What Are The Whirling Dervishes?

Istanbul is a spectacular city and the largest city in Turkey, with many tourist attractions such as the aquapark Istanbul. But the charms of this Turkish city are not limited to just a few places, and Istanbul has proven that Dervishes can also be a tourist attraction and attract millions of people worldwide.

Familiarizing yourself with Sufism and whirling dervishes before traveling to Turkey will make you feel closer to Sufi ceremonies. In the continuation of this article from the Travelling Topic website, we will give you the answer to what are the whirling dervishes and where to watch whirling dervishes in istanbul, so read to the end of this article.

What is Sufism?

Rumi (Mevlânâ) is an old Persian poet who lived in the past, and Sufism relates to it. People who follow Sufism are called dervishes, and they are also called Mevlevihane. Sufis believe it is possible to achieve peace and forgiveness in the world by following principles and getting closer to God. Sufi rituals are based on truth and correctness, and their followers must observe the rules and what they have learned correctly. This ritual first spread in the Anatolian region of Türkiye.

To learn more about the Anatolian region, read the article Where is Asia minor.

What are the whirling dervishes?

Suppose you are looking for an answer to the question, ” What are the whirling dervishes “. In that case, we should mention that dervishes, whose other name is Sufi, have a close relationship with God, and to get closer to God, they wear special clothes and perform a famous dance called Sema. At first glance, you might think that they are just dancing, but if you pay attention to their movements, you will understand that the whirling dervishes chant Allah when they want to approach God and perform this Sufi dance. Whirling dervishes are in deep meditation while spinning and imagining themselves between two worlds.

This dance is about a way to connect more with energy sources. Whirling dervishes keep one hand up and the other hand toward the ground while performing the Sama dance. This move shows that they always value humility and upward growth. Everything that is done during the Sama dance has special meanings and reasons. Performing Sama dance requires a lot of training and precision, and it cannot be done suddenly and without reason.

What is the Sema dance?

As we mentioned above, the Sama dance is one of the ceremonies of Sufis with the purpose of mental and spiritual growth, which creates a state of meditation. Everything is chosen symbolically in this dance, and nothing is accidental and without reason. Discovering the philosophy of each of these features requires high mystical knowledge. For example, for the Sama dance, dervishes wear a long white dress that symbolizes the shroud (a white cloth shroud that is put on a person’s body after death) and put a hat that symbolizes the grave on their head. To perform the Sama dance, mystical music is played, and the dervishes circle in harmony and repeat the remembrance of Allah. Rumi’s works, written in Persian, are the main source of inspiration for performing the zikr and music of this ceremony. You can see this magnificent ceremony in Konya and Istanbul.

Where to watch whirling dervishes in Istanbul?

Above, we told you the answer to the question, “What is a Whirling Dervish?” Suppose you are interested in the Whirling Dervish by reading the above article and are looking for the answer to the question ” Where to watch whirling dervishes in Istanbul “. In that case, we must mention that to see the Whirling Dervish in Istanbul; You should go to Galata Mevlevi Museum or Tekke. The Galata Mevlevi Museum is located near the Galipdede area in Istanbul, and to see the dervish dance, you need to go to the Galata Mevlevi Museum on Sundays at 7 pm and participate in it; you need to buy a ticket. A ticket to participate in the Turkish Sama dance ceremony costs about 5 dollars.

If you can’t go to Galata Mevlevi Museum on Sunday, we suggest you go to Tekke in the Fatih district on Thursdays and witness the whirling dervish dance.

What is the connection between the Sama dance and Rumi?

Rumi was a fan of Sama dance and considered it a means to get closer to God, so Sufis continued his methods. The whirling dervish ceremony is one of the important events that you can see in Konya on the anniversary of Rumi’s death. In addition, you can find Sama dance ceremonies in other cities of Turkey and at other times. Every year in December, large crowds go to Konya to participate in the anniversary of Rumi’s death, which begins on December 17 and lasts for ten nights.

At the end of the line

Above, we answered the question of what are the whirling dervishes and mentioned that this is a ceremony to bring people closer to God; you should also pay attention to the fact that this ceremony is one of the most solemn ceremonies, and you should not laugh during the ceremony because in In this case, you will upset the whirling dervish.

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