Roots and Branches: The Origins of Tahtacı Alawis and Tahtacı Communities

The interest of Tahtacı Alawis, who attracted attention with their unique lifestyle and religious beliefs, started in the 19th century and the same interest continues today. However, almost all the work about the Tahtacıs was done by sociologists, folklorists, historians of religions and amateur researchers, except for a couple of studies, historians have remained quite distant to this subject. Therefore, many issues regarding Tahtacı's history have not been clarified since many archive documents, especially tahrir registers (Ottoman tax registers) that could illuminate history of Tahtacı, were not used. Despite the fact that the orientalists, who made the first studies about the Tahtacıs, described them as the remains of the ancient Anatolian tribes and seemingly Islamization of Christians, domestic researchers such as Baha Said, Yusuf Ziya Yörükan and Faruk Sümer have embarked on search to their origins in Turkish history. Sumer's theory that the Tahtacıs were descendants of the Ağaçeris was accepted by both an essential part of the researchers and some of the Tahtacıs, although there was no perceptible information which could be linked between the two groups. In the first part of the study, based on the data obtained about the woodworkers' groups mentioned in tahrir registers and other archive material, it will be emphasized and discussed whether the Tahtacıs are the continuation of the Ağaçeris. Also, the emergence and settlement of the name Tahtacı will be evaluated within the framework of the relationship developed by the nomads with the Seljuks, Anatolian Principalities and the Ottomans. In the second part, the Tahtacı communities determined during the field research will be emphasized, their connections with each other and the areas where they are dispersed will be discussed. In this study, the Iranian claims of some of those who want to get rid of military service will be discussed on the basis of the documents.
Keywords: Alawism, Tahtacıs, Ağaçeris, Iran, Battal Kāhya