UYGUR TÜRKLERİNDE ÖLÜM İLE İLGİLİ İNANIŞ VE ADETLER

As it is known, death is a phenomenon that provides a person’s passage from the physical world to the metaphysical one. After people dies, they continue to live as a spirit in the metaphysical world. In order to provide a comfortable passage for the dead person to the other world and to make him/her to live there in peace, they have to be sent off and buried in accordance with customs, practices and religious rules. In this context, great importance is placed on the determination of customs and practices concerning death and examination of its systematic. We are able to observe the background of practices, belief and customs related to death, dead and spirit in Turkic people from Chinese sources and the Orkun Writings. Among ancient Turks, death is occurred when spirit leaves from the body. At the moment of death, the spirit flies away and departs in manner of a bird. Dead person is buried by a funeral ceremony. Mourners lament and cry. Food is given on behalf of the dead person. Today, this basic pattern has not changed very much. However, certain formal alterations have taken place resulting from the effects of different religions and cultures.. Uyghurs are one of the Turkic tribes who have changed their religious practices most frequently from past till present..Therefore, the characteristics of a multilayer syncretism can be observed in Uyghur culture. These characteristics can be clearly observed also in the customs and practices of the Uyghur Turks that are formed around the phenomenon of death. On one hand these customs and practices show similarities with the customs and practices that are generally observed among the other Turkic tribes, on the other hand they also have a few characteristics that are particular and unique to them. It is possible to observe these general and special incidences in practices like the following: wailing and lamentingloudly for the dead person, lighting of fire at the head of the grave, using of white belts or sahses and white head coverings as a sign of mourning, mounting of a ram or mountain goat’s horn or attaching a cloth to a grave, making of a grave into the form of a cradle, giving of memorial food under the names ‘three offering,’ ‘yette offering, ‘forty offering,’ and ‘year offering,’ using scenting oil, and reading Kur’an and praying on behalf of the dead person. This article is about the general and specific situations of customs and practices concerning death, the dead, and the spirit are formed among the Uyghur Turks.