Cemevi

Categorized as Terms

Cemevi

Angela Andersen

Related Terms:

  • Alevi (pertaining to Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad; member of a spiritual lineage who may follow the teachings of Alevilik)
  • dede (hereditary guide of Alevi lineages—ocaks)
  • Maydan / meydan (central square or area)
  • Ocak (Alevi lineage headed by a dede; central structure of Alevi society)
  • Sayyid (descendant of the Prophet Muhammad)
  • Tekke (lodge for ceremonies)
  • Zakir / dhikr (ceremonial hymnist)

Related Khamseen Video:

Rachel Parikh, “Islamic Arms and Armor: Dhu’l Fiqar, ʿAli’s Miraculous Sword,” Khamseen: Islamic Art History Online, published 28 August 2020.

References:

Andersen, Angela. “The Anecdotal Archive: Building Design, Oral History, and the Notion of An Alevi Place of Worship.” International Journal of Islamic Architecture 11.1 (2022): 25–43.

Andersen, Angela. “The Transfer of Turkish Bektashi Tekkes to Alevi Cemevleri.” In 15th International Congress of Turkish Art, Naples, Università di Napoli “L’Orientale” 16-18 September 2015, edited by Michele Bernardini, Alessandro Taddei, et al., 109–21. Ankara: Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Republic of Turkey, 2018.

Andersen, Angela, and Can Gündüz. “Sweeping the Meydan: Home and Religious Ceremony Amongst the Alevis.” RACAR 45.2 (2020): 48–64.

Birge, John Kingsley. The Bektashi Order of Dervishes. Hartford: Hartford Seminary Press, 1937. 

Dressler, Markus. “Alevis.” In Encyclopaedia of Islam Three, edited by Kate Fleet, Gudrun Krämer, Denis Matringe, John Nawas, and Everett Rowson. Leiden: Brill, first published online 2008.

Worksheet:

A worksheet for this video is available here.

Also visit the Khamseen Worksheets page here.

Citation:

Angela Andersen, “Cemevi,” Khamseen: Islamic Art History Online, published 27 April 2023.

Angela Andersen researches and teaches the architectures of minority Muslim communities, and inter- and intra-religious interactions through architecture. She runs an educational program for children about architecture around the world, and has worked with museums, not-for-profit organizations, and initiatives involving architecture and social issues. She was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship with AKPIA@MIT focused on her work with Alevi communities in Turkey, and has published on Alevi architecture in a number of books and journals. She is the guest editor of the International Journal of Islamic Architecture 11/2 (2022) on the theme of hinterland forces and marginalization in Islamic architecture.