Alevi - Bektashi Belief in Balkans: A Historical Legacy
Alevi - Bektashi Belief in Balkans: A Historical Legacy

Summary/Abstract: With increased immigration, Islam has become a considerable element affecting the relatively homogeneous religious structure of Europe. However, for the Balkan region, instead of immigration flows, historical legacy possessed an important role with respect to Islamic characteristic. With the rise of the Ottoman Empire, Islam spread to the Balkans with significant Alevi-Bektashi characteristics due to the important role of Janissaries who were associated with the Dervish Lodge of Haji Bektash Veli in Ottoman political and military structures. Therefore, it would not be wrong to claim that Alevi-Bektashi belief had pivotal role in the composition of the religious heritage of Islam in the Balkans; although, it is generally linked with Anatolian region. Today, this belief is being protected as one of the contributors to the historical legacy of religious diversity with functioning dervish lodges and shrines, or gatherings around ruins. This paper will examine the history and the role of Alevi-Bektashi belief within Islamic faith in and its reflections to Muslim societies of the Balkans in order to understand the contribution of this syncretic belief to religious diversity in Europe as a historical legacy.

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