Tags
Aşık Garip Kamil, Aşık İsmail Şimşek, Banaz, Dertli Divani, Erdal Erzincan, Mercan Erzincan, Pınar Sağ, Tolga Sağ, Yıldız Dağı
Some photos from the last Pir Sultan Abdal Şenlikleri (Festival) that I attended in June 2007. The location is the village of Banaz, north of Sivas.
General view of the performance amphitheatre on Ziyaret Tepe above the village.
View of Yıldız Dağı from the amphitheatre, with banners.
Banazlı aşık İsmail Şimsek opening the performances with Banazlı turning the semah.
Mercan Erzincan performing with group.
Pınar Sağ with backing group.
Aşık Garip Kamil and semah turning.
Dertli Divani
Tolga Sağ and Erdal Erzincan late on Sunday afternoon.
Lokma kurban preparation on Topuzlu Baba
When I last visited Banaz in 2007 there was a new memorial erected to the 2nd July 1993 Sivas victims. The memorial includes a sculpture of doves – one for each of the victims – and a stele with the names of the 33 ‘Alevi souls’ killed. The number of victims of the Sivas massacre is often confused and variously given as 37, 35 or 33. As in the Banaz memorial the 33 people associated with the Pir Sultan Abdal festival are commonly honoured and named by Alevis. The memorial also notes the death of two employees (though not named) of the Otel Madımak. Two others, making up the 37, were killed outside the hotel from among the rioters. 
