The folk beliefs in Ergani and its surrounding

Since the day of his existence, man has a need to believe and to accept something as sacred. For this reason, it is seen that all primitive or modern societies believe in a religion and develop various beliefs within the framework of this religion. The aforementioned beliefs adopted by the public are taken from the past as accumulation and transferred to the future in an enriched way by including new beliefs. Some beliefs can also be abandoned over time. Folk beliefs, culture, art, customs, traditions, etc. elements can occur. These beliefs, examples of which are seen in daily life, are applied more intensely especially in the birth, marriage and death stages, which are considered the most important transition periods of life. In this study, a general information was given about the concepts related to folk beliefs. In order to make the subject more understandable, brief information about the geographical and historical structure of Ergani was presented. Then, the practices and folk beliefs in the district regarding the stages of birth, marriage and death, which constitute the most important transitional periods of human life, were discussed. Finally, practices and folk beliefs related to the sacred times and places in and around Ergani were given. While the subjects were being discussed, the viewpoint of other religions on the subject was also pointed out from time to time. As a result, it was concluded that Ergani, which is an ancient city, has a rich accumulation in terms of folk beliefs because it is home to various civilizations and members of religion, and the effects of religions adopted today and in the past on folk beliefs are substantial. Throughout the study, the descriptive method, which is one of the research methods of the History of Religions, was followed. In addition, while researching the folk beliefs in the region, the techniques of observation and interviewing the source people were used a lot. As a source, published books, journals, articles, etc. documents were used. Internet resources were also used. Keywords: Folk Belief, Ergani, Birth, Marriage, Death, Sacred Time, Sacred Space