Secularization in the Republic of Turkey and Decomposition of Religious Institutions: How Closures of Tekkes Served a Key State Transformation Element

Introduction. Having been important religious institutions in the Ottoman Empire, tekkes (takya) posed an obstacle to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s modernization of the religious sphere since the nineteenth century. Istanbul used to host over 600 tekkes, which was thrice the number of madrasas. Once established for dervishes and pilgrims, tekkes would become centers of political and social life, especially those of Sultantepe, Bülbüldere, Sultanahmet and Eyüp that received support from the Ottoman authorities. They also played an important role in other regions serving the needs of Turkic Muslim pilgrims from Central Asia. Goals. The article seeks to investigate the role of tekkes in the context of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s spiritual modernization policy, and identify the impact of reforms on religious and cultural practices in the country. Materials and methods. The study focuses on Turkish-, Russian- and English language sources and scholarly papers dealing with the Ottoman imperial policy towards tekkes. Special attention is paid to works by M. Ӧzdamar, M. Kara, and that of R. Nicholson examining the spread of Sufism. The interdisciplinary approach proves central herein and includes tools of sociological and comparative analyses, with due regard of the conceptual framework of secularization and cultural transformation. Results. The 1925 closures of tekkes proved a major aspect in the transition towards a secular state system, and they would undertake drastic measures aimed at neutralizing religious impacts that could ever put the new order’s stability in question. The former were integral to widest efforts invested to dismantle the traditional religious institutions that remained essential both for spiritual and political spheres of the empire. However, those never eradicated the cultural and social influence of tekkes that kept functioning as part of Turkey’s society was characterized by persistent elements of religious control, which required further understanding and elaborating certain strategies to integrate religious and political realms within the newly shaped state order.

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