The two-day ‘Alevism and Bektashism in the Balkans Symposium’ started in EDİRNE.
‘Alevism and Bektashism Symposium in the Balkans’ was held in cooperation with the Alevi-Bektashi Culture and Cemevi Presidency of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Edirne Governorship. The opening of the symposium held at Trakya University Balkan Congress Center was attended by Edirne Governor Yunus Sezer, Ministry of Culture and Tourism Alevi-Bektashi Culture and Cemevi President Ali Rıza Özdemir, Trakya University Rector Prof. Dr. Mustafa Hatipler, Macedonian Alevi-Bektashi Faith Leader Zeynel Abidin Tekeshanoski and many academics and non-governmental organization representatives from the Balkans and Edirne attended.
‘OUR 2025 TARGET IS TO MAINTENANCE, REPAIR AND FURNITURE 500 CEME HOUSES’
Speaking at the opening, Ali Rıza Özdemir, President of the Alevi-Bektashi Culture and Cemevi of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, explained the work they carried out within the presidency. Özdemir said, “To date, our cemevi experts have traveled all over Turkey and identified 2,102 cemevis. The main purpose of making this determination is to provide service to cemevi and to know the places we provide services. For the years 2023 and 2024, with an allowance of 258 million, the maintenance and repair of 355 five cemevi We have completed the furnishing works and we hope to have 500 units next year. To complete and meet the maintenance, repair and furnishing works of our cemevi. We gave priority to the earthquake region. We used a budget of 148 million lira for the renovation of 97 cemevi, with the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. We have planned 13 new cemevi together. These days, our funds are being transferred, hopefully we will open these cemevi in 2025. We have overcome the problem of electricity meters with the regulation we issued. As of today, our presidency covers the lighting expenses of 837 cemevi. “We are also carrying out comprehensive studies on Alevi Bektashi culture through social and cultural activities and scientific studies,” he said.
‘WE WILL PUBLISH THE FIRST PART OF THE ALEVI-BEKTASHISM ENCYCLOPEDIA IN JUNE’
Stating that they plan to publish the first part of the Alevi-Bektashism Encyclopedia, which is under preparation, in June 2025, Özdemir said, “We have another project to record traditional cems. We established an Alevi-Bektashism Specialized Library in the building of our Presidency. We named it Kaygusuz Abdal Library. This Within the scope of the projects, we have a project about transferring Alevi Bektashi manuscripts to the digital environment. We will start it in 2025. We want to publish the works of living Alevi-Bektashi greats and lovers. We have a project related to this. We have many projects, hopefully we will solve all the problems that we, as the Alevi community, have been using for 30-40 years. “We will have solved all our problems,” he said.
‘WE ARE DOING WORK THAT WILL STRENGTHEN OUR NATIONAL UNITY’
Özdemir said, “Of course, these studies are not just physical studies, we want to touch the hearts of the Alevi-Bektashi community and reinforce our national unity with these works. This is the main motivation for all our work. The works carried out by our Presidency are welcomed positively by a large segment of the Alevi and Bektashi society. We do this in the field. In our work, we can also measure and see the reactions to the work we produce. There is a small group of people who see the impact of our projects and object to our work. We think that Alevism and Bektashism are two brother paths that have the same origin and are nourished by the same essence. When we live together and understand each other, we grow and become stronger. We will continue to do this in our work under the umbrella of this institution. “We will continue on the minimum,” he said.
‘OUR ACADEMICS WILL STUDY THE ALEVI-BEKTASHI THOUGHT’
Trakya University Rector Prof. Dr. Mustafa Hatipler also stated that the Balkans is a geography that has witnessed the interaction of different religions, different cultures and civilizations throughout history. Hatipler said, “This difference has brought a different richness and a cultural mosaic identity to the Balkan geography, that is, to put it in our original words, to Rumelia. Today, here, we see the Alevi-Bektashi thought, understanding and understanding of humanity, one of the most valuable stones of Rumelia’s rich cultural mosaic. Our expert academics will examine their valuable studies in depth, discuss them and present their studies to us, starting from this point, on many subjects, especially literature, music, architecture and sociology. “I hope that this symposium, where the present and future of Alevism and Bektashism in Rumelia, the Balkans, Alevism and Bektashism will be discussed and discussed in different fields and many different disciplines, will be beneficial,” he said.
‘WE NEED TO REMIND HUMANITY OF OUR VALUES OF JUSTICE’
Edirne Governor Yunus Sezer said that a civilization that has not collapsed from the Balkans to the present day, said: “In fact, we need to violently present our civilization values to humanity and remind them of our values of justice. We need to remind people of the times when people lived in peace, not fighting with each other. All these years.” Even though it has passed, when we visit the Balkans today, we see that roses are still scattered at the tomb of Gül Baba in Hungary, and not only us but people of all nations visit there. They left behind a civilization, a huge culture and a huge understanding to humanity. We need to follow in the footsteps of this culture and this understanding and we should never lose this, such meetings, programs and symposiums remind us of being who we are and also the values we have. “It is an opportunity to show it to other nations,” he said.
