The Zaza-Alevi people of Turkey have Iranian Kurdish roots and have sometimes been known as Alevi Kurds. Their language, Northern Zazaki, is related to Kurdish. Although Turkish is the language used for religious ceremonies and for official purposes, Northern Zazaki is the language used in the home.
Kurdistan (homeland of the Kurds) is the largest and most populous part of Kurdish national territory in Turkey. This region stretches from the gulf of Alexandria and the Anti-Taurus Mountains in the west to the borders of Iran and Russia in the east. To the north, it is bounded by the Pontic Mountains, and Syria and Iraq to the south.
The Zaza-Alevi are largely village people living in the remote mountain areas of the Tunceli province or in marsh areas near the city of Marash. The Tunceli province is a rugged mountainous region with a continental climate that is subject to extreme temperature fluctuations. The southern part of the area is covered with snow about six months each year.
Kurdish society is still mainly rural, and most of the people make their living from farming and raising livestock. While a majority of the people live fairly settled lives, some still practice a semi-nomadic lifestyle. In most cases, productive farming techniques are underdeveloped. This has resulted in a very low per capita yield. The nomads migrate from place to place, following their herds of goats and sheep onto the mountains during the summer months and down to the plains during the winter.
With population growth, some Zaza-Alevi have moved into predominantly Sunni Muslim towns. There, they tend to live in their own slum quarters, remaining on the fringes of Kurdish society. Because they have always been a deprived class outside the mainstream of life in Turkey, they are the object of political as well as religious dislike. They tend to drift towards extremist politics, identifying with other antagonistic groups.
The Zaza-Alevi of Turkey have mixed many elements of various religions and traditions with their Islamic beliefs. Like the Sufis, they dance as a form of worship, look to mystics for guidance and strive for a closer union with Allah, the God of Islam. Like Shia Muslims they venerate Ali, the son-in-law of Mohammed. And they keep pre-Islamic practices. Their system of beliefs is unacceptable to the predominantly Sunni Muslim population of Turkey. Of particular distaste to Sunni Muslims is their failure to observe cleansing rituals before prayer. The Zaza-Alevi insist that it is the condition of the heart and mind that is important, not the outward rituals. The Zaza-Alevi do not observe the five fundamental requirements of Islam and are thus treated with contempt by Sunni Muslims.
Though they have been persecuted in the past, the Zaza-Alevi are beginning to gain acceptance in Turkey. One political candidate revealed his identity as Zaza-Alevi during a campaign in 2023, and it didn’t hurt his cause.
Illiteracy continues to be a major problem in Turkish Kurdistan. Today, most Alevi villages do not even have primary schools. It is, therefore, not surprising to find that so few of their young people go to college.
The Zaza-Alevi need to be shown the love of Jesus in practical ways. Perhaps Christian educators will have open doors to reach these needy people with the message of salvation.
Ask the Lord to soften the hearts of the Zaza-Alevi so that they will be receptive to the gospel.
Pray there will soon come a day when Zaza-Alevi background believers will disciple many others in the ways of Jesus.
Ask the Lord to call Christian teachers and medical workers who will be willing to live in Turkey and work among the Zaza-Alevi people.
Scripture Prayers for the Zaza-Alevi in Türkiye (Turkey).
https://www.britannica.com/story/who-are-the-alevis-in-turkey#:~:text=The%20Alevis%20make%20up%20Turkey%E2%80%99s%20largest%20religious%20minority.%20Most
https://www.livedead.org/silkroad/blog/the-zaza-endangered-peoples/
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
