Bektashism in Its Relations with the State: Its Rise, Transformation and Crisis

Bektashism, which has been the subject of numerous studies in terms of its birth, gaining power and losing its influence, has been tried to be examined in this study, especially by focusing on its relations with the state. In this process, both the Ottoman central government's view of religion and the formation of religious institutions in this context, the establishment and development of the Safavid state and the effects of their struggles in Anatolia, the intersection of these two rival states on Bektashism were discussed. In the context of relations with the state, early attempts, and institutionalization efforts in cooperation with the state were mentioned, especially after the connection with the Janissary Corps, the sect strengthened by approaching the center, finally entered a crisis with the abolition of the Janissary Corps at the beginning of the 19th century and lost its power after the Republic after desperate recovery efforts. Although Bektashism is not the only sect that has relations with the state, it can be thought that the strengthening and discrediting of Bektashism, unlike other sects, is due to its close relationship with the most effective military bureaucratic structure of the state. While the return of such a relationship is high when the military bureaucracy is strong, in case of weakened military bureaucracy, it becomes inevitable that the consequences will turn into destruction for the institutional structure. The intertwining of the bureaucracy with the sect, which was formed by various conditions for a period, seems to have brought the unfortunate end of the road for the sect, along with the unplanned elimination of this military structure. 
Key Words: Bektashi, Alevism, Qizilbash, Tariqah, State