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Alevi Society Istanbul, Ardahan, Adiyaman, Antakya  2009 - 2014  Still an Ongoing Project

The Alevi are a religious, and cultural community in Turkey, numbering in the thirteen of millions. Alevi worship takes place in assembly houses (cemevi). The ceremony, Ayin-i cem or simply cem, features music and dance (semah) which symbolize the main planets around the Sun (by man and woman turning in circles) and the putting off of one's self and uniting with God. In Alevism, men and women are regarded as equals and pray side by side. Alevi rituals are conducted mostly in Turkish. Key Alevi characteristics include:

- Love and respect for all people ("The important thing is not a religion, but being a human being")

- Tolerance towards other religions and ethnic groups ("If you hurt another person, the ritual prayers you have done are counted as worthless")

- Respect for working people ("The greatest act of worship is to work")

Alevism is also closely related to the Bektashi Sufi lineage, in the sense that both venerate Hajji Bektash Wali (Turkish: Hacibektas Veli), a saint of the 13th century. In addition to its religious aspect, Alevism is also closely associated with Anatolian folk culture. Modern Alevi theology has been profoundly influenced by humanism and universalism. The 1990s brought a new emphasis on Alevism as a cultural identity. Alevi communities today generally support secularism after the Kemalist model.

I've known Alevis since my childhood. My mother has stayed in Bademler village of Izmir for the sewing course when she was a teenager. She used to tell how they greeted him with joy and their entertainment. My grandmother would be delivered olives collected from her trees to a factory in an Alevi village to squeeze the oil. She would say they were honest when I asked why. I grew up with these memories. In the following years, as part of my olive project, I photographed that factory, which still works with the traditional method. There is no longer that factory. In 2009, I was their guest in the villages and plateaus of Ardahan. I photographed girls wearing traditional 3 skirts in Damal. I listened to them how their clothing styles and hair types describe their position in society.  I saw that the Alevis in Antakya were a little different. They had a shrine culture instead of a Cem house and they believed in reincarnation. I photographed the tobacco producers in Adiyaman and I was a guest to their Cem house and photographed them. I watched and photographed a henna night in an Alevi village of Gaziantep. I photographed the Cem ceremonies in different Cem houses in Istanbul. Alevis are open-minded people. When I visited Cem's house and asked for permission from "Dede" (Grandfather) to take pictures, he accepted it without objection and asked me to sit on his left side during the ceremony. As I do in every religious place, I worked without using artificial light and without disturbing the attendees.