Alevi: Encyclopedia II - Alevi - People

Alevi - People

Alevis can be ethnic Zazas, Turks, Kurds, Turkmens and Azeri with a particular concentration in mid-Eastern Turkey in a belt from Çorum in the West to Muş in the East. In the Balkans, especially in Albania there is a further large Alevi-Bektashi community. There are also many Alevi who have migrated to the large cities of Western and Southern Turkey, as well as to Western Europe, especially Germany.

Today, Alevi community in Turkey is heavily urbanised due to mass migration (1960s to present) from their often mountainous and barren rural residence to cities. When compared to general Sunni population, on average, they have significantly higher rates of literacy, higher education, and female employment and a lower fertility rate.

There are also large communities of Alevis in some regions of Iranian Azarbaijan. The town of Ilkhichi (İlxıçı), which is located 87km south west of Tabriz is almost entirely populated by Alevis. For political reasons, one of which was to create a distinct identity for these communities, they have not been called Alevi since the early 20th century. They are called various names, such as Alli Allahi, Ahle Hag and Goran. Groups with similar beliefs also exist in Iranian Kurdistan.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "People", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki