Erdoğan Çınar is a Turkish writer known for promoting

Ishikism Ishik or Ishik Alevism ('), also known as Chinarism ('), is a new syncretic religious movement among Alevis who have developed an alternative understanding of Alevism and its history. These alternative interpretations and beliefs were inspired ...

. He has written extensively on

Alevism Alevism or Anatolian Alevism (; tr, Alevilik, ''Anadolu Aleviliği'' or ''Kızılbaşlık''; ; az, Ələvilik) is a local Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Alevi Islamic ( ''bāṭenī'') teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, w ...

, Bektashism, the

history of religion The history of religion refers to the written record of human religious feelings, thoughts, and ideas. This period of religious history begins with the invention of writing about 5,200 years ago (3200 BC). The prehistory of religion involves t ...

, Turkish history and archaeology, and many other topics. Although proponents of

heavily depend on Erdoğan Çınar's works, others have criticized his works as

historical revisionism In historiography, historical revisionism is the reinterpretation of a historical account. It usually involves challenging the orthodox (established, accepted or traditional) views held by professional scholars about a historical event or times ...

pseudohistory Pseudohistory is a form of pseudoscholarship that attempts to distort or misrepresent the historical record, often by employing methods resembling those used in scholarly historical research. The related term cryptohistory is applied to pseudoh ...

Views on Alevism

In 2004, Erdoğan Çınar published his seminal book ''Aleviliğin Gizli Tarihi'' ("The Secret History of Alevism"), which claimed that

is in fact the oldest religion in the world. As the "First and True Religion" of the world, Çınar claims that Alevism is the main source of all other religions and beliefs in the world: Çınar claims that the

Luwians The Luwians were a group of Anatolian peoples who lived in central, western, and southern Anatolia, in present-day Turkey, during the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. They spoke the Luwian language, an Indo-European language of the Anatolian sub-f ...

Paulicians Paulicianism ( Classical Armenian: Պաւղիկեաններ, ; grc, Παυλικιανοί, "The followers of Paul"; Arab sources: ''Baylakānī'', ''al Bayāliqa'' )Nersessian, Vrej (1998). The Tondrakian Movement: Religious Movements in the ...

, Bogomils,

Cathars Catharism (; from the grc, καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure ones") was a Christian Dualistic cosmology, dualist or Gnosticism, Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern ...

, and other

Gnostic Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...

groups were in fact Alevis. He identifies the legendary Alevi figure

Pir Sultan Abdal Pir Sultan Abdal (born Haydar) is an important religious figure in Alevism, who is thought to be of Turkmen origin and to have been born in the village of Banaz in present-day Sivas Province, Turkey. He is considered legendary among his followers ...

Constantine-Silvanus Constantine-Silvanus (died 684) was the founder of the Paulicians, a Christian movement in 7th century Armenia, who sought to return to the purity of the church in the time of Paul the Apostle. They were considered heretical by the Byzantine Chur ...

, the founder of

Paulicianism Paulicianism ( Classical Armenian: Պաւղիկեաններ, ; grc, Παυλικιανοί, "The followers of Paul"; Arab sources: ''Baylakānī'', ''al Bayāliqa'' )Nersessian, Vrej (1998). The Tondrakian Movement: Religious Movements in the ...

. Thus, according to Çınar, the Paulicians and other Gnostic groups of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...

were not actually Christians, but were in fact "Alevis" in the original sense. His 2007 book ''Aleviliğin Kayıp Bin Yılı (325-1325)'' discusses the "lost millenium" of Alevi history during the

(325-1325 CE). In the 2020 book ''Bronz Çağı’nda Alevilik'', Erdoğan Çınar identifies some Anatolian

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

civilizations (4000 BC-1750 BC) with Alevism.

Reception

Erdoğan Çınar's works and ideas have received mixed reception. Writers such as Haşim Kutlu strongly supported his ideas. Some Alevis were highly receptive towards his ideas, while others distanced themselves from them. Hamza Aksüt, an Alevi historian, criticized his ideas as

. Another writer, Ünsal Öztürk, has also criticized Erdoğan Çınar. In 2010, Hamza Aksüt, Hasan Harmancı, and Ünsal Öztürk published the book ''Alevi Tarih Yazımında Skandal – Erdoğan Çınar Örneği'' (A Scandal in Alevi History Writing – The Erdoğan Çınar Example), which criticizes Erdoğan Çınar's ideas as

Books

Books by Erdoğan Çınar:İstanbul Kitapçısı
/ref> * ("The Secret History of Alevism") * ("The Lost Alevi Legend") * ("The Lost Millennium of Alevism: 325-1325") * ("The Roots of Alevism: The Esotericism of Abdal Musa") * ("We Have a Rose in the Garden") * ("The Secret of Dergah: The Lost Story of Alevism") * ("Alevism in the Bronze Age (4000 BC-1750 BC): The Lost Story of Alevism, Second Book")

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cinar, Erdogan Living people 21st-century Turkish writers Turkish male writers Alevism History of the Alevis Historians of religion Year of birth missing (living people) Turkish Alevis