Prof. CENKSU ÜÇER

He was born in 1972 in Ertuğrul village, Sivrihisar district, Eskişehir province. He completed his primary education in his village and his secondary education in Bolvadin in 1990. In the same year, he enrolled at the Faculty of Theology at Ondokuz Mayıs University. He graduated from the Faculty of Theology at OMÜ in 1995 and was appointed as a research assistant in the Department of History of Islamic Sects at the Faculty of Theology at OMÜ in the same year.

He spent time in Jordan with a scholarship from the Ministry of National Education between February 1997 and June 1998. He completed his master's degree in 1998 with a thesis titled "Ali b. El-Hiti's es-Seyfü'l-Bâtir and Its Place in the History of Sects" and his doctorate in 2005 with a thesis titled "Alevis of the Tokat Region: Their History, Beliefs, Customs and Traditions."

In June 2006, he was transferred to the Directorate of Guidance Services, Department of Religious Services, Presidency of Religious Affairs, as a civil servant. By the end of February 2007, he passed the expert/speciaslist exam of High Board of Religious Affairs and began his duties at High Board of Religious Affairs, Presidency of Religious Affairs.

In November 2012, he was awarded the title of Associate Professor for his fundamental work entitled “Musâhiblik in Alevism.” In September 2013, he was appointed as a faculty member at the Department of Theology and History of Islamic Sects at the Faculty of Islamic Sciences at Yıldırım Beyazıt University. While continuing in this position, he was appointed as a member of the High Board of Religious Affairs by the Presidential Decree published in the Official Gazette dated 28.08.2015, selected by the Candidate Selection Committee. He was elected as Vice-President of the High Board on 28.11.2015.

In January 2018, he received the title of Professor for his foundational work, "From Tekke, Zawiya, Dervish Lodge to Cemevi: Places Where Adab/Manner and Erkan/Etiquette Are Performed in Alevi- Identified Groups." His tenure at the High Board of Religious Affairs ended on August 15, 2019. Üçer, currently a faculty member in the Department of History of Islamic Sects at Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University's Faculty of Theology, is married with three children.