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Turk Kulturu ve Haci Bektas Veli - Arastirma Dergisi, no.88, pp.59-84, 2018 (Scopus, TRDizin)
This article deals with the manner and etiquette places of groups named Alevî. Each group described as Alevî today, was named with its own “ocak” in the past, for example Bektaşi, Tahtacı and Keçeci Babalı etc. Each of these “ocak” and groups takes all its views, thoughts and practices about religious and social life from Sufism and dervish order. As in other Sufi orders and traditions, Alevî groups used to perform their practices including “tawhid” or cem ceremonies/etiquettes based upon twelve acts in dervish lodges and convents; in places where there was no convents, they performed such services in the houses of dedes or talibs. The places where such ceremonıes were practiced have been called with various names like tekke, dergâh, zâviye, niyaz evi, meydan evi, Kırklar meydanı, büyük ev, tarikat evi. Parallel to the socio-economic developments in Turkey, “ocak”s and groups named Alevî moved to cities and they were organized Under endowments and associations foUnded in the cities. They then began to perform their ceremonies/etiquettes and practices within these endowments and associations. As a result of urbanism, they called these endowments and associations where they performed their manner and etiquettes/cem ceremonies as “Cemevi”. These buildings constructed both in the cities and in the villages in the recent period (after 1990’s) have become places where Alevî manners, ceremonies/etiquettes and practices, together with various other social and cultural activities, are performed. Therefore, the usage of the name “cemevi” instead of the names of the traditional places like “tekke, dergah, zaviye, niyaz evi, meydan evi, Kırklar meydanı, büyük ev, tarikat evi” etc. for the place where community assembles and performs manners, ceremonies/etiquettes and practices is a recent development. In the end, cemevi is the name given to a place where Alevî manners, ceremonies/etiquettes and practices are performed.