RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY AND PRACTICES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF FUNERAL CEREMONIES AT THE KOCATEPE MOSQUE AND THE HACIBAYRAM MOSQUE A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY DAVUT YILDIZ IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE PROGRAM OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY MAY 2011 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunışık Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Prof. Dr. Ayşe Saktanber Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Assist. Prof. Dr. Aykan Erdemir Supervisor Examining Committee Members Prof. Dr. Tayfun Atay (A. Univ. Ethnology) Assist. Prof. Dr. Aykan Erdemir (METU, Soc.) Dr. Tuğba Tanyeri-Erdemir (METU, Cent. for Sc&Soc.) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name: Davut Yıldız Signature: iii ABSTRACT RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY AND PRACTICES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF FUNERAL CEREMONIES AT THE KOCATEPE MOSQUE AND THE HACI BAYRAM MOSQUE Yıldız, Davut M.S., Department of Sociology Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Aykan Erdemir May, 2011, 107 pages In this thesis, I intend to examine differences between religious communities and practices through a comparative study of funeral ceremonies performed at Hacıbayram and Kocatepe Mosques in Ankara. The ethnographic data, which have been collected through eighty-seven funeral ceremony that I attended in these two mosques, shows that there are repetitive patterns among funeral ceremonies performed in the same mosque. When we compare the ceremonial patterns in Hacıbayram Mosque and Kocatepe Mosque, it is observed that funeral ceremonies performed in these two mosques is differentiated in terms of material culture, gender and sentiments. There are different variables for these ritual differentiations, such as the nature and composition of a religious community frequenting a mosque, and the meanings and traditions ascribed to a mosque, which affect the way in which prayers are perceived and practiced. iv Besides, it is also realized that repetitive patterns among funeral ceremonies performed in the same mosque may even differentiate, because of social status and worldview of deceased and mourners. Key words: funeral ceremonies, ritual differentiation, religious communities, Kocatepe Mosque, Hacıbayram Mosque v ÖZ DİNİ CEMAAT VE PRATİKLER: KOCATEPE CAMİSİ VE HACIBAYRAM CAMİSİNDE YAPILAN CENAZE TÖRENLERİNİN KARŞILAŞTIRMALI BİR İNCELEMESİ Yıldız, Davut Yüksek Lisans, Sosyoloji Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Yrd. Doç. Dr. Aykan Erdemir Mayıs, 2011, 107 sayfa Bu tezde, Ankara’da bulunan Hacıbayram ve Kocatepe Camilerinde yapılan cenaze törenlerinin karşılaştırmalı bir incelemesini yaparak farklı dini cemaat ve pratikler arasında ortaya çıkan farklılıkları incelemeyi amaçladım. İki camide de katılmış olduğum seksen yedi cenaze töreninden toplanan etnografik veriler, aynı camide yapılan cenaze törenleri arasında birbirini takip eden kalıpların olduğunu göstermektedir. İki camideki bu törensel kalıpları karşılaştırdığım zaman, bu iki camide gerçekleştirilen cenaze törenlerinin, materyal kültür, toplumsal cinsiyet ve duygular açısından farklılaştığı gözlemlenmiştir. Bu ritüel farklılıkların ortaya çıkmasında camiyi tercih eden cemaatin doğası ve nitelikleri ve camiye yüklenen anlam ve gelenekler gibi değişkenler etkilidir. vi Bunun yanında aynı camide yapılan cenaze törenlerinde tekrar eden kalıpların dahi ölen kişinin ve yakınlarının sosyal statüsü ve dünya görüşlerinden dolayı farklılaşabildiği de fark edilmiştir. Anahtar kelimeler: cenaze törenleri, ritüel farklılaşma, dini cemaat, Kocatepe Camisi, Hacıbayram Camisi vii To Gülru and her mother viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Assist. Prof. Dr. Aykan Erdemir for his valuable guidance, encouragements and insight throughout the research. I express my sincere tanks to Dr. Tuğba Tanyeri-Erdemir for her worthy contribution to the framework of the study. I also thank to Prof. Dr. Tayfun Atay for his commenting, discussions and encouragements. I am thankful to Zerin İnanç for her valuable supports throughout the study. Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my wife who always makes me feel that I am not alone. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM ........................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iv ÖZ .............................................................................................................................. vi DEDICATION ........................................................................................................ viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................................... ix TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................... x TABLE OF SCHEMES ........................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER 1.INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Subject of Discussion: ................................................................................ 1 1.2. Scope of the Work: .................................................................................... 6 1.3. Objective: ................................................................................................... 6 1.4. Methodology: ............................................................................................. 7 1.4.1 Observation: .................................................................................... 7 1.4.2. Expert Interviews: .......................................................................... 8 1.4.3. Why These Two Mosques: ............................................................. 9 1.4.4. Emotional Transition in the Field: ................................................ 12 2.RITUAL AND FUNERAL RITUALS ................................................................. 15 2.1. Ritual and Funeral Ritual in Social Anthropology: .................................. 15 2.2 Theoretical Framework: ............................................................................ 24 2.3. Funeral Rituals in Sunni Islam: ................................................................ 26 x 2.3.1. Preparing the body: ....................................................................... 27 2.3.2. Funeral Prayer: ............................................................................ 28 2.3.3. Burial: ........................................................................................... 30 2.4. Funeral Rituals in Ankara: ........................................................................ 30 3. FUNERAL RITUALS IN HACIBAYRAM AND KOCATEPE MOSQUES .... 35 3.1. Histories of the Mosques: ......................................................................... 35 3.2. Describing the Sites: ................................................................................. 43 3.2.1. Describing the Hacıbayram Mosque: ........................................... 43 3.2.2. Describing the Kocatepe Mosque: ................................................ 46 3.3. Funeral Rituals at Hacıbayram Mosque: .................................................. 48 3.3.1. Basic Characteristics: ................................................................... 48 3.3.2. Material Culture: .......................................................................... 52 3.3.3. Gender at Funeral: ........................................................................ 53 3.3.4. Sentiments: ................................................................................... 55 3.4. Funeral Rituals at Kocatepe Mosque: ....................................................... 56 3.4.1. Non-official Funeral Ceremonies ................................................. 58 3.4.1.1. Material Culture: ................................................................. 60 3.4.1.2. Gender at Funeral: ............................................................... 62 3.4.2. Military and State Funerals: .......................................................... 64 3.4.2.1. The Funeral Ceremony Of Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu: .................. 67 3.4.2.2. Funeral Ceremony of Ihsan Doğramaci: ............................. 73 3.4.2.3. Military Funeral Ceremonies: .............................................. 79 xi 3.4.2.4. Material Culture at Military and State Funerals: ................. 85 3.4.2.5. Gender at Military and State Funerals: ................................ 87 3.4.2.6. Sentiments at Military and State Funerals: .......................... 89 4. CONCLUSION .................................................................................................... 91 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 99 xii TABLE OF SCHEMES THE