Kurdish sufi spaces of Rural-urban connection in Northern Syria

Abstract

Sufi communities function as spaces of mediation between the urban and rural universes among the Kurds of Northern Syria, allowing the circulation of people, goods and ideas through their religious networks. This article analyzes how two Sufi communities, one located in Aleppo, the main urban center of northern Syria; and the other located in 'Afrin, a Kurdish town in a rural area north of Aleppo, create discrete forms of connection between city and countryside in this region. While the community in 'Afrin mobilizes religious networks in order to connect the community with the economic and cultural universe of Aleppo, the one in Aleppo provides cultural references to their members that enable them to navigate in both Arab urban and Kurdish rural contexts. Therefore, the Sufi communities are spaces of cultural and social circulation that blur the boundaries between urban and rural in northern Syria. © Editions de l'E.H.E.S.S.. Tous droits réserv́s pour tous pays.