THE CEM RITUALS AND SPIRITUAL CEREMONIES OF EHL-I HAQS EHL-İ HAKK’IN CEM VE MANEVİ MECLİSLERİ

This article is based on frequent attendance at Ehli Haq assemblies (cem) between the years 1972 and 1992, particularly among the communities of Sahne, Kermanshah and Tehran belonging to the Shah Hayasi and Ateş Begi families (khandan). The descriptions of how the rituals take place are informed by reference to the sacred texts Serencam or Daftar in order to bring out their deeper meanings. Overall, the cem is not only a devotional assembly which follows precise rules, but above all a way of attracting the presence of elevated souls, of essences (zat) which manifested themselves in a time that has become mythical: The Forty, the Seven, the theophanies (like Ali and Soltân). The cem are led by bards (kelamhan) who sing litanies (zikr, kelam) to the accompaniment of the tanbur lute which is highly respected. The repertoire includes makam which bear the name of the great saints Ehl-i Haq, and are rarely performed for a secular audience. In certain cems, music and songs induce ecstatic states and an atmosphere which gives full meaning to the notion of “sacred”.
Keywords: Ehl-i Haq, Yarasan, Tanbur, Kelam, Serencam, Cem, Spiritual Ceromony.