Religious music in the Druze faith

Druzism is a belief that emerged in Egypt during the period of the 6th Fatimid caliph, al- Hakim bi-Amr Allah (386-411 / 996-1021). This belief attributing divinity to al-Hakim was influenced by the views of the Ismaili sect. The founder of the sect is Hamza ibn Ali. The belief spread to Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Palestine as a result of the work of Hamza ibn Ali and her assistants. Druze have been remembered as a closed and secret community for centuries due to the principles of taqiyya and secrecy. As a result of the seizure of Druze works and researches on the sect, though we have learned about Druzism, the belief still remains a mystery. Also various studies have been carried out on Druzism in our country. These works mostly include the history, worship and political events of the Druze. There is no a study in itself on the music of the Druze. We come across studies on music in foreign sources. In these studies, the music and funeral laments of the Druze are mentioned. Since a specific study on the religious music of the Druze has not been determined, the subject of religious music in the Druze faith has been discussed in our study. This study was carried out to research the religious music tradition in the Druze faith. In our study, one of the qualitative research methods, scan-compilation method was used. Thus, domestic and foreign studies were examined and some texts on the subject were translated. Druze people were interviewed by applying the interview method. In addition, some samples of laments and hymns were noted from the religious music recordings reached. Druze have hymns called ashaar that they perform in khalwa, funeral ceremonies and religious celebration. In addition to ashaar, religious mawawil are also sung. Druze people perform dhikr of khalwa and rituals in khalwa on Thursday evenings. Funeral ceremonies with special rituals and laments performed in these ceremonies have an important place in the Druze tradition. In the light of this information, the Druze religious music tradition has been presented in our study.