Arzuhâl – Erenler Meclisinin Çilekeş Kemteri – Bütün Varlığımla Yaratan’a Arzuhalim (A Petition – The Long-Suffering Humblest One of the Assembly of the Erenler – My Petition to the Creator with My Whole Being)
In this work Seyyid Derviş Tur (pen name “Kemter”, “the humblest one”) tells his entire life in the form of an “arzuhal”, that is, a petition offered to the Creator. The book consists of two parts: an account of his life and service, and a mystical inner journey.
About the Book
The first part is an autobiographical narrative. The author describes his birth in 1936 in Erzincan into a Seyyid family of the Baba Mansur ocak (spiritual lineage), his childhood amid the görgü cems (ceremonies of accountability) of his village, his years in Ankara and his arrival in Germany in 1966. He then relates, from his own perspective, the founding of associations begun so that Alevi young people in Germany would not lose their faith, the founding of the federation, his speech at the Hacı Bektaş commemoration, his service on the Council of Dedes (Dedeler Kurulu), the training courses on the Cem and the funeral rite, and the writing of the Erkânname.
The second part is an allegorical and mystical inner journey. The author decides to look for fault not outside but in his own nefs (ego, lower self). In conversations with symbolic erenler (perfected ones) such as Seyrani Baba, Rıza Baba, Ali Baba, Turabi Baba and Sultan Ana, he explores the struggle with the nefs-i emmare (the self that commands evil), the seven stages of the nefs, the idea of “dying before dying” and the eye of the heart. The narrative is accompanied by deyiş (sacred poems) of poets such as Seyyid Nesimi, Hacı Bektaş Veli and Yunus Emre, as well as Kemter’s own deyiş.
The book ends with a confession: the author admits how hard it is, despite years of service, to overcome one’s own nefs, and chooses a humble path of inner purification.
Key Themes
- Knowing oneself and the struggle with the nefs
- A story of migration from Anatolia to Germany
- The first years of Alevi organisation in Europe
- The tradition of the dede office and training in the rites (erkân)
- The meaning of the dergâh (lodge) as a place of learning
- Mystical concepts: vahdet (unity), the Kaaba of the heart, insan-ı kâmil (the perfect human being), the seven stages of the nefs
- Parables and allegories: Moses and Hızır, the padishah whose pot overflows
- The tradition of the ozan (bards) and Kemter’s deyiş
„İnsanın bu dünyadaki en önemli ve en zor görevi, kendini bilmektir.“
“The most important and most difficult task of a human being in this world is to know oneself.”
Arzuhâl, p. 4
Bibliographic Details
| Title | Arzuhâl – Erenler Meclisinin Çilekeş Kemteri |
| Author | Seyyid Derviş Tur (Kemter) |
| Publisher | Erenler Yayın |
| Pages | 224 |
Who Is It For?
For readers interested in the Alevi-Bektashi path and its rites, the tradition of the dede office and mystical thought; for those who wish to read about the first years of Alevi organisation in Europe in the words of a founder; and for anyone on the path of self-examination.
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Bibliographic Details
| Book | Arzuhâl – Erenler Meclisinin Çilekeş Kemteri. Bütün Varlığımla Yaratan’a Arzuhalim |
| Author | Seyyid Derviş Tur |
| Publisher / order address | Erenler Yayın, Mainzer Str. 36, 65428 Rüsselsheim |
| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Pages | 224 |
| Genre | Autobiographical and mystical work |
| Language | Turkish |
Translated from the Turkish original by Seyit Derviş Tur.