The Cem is the central communal worship ceremony of the Alevi, a large religious community rooted in Anatolia whose tradition draws on Shia Islam, Sufism and older Anatolian elements and differs markedly from Sunni practice. In place of the mosque and the five daily prayers, Alevi religious life centres on the cemevi, the "house of gathering," where the community assembles for the Cem, a ceremony led by a spiritual guide, the dede, believed to descend from the family of the Prophet. Men and women take part together, which distinguishes the Cem sharply from the gender-separated worship of many other Muslim communities, and the ceremony weaves together prayer, the recollection of Ali and the martyrs of Karbala, communal reconciliation, music and sacred dance.
At the heart of the Cem is the semah, a turning devotional dance performed by men and women together to the accompaniment of the saz, the long-necked lute whose playing and the sung poetry of the Alevi bards are integral to the worship rather than mere ornament. The ceremony includes the resolution of disputes within the community before worship may proceed, expressing the Alevi emphasis on being "at peace" with others, and it concludes with the sharing of blessed food. As a minority tradition that has faced long periods of suspicion and pressure, the Alevi have in the modern era sought recognition of the cemevi as a legitimate place of worship, a status still contested in Turkey, and the Cem remains the defining expression of a distinct and living faith.