Department of History of Islamic Sects examines various political and theological understandings of the Islamic religion and the intellectual manifestations of these understandings. The courses are related to two main subjects, which are Classical Islamic Sects and Contemporary Islamic Trends. The former investigates denominational groups that came into existence with certain political and theological objectives during the classical Islamic period. The latter examines contemporary national and international religious trends. The program studies the conditions under which the sects came into existence, the reasons for their coming into being, and their formative periods, main ideas, followers, literatures, regions, and contributions to Islamic intellectual history. Subjects are examined from interdisciplinary perspective, making use of Islamic disciplines like Hadith, History of Islam and depending on the topic under research; it cooperates closely with various disciplines including Islamic History, Kalam, Islamic Jurisprudence, Sufism, and Sociology of Religion. The aim of the program is to educate students who produce knowledge in relevant fields and share the knowledge with other academics in national and international levels. Distinguished professors who have formerly worked in the Department include Yusuf Ziya Yörükan, Muhammed b. Tavit Tanci, Yaşar Kutluay, and Ethem Ruhi Fığlalı.
