Sacred Space, Religious Belief, and Social Dynamics: A Sociological Analysis of the Shrine of Prophet Noah in Cizre
Abstract
This study considers not only the religious, but also the sociological aspect of tomb visits, which are common in Muslim societies, and examines how tomb visits are intertwined with individual faith, social belonging and collective memory construction in the example of Cizre in the Sirnak universe. The aim of our research is to analyze the multifaceted sociological content of tomb visits and tomb beliefs, which are among the most important folk beliefs. In other words, it is to understand and interpret the basic dynamics that are effective in the continuation of the existence of this phenomenal reality in the contemporary social structure. Our study will provide a better understanding of the ongoing dynamic public religiosity in society by approaching this phenomenon from multiple perspectives. A total of 40 people, 24 females and 16 males, between the ages of 18 and 80, participated in the research, which was conducted using a combination of semi-structured interview techniques and semi-participant observation techniques. Accordingly, it is understood that those who participate in the visiting phenomenon do not have detailed knowledge about the tomb, they attribute holiness to the tomb, they determine special days and rituals for the visit, their purposes of visiting are functional and multifaceted, the tomb has a self-fulfilling prophecy in the eyes of the public, the tomb hosts a number of classical and new behaviors, and they generally attribute an intermediary mission to the tomb rather than the tomb itself.
Keywords
Kaynakça
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Ayrıntılar
Birincil Dil
İngilizce
Konular
İslam Araştırmaları (Diğer)
Bölüm
Araştırma Makalesi
Yazarlar
Kayhan Bayram
*
0000-0001-6392-0662
Türkiye
Yayımlanma Tarihi
30 Nisan 2026
Gönderilme Tarihi
5 Eylül 2025
Kabul Tarihi
31 Aralık 2025
Yayımlandığı Sayı
Yıl 2026 Cilt: 14 Sayı: 1