Ertit, Volkan2025-01-062025-01-0620221306-825310.34189/hbv.101.0082-s2.0-85128953255https://doi.org/10.34189/hbv.101.008https://search.trdizin.gov.tr/tr/yayin/detay/1127294https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14669/1601The present study aims to describe and analyze the change in the funeral rituals of Arab Alawites. The study takes a structural-functional approach to assessing ceremonies, rituals, and other death-related phenomena. In other words, a discussion was held based on the functions attributed to death-related social organizations for the continuation of the structure. This study, which was designed in accordance with the qualitative research method, has a phenomenological approach. Field surveys were carried out in Yamaçlı (10) and Haydaroğlu (5) neighbourhoods of Yüreğir district in Central Adana at three different times. Due to the fact that the researcher is part of the study group, the data were collected through the researcher's own observations at previous funerals, in-depth interviews conducted face-to-face through a semi-structured form and focus group discussions. The files generated through the tagging that resulted from the literature review as well as the information gathered during the interviews were transferred to MAXQDA, a qualitative data analysis application, before being subjected to descriptive analysis. The texts were tagged under 44 codes and gathered under the following main topics: “shroud”, “the point of death”, “announcing the death”, “bathing the deceased”, “Hımlen “, “laments and songs”, “the 7th day after the death”, “the mourning process”, “folk beliefs” and “other changes”. The findings obtained as a result of the field study indicate that the contribution of funeral rituals in maintaining the whole of society, that is, its function, has regressed among Arab Alawites. In the ceremony, ritual, rite and behaviour patterns that emerged around the aforementioned main topics, it was noted that the practices adopted by the community in the past have either disappeared completely or were made less troublesome/tiring. © 2022 Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University. All rights reserved.trinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessAdanaArab AlawitesBurial customsFuneral ritualsArticle234101Q32111127294