Cemevi
Encyclopedia
A Cemevi means literally a house of gathering in Turkish
, (Arabic Jam'=Cem=public-gathering/ev=house) and is a place of fundamental importance for Turkey
's Alevi
-Bektashi
populations and traditions. It is not a place of worship
in the strict sense of the term; the accent is laid on its aspect as lieu of assemblage (cem; pronounced djem). 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 also brought changes in the conception of cem. In larger towns in Turkey today, cemevi are multifunctional buildings where a broad range of cultural activities take place. In Turkey
, it is always problematic for a cemevi to get off the ground, due to strict state interference in religious matters, and cases of discrimination
against the Alevis, which results in the founding of each cemevi acquiring political dimensions and necessitating case-by-case lobbyism.
The Sunnite Muslim
majority in Turkey labels Alevi
communities as de facto Muslims, a view shared by mainstream Alevis themselves. The issues between Sunnites and Alevis often center around, either historical grievances, or the present efforts consistently pursued by authorities for assimilating them into an official perception of mainstream Islam
in Turkey
. Many Alevi villages nowadays have mosque
s built by the state with attached clerics paid by the state. Compulsory religious education in the last decades has attracted adverse reactions by many Alevis, since the teaching presents an orthodox
interpretation of faith, often excluding Alevi practices and teachings.
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, (Arabic Jam'=Cem=public-gathering/ev=house) and is a place of fundamental importance for Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
's Alevi
Alevi
The Alevi are a religious and cultural community, primarily in Turkey, constituting probably more than 15 million people....
-Bektashi
Bektashi
Bektashi Order or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi order founded in the 13th century by the Persian saint Haji Bektash Veli. In addition to the spiritual teachings of Haji Bektash Veli the order was significantly influenced during its formative period by both the Hurufis as well as the...
populations and traditions. It is not a place of worship
Worship
Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. The word is derived from the Old English worthscipe, meaning worthiness or worth-ship — to give, at its simplest, worth to something, for example, Christian worship.Evelyn Underhill defines worship thus: "The absolute...
in the strict sense of the term; the accent is laid on its aspect as lieu of assemblage (cem; pronounced djem). 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
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
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
Bektashi
Bektashi Order or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi order founded in the 13th century by the Persian saint Haji Bektash Veli. In addition to the spiritual teachings of Haji Bektash Veli the order was significantly influenced during its formative period by both the Hurufis as well as 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 multifunctional buildings where a broad range of cultural activities take place. In Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, 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
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
against the Alevis, which results in the founding of each cemevi acquiring political dimensions and necessitating case-by-case lobbyism.
The Sunnite Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
majority in Turkey labels Alevi
Alevi
The Alevi are a religious and cultural community, primarily in Turkey, constituting probably more than 15 million people....
communities as de facto Muslims, a view shared by mainstream Alevis themselves. The issues between Sunnites and Alevis often center around, either historical grievances, or the present efforts consistently pursued by authorities for assimilating them into an official perception of mainstream Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Many Alevi villages nowadays have mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s built by the state with attached clerics paid by the state. Compulsory religious education in the last decades has attracted adverse reactions by many Alevis, since the teaching presents an orthodox
Orthodoxy
The word orthodox, from Greek orthos + doxa , is generally used to mean the adherence to accepted norms, more specifically to creeds, especially in religion...
interpretation of faith, often excluding Alevi practices and teachings.
Cemevi in İstanbul
- Erikli Baba Cemevi (ZeytinburnuZeytinburnuZeytinburnu is a working class neighbourhood, municipality and district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, on the shore of the Marmara Sea just outside the walls of the ancient city, beyond the fortress of Yedikule...
) - Firuzköy Cemevi (AvcılarAvcilarAvcılar is a district of Istanbul, Turkey, out of town on the European side of the city, just to the west of the Küçükçekmece inlet of the Sea of Marmara.-History:The Marmara coast road bridges the mouth of the inlet, always an important route in wartime...
) - Maltepe Cemevi (MaltepeMaltepeMaltepe is a district in the suburbs of Istanbul, Turkey between Kadıköy and Kartal on the Marmara sea. Its neighbours are Kadıköy to the west and Kartal to the east. The mayor of Maltepe is Mustafa Zengin . Maltepe used to border Ümraniye from the northwest between 1992 and 2004...
) - Garip Dede Cemevi (KüçükçekmeceKüçükçekmeceKüçükçekmece is a large, crowded suburb on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey 23 km out of the city, beyond Atatürk Airport. The population of the area reaches 600,000. This area covers 118 km².-Location:...
) - Okmeydanı Cemevi (Okmeydanı, BeyoğluBeyogluBeyoğlu is a district located on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city by the Golden Horn...
) - Gazi Cemevi (Gazi Mahallesi, GaziosmanpaşaGaziosmanpasaGaziosmanpaşa is an impoverished working class municipality and district of Istanbul, Turkey, on its European side. With a population of 400,000 plus, it is one of the most populous districts. In 2009 Gaziosmanpaşa district were the divided to three districts: Gaziosmanpaşa, the central;...
) - Sarıgazi Cemevi (Sarıgazi, ÜmraniyeÜmraniyeÜmraniye is a very large working class district of Istanbul, Turkey with a population of over 250,000. It became district in 1987 by secession from Üsküdar. Also; Ömerli, Koçullu, Sırapınar and Hüseyinli villages were separated from Beykoz district in same year. Finally, Nişantepe quarter passed...
) - Kartal Cemevi (KartalKartalKartal is a district of Istanbul, Turkey located on the Asian side of the city, on the coast of the Marmara Sea between Maltepe and Pendik. The mayor is Altınok Öz . Despite being far from the city centre, Kartal is heavily populated now. . Total land area is 147,000 m² which includes some...
) - Gürpınar Cemevi (Gürpınar, BüyükçekmeceBüyükçekmeceBüyükçekmece 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...
) - Şahkulu Sultan Cem Kültür Merkezi (Göztepe, KadıköyKadiköyKadıköy is a large, populous, and cosmopolitan district of İstanbul, Turkey on the Asian side of the Sea of Marmara, facing the historic city centre on the European side of the Bosporus...
) - Haramidere Cemevi (Haramidere, BüyükçekmeceBüyükçekmeceBüyükçekmece 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...
) - Tuzla Aydınlıköy Cemevi (TuzlaTuzla (district)Tuzla is a small town, a suburb of Istanbul, Turkey on the Asian side of the city beyond Kartal and Pendik. Tuzla is on a headland on the coast of the Marmara Sea, at the eastern limit of the city. The mayor is Şadi Yazıcı .-History:...
) - Karacaahmet Cem Kültür Merkezi (ÜsküdarÜsküdarÜsküdar is a large and densely populated municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered on the north by Beykoz, on the east by Ümraniye, on the southeast by Ataşehir, on the south by Kadıköy, and on the west by the Bosphorus, with the areas of Beşiktaş,...
) - Yenibosna Cemevi (Yenibosna, BahçelievlerBahçelievlerBahçelievler is a large middle class residential suburb of Istanbul, Turkey, on the European side of the city. It is accessible from the E-5 Highway that runs from the Istanbul airport to the Asian side of the city, covers 5% of Istanbul's land area and is home to over 570,000 people...
) - Bağcılar Cemevi (Bağcılar/İstanbul)