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Bektaşi Dedebaba Ali Haydar Ercan Passes Away in Izmir
Ercan, who held the position of dedebaba for approximately 30 years, died of cancer in the intensive care unit of Bakırçay University Çiğli Hospital.
Bektaşi Dedebaba Ali Haydar Ercan passed away on October 14 from cancer in the intensive care unit of Bakırçay University Çiğli Education and Research Hospital in Izmir. According to information, Ercan was born in Izmir in 1936 and had held the position of dedebaba for approximately 30 years.
Ercan served as dedebaba for approximately 30 years, a position regarded as the highest religious and cultural office in the Alevi-Bektaşi tradition. In Bektaşi belief tradition, the position of dedebaba is distinguished as a role that combines leadership of the ocak (spiritual lineage), guidance of followers, and authority to represent the community — Ercan assumed this position by succeeding the previous dedebaba.
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi expressed his condolences to the Alevi-Bektaşi community in a message posted on his social media account, noting that Ercan had "kept alive the legacy of love, tolerance, and brotherhood of Hünkâr Hacı Bektaş Veli."
Details regarding Ercan's funeral ceremony have not yet been shared with the public.
Sources — how we know this
- PrimaryHürriyet