Getting to the Final Form: Reforming of the Alevi and Bektaşi Belief Through Their Interaction with One Another

Abstract

The Alevis/Kızılbaş and Bektaşis, two of the most prominent religious groups of the Ottoman dynasty, in modern times, have unusually come to be called the Alevi-Bektaşis. This way of use gives the impression that these two religious institutions as though reflect the same group of people despite differences in historical development and growth. With the influence of the popular writings of Fuad Köprülü and later Irène Mélikoff much of the current scholarship held to the belief that these two entities originated from the same root, the Bābā’ī movement. While acknowledging the historical connection between the two groups, few scholars have taken an interest in clarifying how and when such an association started. This article aims to uncover the historical link of the Alevi-Bektaşi alliance. It further explores the possible benefits that the two entities obtained through their interaction with one another. It will then focus on how the two have affected each other’s religious stance. In doing so the following questions will guide this research: How and why did a Sufi order, recognized and advocated by the Ottoman state, come into contact with a harshly criticized religious group which was identified as an enemy to the Ottoman unity? How did the Kızılbaş-Bektaşi interaction affect the social, political, and religious experience of the Kızılbaş over the course of its transformation into the Alevi belief system? In what sense did both sides benefit or not benefit from such a link?