Мюсюлмански култови паметници в Източните Родопи и обредите, свързани с тях
Moslem Cult Monuments in the Eastern Rhodopes and the Rites Associated with Them

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the spread of the Moslem cult sites — Tekes, turbes, sacred rocks, trees, springs, mountains, on the basis of field study material collected by the authors on the territory of the Eastern Rhodope Mountains. The role of the tekes and turbes has been outlined as the ideological centres of the Islam, which had spread in the region of the Rhodopes. As dervish hermitages in the mountain, they aided the mission of the corps of janissaries in the reaffirmation of Islam and the domination of the Ottoman state and has been ideological bulwarks of the moslem faith. The cult for the saints, whose turbes (tombs) are in the territory of the Eastern Rhodopes, makes up the most important aspect of popular Islam. The article points out the syncretic nature of the Moslem cults and the ele¬ments, which have been handed down to them by the old pagan and Christian be¬liefs, in combination with remnants of shamanism, Zoroastrianism and the Sufic trends in the East. The specific features are discussed of the religious practices and the worship of the saints among the Sunnite and Shiite population. The better preservation of the traditional world outlook has been pointed cut of the Bektashi, the most numerous representatives of Alienism in the Eastern Rhodopes. The more restricted character of the religious practices has been underlined among the Orthodox Sunnite popula¬tion and the leading role of the dogmas of the Koran among them. By this article the beginning is laid of more systematic studies on similar problems, so that their place in the culture of the Moslem population from the Eastern Rhodopes may stand out.

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