Merve Demir from the administration of the Garip Dede Tomb Foundation underlined that it is not merely a traditional cemevi, but that the Alevi community is also a subject of peace.
The Garip Dede Tomb is one of the few Alevi shrines located in Istanbul. Known in Hungary as the spiritual companion of Gül Baba, Garip Dede’s tomb was transformed into a shrine in 1995 with the support of Nurettin Şen. In 2021, it was converted into a foundation, expanding its fields of activity. Alongside the tomb, the Garip Dede Tomb Foundation includes a cemevi, a slaughterhouse for sacrificial animals, a soup kitchen, a space for farewell ceremonies to Hakk (the Divine), a morgue, souvenir sections, a tea house, a library, a conference hall, event areas, and classrooms. With these features, the Garip Dede complex stands out from other cemevis. In addition to offering free bağlama, semah, and theater courses, the lodge administration not only conducts academic studies on Alevism but also strives to keep the Alevi community united in daily life, creating an organized way of living together.
Alevism academy
The administration of the Garip Dede Foundation has been carrying out academic work on the history and faith of Alevism through an institution called the Alevism Academy for the past three years. In 2021, with the notion of conducting academic studies on Alevism, the GADEV family and Professor Dr. Şükrü Aslan from the Department of Sociology at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (MSGSÜ) initiated the work of the GADEV Alevism Academy. Between 2021 and 2023, the Academy implemented its programs titled “Alevis / Alevism from a Social Sciences Perspective,” and since 2024 it has continued with “Alevis / Alevism Field Research Conferences.” At the end of each conference period, the Academy has published books as outputs of these programs, including Alevis / Alevism from a Social Sciences Perspective (I) and II, Alevi Communities, The First Alevi MPs in the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Politics and Alevis, and Media and Alevis, The Representation of Alevis in the Media.
Sustained by the donations of the Alevi community
The foundation not only provides scholarships, especially for university students, but also creates opportunities for young people to work within the lodge on certain days and earn pocket money. Without receiving any external support, it continues its work financially through the donations of the Alevi community.
A call and stance for peace
In addition, the administration of the Garip Dede Foundation made a statement regarding the Peace and Democratic Society process currently on Turkey’s agenda. They said: “The democratic struggle of the Kurdish people, which includes the desire to live their identity and language freely, is one of the cornerstones of peace, justice, and genuine social unity.” They continued: “The peace initiative that began on February 27 strongly revealed the common will and longing of the peoples. The true owners of peace are all the peoples of this land: Turks, Kurds, Alevis, Sunnis, Armenians, and all other identities. This common must not be overshadowed by political calculations; peace must be deep and lasting in social life. The tranquility of societies is possible through a constitution based on equal citizenship and through solidarity.”
Against assimilation and degeneration
Merve Demir from the administration of the Garip Dede Tomb Foundation spoke to ANF about the work and plans of the lodge. She noted that she first became acquainted with the Garip Dede Tomb during the pandemic and emphasized that the lodge has been structured in many respects as a school. Demir said: “The cemevi (Alevi house of worship) is a sacred place where we carry out our farewell to Hakk services, perform our cem ceremonies, and share our lokmas. Yet beyond all this, it also hosts various activities like an institute. With the upcoming Book Fair and the ongoing work of the Alevism Academy, I can say that the lodge is distinct in some ways. Every year, scholarship activities are also carried out, and hundreds of students receive support from us. Many of our services here are offered free of charge to our people, to our can. As Alevis, for hundreds of years we have been fighting not only for the recognition of our faith and our places of worship, but also to sustain our way of life, resisting assimilation and degeneration. We will continue this struggle. With these efforts, I find it valuable to explore what has been said about us in academic literature and to bring all of this work together with our people. As a result of participants’ regular attendance at the conferences, we awarded many people certificates. The book fair is a continuation of the idea of preserving the institute-like aspect I mentioned. Through the panels we organize here, we also aim to create various forms of awareness. By observing knowledge, we try to adapt the past to the present.”
Alevis are the subject and party of peace
Merve Demir emphasized that the Garip Dede Tomb is not merely a traditional cemevi, but also a place that speaks out during the processes Turkey is going through. Referring particularly to the new political period in Turkey, she underlined that the Alevi community is a subject of peace. Demir said: “Just as we have preserved a humanist philosophy as a faith and reached the present day, we must also say that Alevis are a subject and a party of peace. In line with the principle of equal citizenship, we know that everyone should and can exist in this society. The peoples of these lands have lived together with tolerance for centuries. We, too, believe that by preserving peace in this sense, we can reach beauty. Likewise, through the speeches and meetings of our dede (Alevi spiritual leader) in parliament, we see that our can embrace this process. The greatest sign of this is the large number of can who come to the shrine. In this sense, the fact that people never abandon this place is also proof of their commitment to the wish for peace.”