Music in the Bektashi Order in RN Macedonia: Aspects of Performance

Abstract

The spiritual tradition of the Turkish population in RN Macedonia is rich and still nurtures some segments of Sufism from the Ottoman period such as the Bektashi dervish order. In the period before the arrival of the Ottomans (around the 13th century), numerous Sufis were active in these territories, which in some way represented a transition point for the conquest and settlement of the Turks. Numerous Bektashi tekkes were built during the Ottoman period, several of which are still active today. Depending on the ethnic composition of the followers, the linguistic dominance of these Sufi structures also changes. The only Bektashi tekke whose members are Turks is the tekke ‘Dikmen Baba’ located in the village Kanatlarci near Prilep. This tekke is one of the few in the Bektashi orders that, despite several divisions in the spiritual leadership, has operated without interruption since its founding in the 16th century. Such divisions did not affect the essence of the spiritual beliefs nor the ritual forms of this dervish order which remain almost identical to those practised at the very beginning. The main focus of this paper will be the musical tradition of the ritual, and for the following reasons: 1. music, as the main activity of the Bektashi rituals, is the essential vehicle for spreading and reinforcing beliefs and wisdom for everyday community life, 2. its importance as a fundamental tool in the expression of mystical theosophy, and 3. variations in the repertoire as a result of drawing upon and integrating sacred music from local populations. For this purpose, field research, interviews, and the analysis of audio materials from the sacred rites of the Bektashi tekke Dikmen Baba in the village of Kanatlarci have been carried out.