The Alevis of Turkey

The Alevis are a community whose beliefs blend elements of extreme Shi’ism, animism, and Zoroastrianism. In the Kurdish regions of Turkey, they traditionally lived in rural mountain communities, small and self-contained.

Alevis of the area often pray to the sun and venerate natural sites — trees, lakes, springs, stones — usually without dedicated sacred buildings.

Conflict with the PKK led the army to destroy many villages, removing any potential sanctuaries for Kurdish fighters.

Today, many villagers live in cities, and their practices have adapted to new circumstances. Sacred spaces must now be built for ritual, the religion has taken on a more Islamic character, and, somewhat unexpectedly, Sufi practices such as Zikr — previously banned under Atatürk in 1924 — have been incorporated into Alevi rituals.