Shiite concerns in the Ottoman Empire in the case of Atebat-i Âliya: Propaganda, precaution and ideology (1796-1914)

In the establishment phase of the Ottoman Empire, there were heterodox groups and different religious populations living in the border regions. With the opening of madrasahs and the increase in the number of ulama, the Empire turned from popular Islam to madrasah-based Islam. The increase of Sunni authoritarianism in the center, and the socio-cultural differentiation between the center and the periphery also deepened. The Safavid State (1501-1736), located in the east of the Empire, took advantage of this situation. Some Turkmen groups from Anatolia joined the Safavids. The Safavids made Shi'ism the official state sect at the beginning of the 16th century, which also crystallized the Ottoman Sunnism. Fierce struggles took place between the two states to become the sole protectors of Islam and to create an image of a universal empire. This situation also affected their position in shaping their societies, the legitimacy discourses they used and their sectarian stability.The Safavids continued their sectarian struggle until they were severely defeated by the Afghans in 1722. In the following period, Sunnism and Shiism debates were discussed for a long time between Mahmud I (1730-1754) and Nadir Shah (1736-1747). However, Shi'ism was not accepted as a sect of Ahl al-Sunnah. Sunni-Shiite conflicts, which were not on the agenda for a long time, started again from the beginning of the 19th century when the Shiite ulema settled in Atebât-ı Âliye (Najaf, Karbala, Kazimiyya, and Samerra) as a mission and the Qajar Dynasty (1796-1925) became the head of Iran. This study examines the Sunni-Shiite conflict of the 19th century through the conflicts in the sectarian influence struggle over Atebat. Chronologically, from the establishment of the Qajars to the First World War, it focuses on the conflict between Sunnism and Shi'ism through the policies of the Ottoman Empire. In the research, it is questioned why Shi'ism started to be reflected in the reports of Ottoman statesmen in the second half of the 19th century, after the negotiation process with Nadir Shah. While examining this, it initially focuses on the Shiite ulama and the Qajar State in the post-Nadir Shah period. The struggle for existence, built on burials, mourning ceremonies, visits, and rituals in Atebat, is questioned as to its relation to the past and its effect on the rise of Shiism. As a result, this thesis claims that the spread of Shiism in Atebat did not happen all of a sudden and that economic and social conditions also shaped it. It also aims to contribute to sectarian-based history studies in 19th century Ottoman-Iranian relations. Keywords: Ottoman, Iran, Iraq, Sunnism, Shiite