A Faith Center in Dodurga, Corum: Mehmetdedetekke Village and Horse Sacrifice

Abstract

Corum has been one of the vital habitations for Alevi-Bektasi community starting from the first periods of the Anatolian's being Turkicized process. Mehmetdedetekke, a village of Dodurga county, is one of Alevi settlements in Corum and it is an important faith center thanks to both Mehmet Dede Sultan giving his name to the village and Gatirgunnadan Ismail Dede, for the name of whose horses are sacrificed in Dede Mountain. The folk believes arising about Mehmet Dede Sultan Tomb and the horse sacrifice for the name of Gatirgunnadan Ismail Dede in May every year are the subjects examined in this study.