Dec 13, 2021 · Semahs are performed by semahçıs (Semah dancers), accompanied by devout musicians playing the saz long-necked lute. Various forms of Semah exist in Alevi-Bektaşi communities across Turkey, each with distinct musical characteristics and rhythmic structures.

The most common forms of Alevi sema include kirklar semahı (sema of the forty) and turnalar semahı (crane sema). They are performed by both male and female teenagers, often in mixed groups, and participants turn facing each other in pairs or small groups and do not necessarily whirl as individuals.

Various forms of Semah exist in Alevi-Bektaşi communities across Turkey, each with distinct musical characteristics and rhythmic structures. One consistent characteristic is the performance of...

Feb 9, 2022 · In the distant southern suburbs on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, we attended a weekly ritual at a well-appointed Alevi cemevi, consulting the wise Erzade Özgür dede (b.1983) and his wife Songül ana, who also possesses estimable ritual knowledge.

Alevi-Bektaşi Ritüeli Semah. Semah, Alevi ve Bektaşiler tarafından inançları gereği cemlerde icra edilen semah, hizmet sahipleri olan zakirlerin çaldığı saz eşliğinde söylenen sözler ve müziğin ritmine uyarak yapılan mistik ve estetik hareketler ile Tanrı’ya ulaşma yoludur.

Semahs are the most crucial means for the transmission of the Alevi-Bektaşi tradition. All practices, traditional motifs and teachings are passed on orally, and distinct genres of art and literature associated with the tradition continue to thrive.

Semah; originated from Ancient Mesopotamian word sema meaning heavens, fortune and hearing. Semahs are the most effective instruments for the transmission of Alevi tradi-tions. Semah is one of the main twelve services of the cem rituals which are considered as religious practices by Alevi adherents.

Günümüzdeki yaygın inanışa göre Aleviler semahın ilk defa arşı aladaki kırklar ceminde dönüldüğüne inanırlar. İyi incelendiğinde semahın her figüründe bir anlam olduğu görülecektir. Semahta esas olarak gezegenlerin, güneş çevresinde dönüşleri simgelenir.

Semah or Samah is a form of Sufi dance of the followers of the Anatolian Alevi Bektashi Order in Turkey. The dance consists of a set of mysterious and aesthetic body movements in rhythmic harmony performed by the dancers accompanied by devout musicians playing the Turkish saz (long-necked lute).

The chapters analyse traditional, contemporary and transnational developments of Alevi cultural expression including modern adaptations, local and regional practices, Alevism in a wider...