The construction of a Muslim prayer room at the entrance to the sacred Munzur springs in the village of Ziyaret near Ovacık district in the Alevi province of Dersim (tr. Tunceli), ordered by the governorate, has sparked nationwide protests. Alevi organizations criticize the project as religious dictation and an interference in their spiritual tradition.
Demonstrations took place in Ankara and Dersim on Saturday. Protesters demanded the immediate dismantling of the facility and warned against state appropriation of Alevi places of worship.
A continuation of the historical reform plan for the East
On Sakarya Avenue in Ankara, representatives of the Democratic Alevi Associations (DAD) and the Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK) declared that the Munzur springs are much more than just a river: “They are a place where Alevis connect with the divine—a place of faith, respect, and knowledge,” said Mustafa Karabudak, co-chair of DAD in Ankara.
The prayer room, which was built without consultation, is evidence of ignorance toward the Alevi faith, according to Karabudak: “What is being presented to us here as a religious offering is, in reality, an expression of state assimilation policy. It is a continuation of the historical reform plan for the East under new guises.”
Karabudak stressed that the establishment of the prayer room was not the result of a religious need, but part of an ideological strategy aimed at forcing Alevism into the framework of the Sunni Islamic state religion. Karabudak also recalled the systematic transformation of Alevi spaces in the past: “Mosques in Alevi villages, imams without congregations, courses on religious re-education, and the desecration of holy sites—we have already experienced all of this. And now they want to make us believe that a prayer room on the Munzur is spiritual enrichment.”
Munzur is not a place for state projects
Numerous Alevis also protested on site in Dersim, including representatives of the DAD, the umbrella organization of Dersim associations (DEDEF), and the cultural association Pir Sultan Abdal (PSAKD). They were supported by other civil society organizations and the Faith Council of Alevi Communities in Germany (AABF).
Kadriye Doğan, co-chair of the DAD, stated: “Munzur is a sacred place for us. Measures taken without the consent of the community are tantamount to oppression.” She emphasized that the construction of the prayer room did not originate from within the community, but was part of a longer-term strategy of state control over religious spaces.
“This building is not an expression of religious diversity, but part of a nationalist-Islamic program. Our demand is clear: the prayer room must be removed. Munzur is not a place for state projects—Munzur belongs to the community.” The participants demanded an end to all interference in Alevi places of worship and spoke out strongly against any form of religious or cultural assimilation.