“Seventy times worse than the Ḳızılbaş”: Evliyā Çelebi on marginal Islamic Groups

This article deals with Evliyā Çelebi’s observations on groups on the fringes of Islam, mainly those living in the regions of Greater Syria and Northern Iraq, such as Yezidis, Alawis, Druzes and their respective sub-groups. When writing about them on a general level, Evliyā as a pious Sunni Muslim strongly rejects those “godless” groups and has not a single friendly word for them. This does not prevent him from getting into direct contact with them, ask them about their language and beliefs, and finally to admit that they can be beautiful, generous, and friendly.
Keywords: Evliyā Çelebi, Alawis, Druzes, Yezidis, marginal groups