Home›Open Questions›Did a body answering to the Sarmoung Brotherhood exist, and if not, where did Gurdjieff's material come from?Open QuestionsDid a body answering to the Sarmoung Brotherhood exist, and if not, where did Gurdjieff's material come from?Citation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextDivinity Atlas. "Did a body answering to the Sarmoung Brotherhood exist, and if not, where did Gurdjieff's material come from?." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.divinityatlas.com/open-questions-index/did-a-body-answering-to-the-sarmoung-brotherhood-exist-and-if-not-where-did-gurdjieffs-material-come-from.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextDivinity Atlas. (n.d.). Did a body answering to the Sarmoung Brotherhood exist, and if not, where did Gurdjieff's material come from?. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://www.divinityatlas.com/open-questions-index/did-a-body-answering-to-the-sarmoung-brotherhood-exist-and-if-not-where-did-gurdjieffs-material-come-fromCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{divinityatlas-did-a-body-answering-to-the-sarmoung-bro, author = {Divinity Atlas}, title = {Did a body answering to the Sarmoung Brotherhood exist, and if not, where did Gurdjieff's material come from?}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.divinityatlas.com/open-questions-index/did-a-body-answering-to-the-sarmoung-brotherhood-exist-and-if-not-where-did-gurdjieffs-material-come-from}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXOpen QuestionCross-Tradition ConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)Open QuestionThe whole account descends from Gurdjieff's own writing and from what he told pupils. The Armenian manuscript he names has not been produced or identified, no location has been established, and no independent traveller, official or scholarly record of such a body has been found for a region that was heavily travelled and reported on. Positions divide between a traceable synthesis of available currents, a real but unnamed Sufi lineage, and a deliberate literary device, and no evidence has been produced for any of the three.What would resolve this Identification of the Armenian source named in the account, or of any manuscript using the name; archival work in Russian, Ottoman and British records of Central Asian travel for the relevant years; and comparative study of the movements against documented Sufi and Central Asian practice by scholars with access to both.OpenHistory of Central Asian Sufism; Armenian manuscript studies; the academic study of Western esotericismDivinity Atlas Open Questions Register, First EditionCross-Tradition ConnectionsQuestion OnSarmoung Brotherhood, Secret Societies Well-attested Source Divinity Atlas Open Questions Register, First Editiontier 1SourcesDivinity Atlas Open Questions Register, First Editiontier 1Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearThe atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.Show This Year