A study of sacred visiting places in and around Kemalpaşa

Sacred is an element in human history as old as humanity and existing in human consciousness. The manifestations of the sacred have generally been accepted by the society in the history of Anatolian faith with different practices and rituals in places such as tombs, maqams and fountains. The rich practices and rituals in the society are diversified within different religious groups in the society, and this situation requires a socio-cultural analysis of religious visiting places. The district of Kemalpaşa in İzmir, which has a multicultural structure, has been determined as the research area of this study. In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with visitors and local people in 19 visiting places in and around Kemalpaşa, and the places were examined. The findings of the study show that many visiting places in Kemalpaşa district have been accepted and visited by Alevi/Turkmen groups. The number of visitors and rituals applied in these places vary by the religious group that visits. While Sunni individuals generally complete their visits by reciting prayers in the places visited, Alevi/Turkmen individuals have practices such as praying, tying scarfs and rags, burning candles and illustrating their wishes with stones, wood or leaves. After wishes granted, Alevi/Turkmen individuals hold celebrations and festivals by the visiting place, dedicating their vows and sharing them with the people around. As a result, in Kemalpaşa, visiting piety along with some non-secret rituals is mostly adopted by Alevi people though it also has some popularity among Sunni individuals.