Cem in Rumkale Chepnis

The area around Rumkale is one of the areas inhabited by Çepni people, one of the communities thatcontributed to Anatolia being a Turkish settlement. Religious and non-religious music practices ofthe ancient people, known in the region as Yavuzeli or Rumkale Alevis, constitute one of the originallinks of the chain between Anatolian belief and music systems. In this study, which focuses on themusic and belief practices of Rumkale Çepnis, the subject of how they perform their cem ritualsin the region is discussed in the context of hearth (ocak) practices, bağlama instrument and zākir(performer) tradition. For the research study in which qualitative research methods were used, firstly,all of the Çepni settlements between Yavuzeli district and Rumkale were visited and the cem ritualspracticed in Sarılar and Göçmez neighbourhoods, which were chosen as the purposeful sample,were examined. The flow order of the cem rituals, their manners and rules were compared in termsof traditional continuation practices of the hearths, and the similarities and differences between themwere revealed. Based on the research data, this study concludes that Rumkale Çepni people werethe first Turkmen communities settled in Anatolia. They shaped their worship according to the timeof Dede Garkın and Mūsā Kāzım heart, and they have functions of equal importance, together withthe symbolic meanings of zākir and gözcü (the watcher), which are integrated with the institutionof dede (the spiritual guide) and the bağlama instrument, in the practice and transfer of cem ritualsto future generations.Keywords: Rumkale, Çepni people, Alawite/Alevis, Cem, Bağlama, Zākir.