Symposium Haci Bektas Veli 2021
UNESCO Designated Anniversary
In the 40th Session of the General Conference of UNESCO it was decided, that UNESCO will be associated with the Celebration of the 750th Anniversary of the Death of Haci Bektas Veli in 2021.
With his humanistic views, Haci Bektas Veli (1209-1271) had a leading influence on Alevi teaching and with his works he contributed to a kind of religious enlightenment for the Anatolian population. He is regarded as the chief pir (clergyman) of Alevi believe and systematized Alevi teaching. In addition to the introduction of the "Four Doors-Forty Stations”-teaching (the Alevi ethical value system), he taught his teachings in Turkish so that all believers in Anatolia could understand him. As Pir of the Haci Bektas convent, he not only performed prayers, but also taught in the convent, called Dergah. Thus the Dergahs were converted into a school and through Haci Bektas Veli the Dergahs became educational centers.