Mapping the Tekkes and Türbes in Western Thrace: A New Contribution to the Old Literature

Abstract

Sufis, particularly the Alevi and Bektashi communities, tend to be overlooked within in Western Thrace, where Muslim identity is dominated by Orthodox Islam (i.e., Sunnism) for both cultural and political reasons. Consequently, the sacred places of groups that are perceived to be heterodox are, similar to these groups themselves, rendered invisible and many times deliberately left to obscurity. The present study combines bibliography and fieldwork to locate and derive information about Sufi tekkes [lodges], türbes [Muslim shrines], and cemevis [gathering places] in Western Thrace to broaden the future scope of research on the material culture and beliefs of those marginalized communities.