Kartal Cemevi

The Kartal Cemevi is a meeting and prayer house ( Cemevi ) of the Alevis in the district of Kartal Turkey's largest city Istanbul.

The right of assembly and worship in Kartal is an expression of the influx of predominantly rural Alevis, who started only since the 1980s, meeting houses ( Cemevis ) erect. The Cemevi in Kartal, one of the Asian city of Istanbul with more than 400,000 inhabitants, is a building complex with an adjoining house of prayer, not only serves to hold an Cem. It has a number of separate rooms in several buildings, which are also used for teaching activities, Quran lessons, cultural and dance performances or meetings and also has its own library.

In contrast to the rural areas where lives the majority of the Alevis, is in the house even during the harvest season, a weekly Cem instead. This is due to that in the metropolitan area enough Dedes are available, which play a central role in the ceremony. A Cemevi is in Turkey, Alevi counterpart to a Sunni mosque, but the two institutions limits widely. The presence of fractious people in worship is not permitted, so that all participants are trying to resolve the conflict and make the issue of consent.

The architect of the building is Gokce Gencay, the numerous elements of the Alevi faith, symbolized in the building. Here, the 12 - square rotunda symbolizes the 12 imams. The Kartal Cemevi is therefore unusual in its design, but also its size and appearance. So there is no minaret and no interior design which lifts out the preacher; Men and women celebrating equal rights and without spatial separation, the Cem ceremony, so worship, prayer leaders and are also praying on one stage. The building does not need a minaret, because there is no call to prayer. The building is with an area of ​​2000 square meters and a total construction area of the existing complex of several buildings of 5850 sqm one of the largest Alevi assembly and worship in Istanbul.

The complex is also the seat of administration of the Kartal - Cemevi Foundation. This foundation was established in 1993 as Kartal Cemevi cultural, educational and social assistance organization whose founding charter was signed by 62 members initially set up. At its founding, the association had 88 members. In 1996 the association was transformed into a foundation.