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 ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

's Alevi-

Bektashiyyah The Bektashi Order; sq, Tarikati Bektashi; tr, Bektaşi or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi mystic movement originating in the 13th-century. It is named after the Anatolian saint Haji Bektash Wali (d. 1271). The community is currently led by ...

tariqa A tariqa (or ''tariqah''; ar, طريقة ') is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking '' haqiqa'', which translates as "ultimate truth". ...

populations. Certain Alevi organizations describe cemevis as places of

worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. It may involve one or more of activities such as veneration, adoration, praise, and praying. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recogni ...

, and ask for this to be officially recognized. However, the

Directorate of Religious Affairs The Directorate of Religious Affairs in Turkey ( tr, Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, normally referred to simply as the Diyanet) is an official state institution established in 1924 by the orders of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk under article 136 of t ...

of Turkey does not recognise cemevis as Muslim places of worship, and only recognises

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 dis ...

and Ja'fari- Shi’ite

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

A place of gathering for Bektash’īyyah tariqa

Şahkulu Sultan Dergahi Cemevi, ein sehr altes Gebetshaus

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 tradition within various historical currents of Turkey's Alevi culture. Urbanization of many

Alevis 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, ...

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 act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of Racial discrimination, r ...

against the

, which results in the founding of each cemevi acquiring political dimensions and necessitating case-by-case lobbyism. Vast Majority of

consider themselves to be

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

, 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 A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, i ...

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

Küçükçekmece Küçükçekmece (; meaning “small-drawer”, from much earlier ''Rhagion'' and ''Küçükçökmece as “little breakdown''" or “''little depression''”, in more ancient times just as Bathonea), is a suburb and district of Istanbul, Turke ...

) *Okmeydanı Cemevi ( Okmeydanı,

Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (, ota, بك‌اوغلی, script=Arab) is a district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city (historic peninsula of Constantinople) by the Golden Horn. It was known as the region of Pera (Πέρα, mea ...

) *Gazi Cemevi (Gazi Mahallesi, Gaziosmanpaşa) *Sarıgazi Cemevi (Sarıgazi,

Ümraniye Ümraniye () is a district of Istanbul. It was separated from Üsküdar in 1987. It is bordered by Çekmeköy to the northeast, Sancaktepe to the east, Ataşehir to the south, Üsküdar to the west and Beykoz to the northwest. History Ümraniye i ...

) *

Kartal Cemevi Kartal Cemevi is a cemevi of Alevi Moslems located in Kartal district of Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian si ...

( Kartal) *Gürpınar Cemevi (Gürpınar,

Büyükçekmece Büyükçekmece is a district and municipality in the suburbs of Istanbul, Turkey on the Sea of Marmara coast of the European side, west of the city. It is largely an industrial area with a population of 380,000. The mayor is Hasan Akgün ( ...

) *

Şahkulu Şahkulu ( ota, شاه قولی, Şāh Ḳulu, lit=servant of shah; died July 2, 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 ...

Sultan Cem Kültür Merkezi ( Göztepe,

Kadıköy Kadıköy (), known in classical antiquity and during the Roman and Byzantine eras as Chalcedon ( gr, Χαλκηδών), is a large, populous, and cosmopolitan district in the Asian side of Istanbul, Turkey, on the northern shore of the Sea ...

) *Haramidere Cemevi (Haramidere,

) *Tuzla Aydınlıköy Cemevi (

Tuzla Tuzla (, ) is the 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 inhabitants. Tuzla is the economic, cultural, e ...

) * Karacaahmet Cem Kültür Merkezi (

Üsküdar Üsküdar () is a large and densely populated district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered to the north by Beykoz, to the east by Ümraniye, to the southeast by Ataşehir and to the south by Kadıköy; ...

) *Yenibosna Cemevi (

Yenibosna Yenibosna is a borough within the district of Bahçelievler in west Istanbul, Turkey. The borough is in the west of Bahçelievler, bordering with the neighbor district Küçükçekmece. The original settlement was initially named Saraybosna, the ...

, Bahçelievler) *Bağcılar Cemevi ( Bağcılar/İstanbul)

References

{{reflist Alevism Islam in Turkey Turkish culture Turkish words and phrases Kurdish culture

A place of gathering for Bektash’īyyah tariqa

Cemevi in Istanbul

See also

References