The analysis of “Mi'raj” concept regarding the alevi oral traditions: The example of Çubuk-Şabanözü region

Abstract

Similar to many other belief systems, the concept of “Mir'aj” holds a great importance in the symbolic cosmos perception of Islam and the related Mystical Sufi Movements. In addition to this philosophic importance, Hz. Muhammad's “Mir'aj” journey can be stated as a fundamental root for the rituals of many Sufi orders including Alevism. The memories of Alevi communities in Anatolia hold very close mir'aj narratives independent from the regions they occupy. The “Mir'aj” and “Cem of Forties” visited by Hz. Muhammad on his way back, that stands as an origin for the theology and the rituals of the Alevi Belief System, might also represent a suitable model to examine “Mir'aj-Belief” and “Mir'aj-Ritual” relations for many other belief systems in Anatolia. Çubuk-Şabanözü region, in which traditional Alevi belief system still lives with a theological and ritual based integrity, possesses a very unique literal, visual and musical creations about the Mir'aj perception of Alevi belief system. These creations go hand in hand with the “Mir'aj and the Cem of Forties” narratives lying in the memories of Alevi communities living in the other regions of Anatolia. In the first part of the paper, the narratives of “Mir'aj and Cem of Forties” in the written sources are examined and supporting knowledge gathered through the interviews conducted by oral resources is presented in the second part of the paper. For developing the final text of the paper, the interviews and the reports of field works carried out by the authors in the Çapar, Göldağ and Kutluşar villages of Şabanözü are used and these materials are supported by the previous studies on similar topics carried out on the region.