Death and Funerals in Sunni Communities of Turkey (original) (raw)
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The Physical and spiritual anatomy of death in Muslim Turkish Culture
Kader, 2009
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Traditional and Religious Death Practices in Western Turkey
2012
To investigate death-related traditional and religious practices in Narlıdere, a district of Izmir province in Turkey. Methods: A descriptive design was used (n ¼ 181). The interview form was composed of 28 open-ended questions. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews by the researchers. Descriptive statistics and chi-square significance test were conducted. Results: Of all the participants, 36.5% described death as the end of life. Praying took place first among the religious practices following death. A total of 42.0% said that relatives and friends who joined the burial ceremony shovel some soil into the pit over the corpse in order to express that they would not claim any rights from the deceased person thereafter, and 55.2% stated that they visited the deceased person's home to give social support to his or her relatives. Conclusion: We recommended that nurses and physicians be closely acquainted with the prevailing traditions and religious beliefs in the communities where they served.
The understanding of funeral rituals in Turkish society and its reflection on moral teaching
New Trends and Issues Proceedings on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2020
Funeral rituals are an ancient issue that concerns all people. As each era and race are a constant phenomenon, rituals related to death have been formed. The Turkish society also has its death ceremonies. This is different from the death ceremonies of other Muslims. However, it varies according to the region’s celebration in Turkey. Again, death ceremonies in Turkey also vary according to different faiths and cultures. However, the dominant character in every culture has been the ancient Turkish culture. Death ceremonies are practices that will contribute to moral teaching for spouses, friends and relatives. Keywords: Death, Turkish culture, funerals, moral teaching. *
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Some Historical Aspects of Funeral Rites among People of Western Pamir
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Islamic Death: An Exploration into the Traditions and Rituals Associated with an Islamic Death
Death and dying, for all people, is a unique process to the individual and also the community around them; death rituals are for both the living mourners who celebrate their deceased loved ones lives as well as for the souls of the deceased. However, religious or personal beliefs can alter how a person handles the process of death. Islam is no exception; Muslims have a distinct methodology for dealing with the death of a loved one. This is an essay explaining the traditional, fundamental ways in which Muslims handle the death, funeral and burial of the deceased. These processes are defined by the hadith, which are the words of approval or disapproval by the Prophet Muhammad, which is the final law. It should be noted that, for Muslims living in the western world, some of the following traditions might not be able to be applied fully due to western laws and regulations, such as burying the body without a coffin. Also, due to modernity and reformation of Islam, some of these rituals may have adapted and evolved to the times, such as allowing women to be more active in the burial process. That being said, the discussion that follows on how Muslim's traditionally handle the deceased can proceed.
Cemetery as a Sociocultural Space in the Persian Cities 1
Examining the planning of cemeteries in the urbanism system of Iran does not show a good condition. In fact, cemeteries in the most Persian cities have become large-scale open spaces outside the city. This could cause irreparable damage to the cities because of the partial and/or improper use of the capacity of urban lands. Along with this, historical cemeteries within the cities have been abandoned. However, it seems that urban space with function of the cemetery has a specific sociocultural potential. Cemeteries can be very effective elements in the symbolic network of the city. As a result, it is also an essential element which must be associated with the structure and organisation of the city and the neighbourhoods, not as a waste and marginal element. In addition, examining this symbolic space achieve a symbolic dialogue which will result in exploring the beliefs, emotions, dreams, and imaginations of ancestors which means these urban areas need a specific attention. This paper, by using descriptive-analytical research method, attempts to explain sociocultural functions of cemeteries as an urban space, and to scrutinise its pathology through reviewing its position in the urban plans in Iran. In the following, via an emphasis on the sociocultural role of the cemetery, a series of strategies will be expressed for promoting its position within cities.
Cemetery as a Sociocultural Space in the Persian Cities
2015
Examining the planning of cemeteries in the urbanism system of Iran does not show a good condition. In fact, cemeteries in the most Persian cities have become large-scale open spaces outside the city. This could cause irreparable damage to the cities because of the partial and/or improper use of the capacity of urban lands. Along with this, historical cemeteries within the cities have been abandoned. However, it seems that urban space with function of the cemetery has a specific sociocultural potential. Cemeteries can be very effective elements in the symbolic network of the city. As a result, it is also an essential element which must be associated with the structure and organisation of the city and the neighbourhoods, not as a waste and marginal element. In addition, examining this symbolic space achieve a symbolic dialogue which will result in exploring the beliefs, emotions, dreams, and imaginations of ancestors which means these urban areas need a specific attention. This paper...
Religiosity and the Construction of Death in Turkish Death Announcements, 1970–2009
Death Studies, 2012
Death and rituals performed after death reflect and reproduce social distinctions despite death’s popular reputation as a great leveler. This study examines expressions of religiosity and constructions of death in Turkish death announcements, paying particular attention to gendered, ethnic, and temporal variations as well as markers of status and cultural distinction. Death announcements in Turkey occupy a liminal position between obituaries and death notices: Unlike obituaries, no editorial decisions are involved in their publications. However, unlike death notices, Turkish announcements are venues for expressions of culturally scripted individual decisions. These large and decentralized collections of private decisions display rigid genre characteristics involving formulaic phrases but also change over time to reflect social, cultural, and economic changes in Turkish society. The present study focuses on a sample (N: 2,812) of death announcements in a major Turkish daily newspaper (Hürriyet) from 1970 to 2009. Results show that death announcements in Turkey increasingly rely on an emotional tone of loss and bereavement that replace constructions of death in a more detached and distant language and that religious and secular preferences in the language of announcements are an important domain in which cultural battles are fought and the participation patterns of new middle classes are negotiated.