Chepni of Rumkale ( tr, Rumkale Çepnileri) is a distinct branch of the
Chepni tribe inhabiting the northeastern portion of the province of
Gaziantep
Gaziantep (), previously and still informally called Aintab or Antep (), is a major city and capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Mediterranean Region, approximat ...
in south-central
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, formerly the Ottoman
kaza
A kaza (, , , plural: , , ; ota, قضا, script=Arab, (; meaning 'borough')
* bg, околия (; meaning 'district'); also Кааза
* el, υποδιοίκησις () or (, which means 'borough' or 'municipality'); also ()
* lad, kaza
, ...
of
Rumkale
Rumkale ( ''Roman Castle''), also known as Urumgala, is a fortress on the Euphrates, located in the province of Gaziantep and 50 km west of Şanlıurfa.
Its strategic location was already known to the Assyrians, although the present struct ...
.
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 town and district in the southern part of Kahramanmaraş Province in Turkey. The mayor Hayrettin Güngör from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) was elected in the local elections 2019. Kaymakam is Adil Nas. The cement plan ...
and
Keferdiz, a practice inherited from their nomadic past. Some tribesmen later built the Chepni or Kazımiye
Tekke in
Aintab
Gaziantep (), previously and still informally called Aintab or Antep (), is a major city and capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Mediterranean Region, approximat ...
.
Chepni Tekke of Aintab
Although formed by Chepni, the Chepni
Tekke in Gaziantep gradually became the center of all Alevi Turkmens living near
Aintab
Gaziantep (), previously and still informally called Aintab or Antep (), is a major city and capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Mediterranean Region, approximat ...
. In certain days of the year, people from the
Barak villages, the vicinity of
Besni
Besni ( ku, Bêsnî) is a town and district of Adıyaman Province of Turkey, 44 km west of the city of Adıyaman.
History
The city was historically known as Bahasna. It was controlled by the Byzantines until it was captured by the Umayyad arm ...
,
Marash
Marash (Armenian: Մարաշ), officially Kahramanmaraş () and historically Germanicea (Greek: Γερμανίκεια), is a city in the Mediterranean Region, Turkey, Mediterranean Region of Turkey and the administrative center of Kahramanmaraş ...
,
Sakçagözü, and
Islahiye 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 in
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
.
Religion
All Chepni in the region traditionally follow the
Alevi branch of
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
, and due to their belief, they were particularly distinguished from the nearby
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
Kurdish 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