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History & Culture

Understanding Alevi Heritage and Traditions

Geographic Distribution

Interactive map showing population of Alevi, Alawite, and Yarsani communities, their density, community locations, and historical events

Map Layers:

Turkey

Population: 85M+

Community: Alevis 10M-25M

Syria

Population: 21.6M

Community: Alawites 2M-3M

Iran

Population: 86M+

Community: Yarsan 1M-3M

Iraq

Population: 40M+

Community: Kakai 120K-200K

Sources & References

Alevis in Türkiye (country profile and estimate range)

Author: Minority Rights Group

Source: Minority Rights Group International

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2022 Religious Freedom Report: Syria (demography section)

Author: U.S. Department of State

Source: International Religious Freedom Report

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2022 Religious Freedom Report: Iran (Yarsani estimate)

Author: U.S. Department of State

Source: International Religious Freedom Report

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2022 Religious Freedom Report: Iraq (Kaka’i/Yarsani estimate)

Author: U.S. Department of State

Source: International Religious Freedom Report

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Alawites (population and Syria/Turkey distribution)

Author: Wikipedia contributors

Source: Wikipedia

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Yarsanism / Kaka’i (Iran/Iraq distribution and ranges)

Author: Wikipedia contributors

Source: Wikipedia

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