist

External links

* Angela Andersen, “Cemevi,” ''Khamseen: Islamic Art History Online'', published 27 April 2023. https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/khamseen/terms/2023/cemevi/ Alevism Islam in Turkey Culture of Turkey Turkish words and phrases Kurdish culture

A place of gathering for Bektash’īyyah tariqa

Cemevi in Istanbul

See also

References

External links