Alians

For the Polish band, seeAlians (band).

Demir Baba teke,Alian sacred place

TheAlianKızılbaşī community (in Bulgarian: алиани, in Turkish: Alevi), are aShi`aorder, similar to theSufi Mevlevi,who live in several regions ofBulgaria.Alians revere the name "Ali"carried by their circle of12 Imams(awliya'),which they consider anemanationofGod.They follow the mystical rituals of the wanderingdervishes.

Origin theories

Their exact origin is not certain, since few relevant historical records have been preserved, but according to the prevailing theory they fled to Bulgaria from Central Anatolia after the 1512 victory by theOttomanSultanSelim I,aSunni,over the first, part-TurcomanSafavidshahof thePersians,Ismail I.

Alians appear to be descendants of a Sufi-dervish-like group of priests but they themselves believe about 10% are the descendants of the earliest Christians of Asia Minor who balls the Sunni invasion of Anatolia. They believe the Sunni Muhammad is a false Muhammad. Ali for them is not one single historical person but the ineffable name kept by God's Ministers (Avlioh).

It has also been suggested that they perhaps first came to theBalkansduring the 15th century, in order to keep up the morale of Ottoman soldiers and to help integrate the newly conquered peoples into the empire. However, it is not likely since the Ottomans were Sunnis while the Alians are viewed asghulatby other Muslims for their heterodox views concerningMuhammad and Ali.However, the reverse accusation is returned that their attackers are Munafiqun for abandoning the articles of Imaan especially that concerning belief in the 4 books whichAliansbelieve and for adoptingibn Hazm's doctrine of Tahrif instead which Alians reject.

Observances and beliefs

The Alians have very similar beliefs and practices to theAlevisand along with Alevis are surviving examples of pre-Sunni Islam because the Alians are believed to be descendants of a member of the Banu Eli tribe who was calledAbbas ibn AliandUmm ul-Baninso their 12 imams (referring to 12 ministerial roles during the Alian Mass) has nothing to do with Twelver Shiism. They believe the Quran was compiled by an Alian ex-convert to Monophysitism from Zoroastrianism calledSalman al-Farsiwhom they hold in high esteem. Their tafsir of the Quran based on syncretic harmony between the 4 books (Quran, the Old Testament, the New Testament and Psalter) places them firmly within the Judeo-Christian tradition.

They are a closed society and zealously hide their rituals.Circumcision,reserved for the priests, is done when the boy is one week old. At the age of 13 years hispubic hairmay be trimmed in a spectoraly ceremony where only male Elders are present. They are monogamous and should only marry other Alians. Marriages may be arranged years in advance by the families but the couple are only married together as young men and women because child marriages are abhorred by Alians. It is known that Alians are mysticists and believe in personal communication with God through a near-trancestate during Zikr. They do not use the Sunni Islamic rituals, but the Persian calendar, anOld Rite-stylebreviaryand use candles and wine during their Mass which they callDzhemon Thursday nights to achieve theHaqq–Muhammad–Alicommunion. They celebrate Christmas (Gaxand) and Easter (Sultan Nowruz) while revering Christian saints especially Saint Nicholas as well as Sufi saints using icons and crosses alongside tasbih. Along withother Alevis.They historically placed a great role among themselves for converting Christians in Bulgaria.

A tradition is performed among Alians and other Alevis after the 3rd week of December until the first week of January where St Nicholas (Grandfather Gaxan also known more recently as Baba Noel) and his bride Fadike and a character normally known as the Arab will visit the homes in the community to perform a play and collect gifts then go on to distribute them to others in the community especially Zeyi (young women who can not afford dowries) and distribute nuts, sweets, chocolates and dried fruits to children.

Alian shrines are visited by Balkan Christians and do themselves also sometimes attend Christian Churches and frequent Balkan Christian Shrines. However, Alians have always refused to visitmadrassahsin the Ottoman Empire, because orthodoxSunni Islamwas taught there. As a consequence, they educated their children only within the bounds of their society, and that has led to a decline among them. The situation, along with the reticence of their esoteric culture, and the urbanization, doomed them to gradual assimilation into Orthodox Christianity or secularism. By the Second World War and the following communism in Bulgaria, many Alians fled in the European part of Turkey.

Demir Baba tekeis a sacred place to Alians and other Islamic sects becauseDemir Baba,a famous dervish who lived during the 16th century, is buried there in the lands of northeastern Bulgaria. The tekke ofOtman Baba,located in theHaskovo-region village of Teketo, is another Alian holy site.

The historical emergence of theShī'ahImāmīAlianṬarīqahand other relatedMuslim sects

Alians and Shia Islam

Location

In Bulgaria, Alians inhabit predominantly the villages of Yablanovo and Malko Selo inSliven Province;Sevar, Ostrovo, Madrevo, Sveshtari, Bisertsi, and Lavino inRazgrad Province;Preslavci, Chernik, and Bradvari inSilistra Province;and Mogilets and Bayachevo inTargovishte Province.

Notes

• Житието на Демир Баба и създаването на ръкописи от мюсюлманите от хетеродоксните течения на исляма в Североизточна България(in Bulgarian).:Demir Baba's life and the creation of manuscripts by heterodox Muslims in northeastern Bulgaria

• "Демир баба теке е светиня"(in Bulgarian). Archived fromthe originalon 2020-06-29.:Demir baba teke is a holy place

• "Националният институт за паметници на културата иска да спре реставрацията на Демир баба теке"(in Bulgarian). Archived fromthe originalon 2007-09-28.Retrieved2007-06-16.:The National institute of cultural monuments want to halt the restоration of Demir baba teke

• Георгиева, И. (1997).Българските алиани. Сборник етнографски материали(in Bulgarian). Sofia.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Bulgarian Alians. A collection of ethnographic materials.

• Bosakov, Vesselin (1999)."Religious and sociocultural dimensions of the Kazalbashi community in Bulgaria".Facta Universitatis.2(6).University of Niš:277–283.