Turkey: Witnessing the Whirling Dervishes in Istanbul
Who would have thought that a religious Islamic ritual will become a touristic spectacle?
The whirling dervishes of the Mevlevi order under the branch of Sufism in Islam has opened its Sema ceremony to the public. Visitors can witness the whole ritual which includes chanting, prayer, music and dancing—whirling in this case hence their name. Visitors must not forget that this is not just a performance nor a cultural event but a religious ceremony.
There are a few places to see the whirling dervishes in Istanbul but I heard that the best place to witness them is at the Mevlevi Whirling Dervish hall at the Galata Mevlevi Museum. The Sema ceremony takes place once a week, on Sunday at 17:00. Tickets can only be bought on location. Because the event is very popular among the tourists and that there is a maximum capacity, it is often sold out.
Well, I almost didn’t make it to the Sema ceremony!
It was fully booked when I arrived. But for some reason the man at the gate pitied us—moi and an Italian couple and he said we can go in now if we pay the man behind the window cashier. We quickly pulled out our money from our pockets and paid, and then we were ushered inside the building slowly. We were told to keep quiet because the Sema ceremony has just started.
I was so stoked for having made it in!!! =)
The whole 1-hour ritual was quite a surreal experience. The whirling dervishes were whirling, twirling and spinning non-stop. They all looked so poised and regal yet they were dancing as if they were in trance. Hypnotised in prayer and with their relationship with god - allah. I did wonder if they ever get dizzy with the turning. Has someone ever missed a step? Hit each other with their whirling skirts? Those skirts are heavy I am sure. Fallen down perhaps to the floor or came crashing against one of the pillars in the hall?
Whilst watching them spin, I noticed that they have a system in place in the way they turn and place their foot down, as well as the timing when the skirts are lifted up. Indeed, these whirling dervishes are definitely no amateurs.
I have read somewhere that the whirling dance is a way of offering themselves to god. And I can see that truly in the faces of the men. They looked very content and peaceful. Abandoned.
As I took pictures of the ceremony and even managed to shoot a short video, my eyes wandered off to the beautiful interior of the hall. The pillars, the design and the golden details. Ah, European western art influence has blended well with eastern Arabic calligraphy. I realised that this is a museum after all.
Will I recommend the Sema ceremony – whirling dervishes performance? Yes surely, if you are a curious culture vulture like me =)
Here are some reading for you if you are interested: The Mevlevi Order | Sufism
The location of the museum on the map:
Here is a very short video I made:
Advice to visitors during the whole performance:
Travel Period: May 2015
Destination: Galata, Beyoglu (Istanbul – Marmara), Turkey
Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
The whirling dervishes of the Mevlevi order under the branch of Sufism in Islam has opened its Sema ceremony to the public. Visitors can witness the whole ritual which includes chanting, prayer, music and dancing—whirling in this case hence their name. Visitors must not forget that this is not just a performance nor a cultural event but a religious ceremony.
There are a few places to see the whirling dervishes in Istanbul but I heard that the best place to witness them is at the Mevlevi Whirling Dervish hall at the Galata Mevlevi Museum. The Sema ceremony takes place once a week, on Sunday at 17:00. Tickets can only be bought on location. Because the event is very popular among the tourists and that there is a maximum capacity, it is often sold out.
Well, I almost didn’t make it to the Sema ceremony!
It was fully booked when I arrived. But for some reason the man at the gate pitied us—moi and an Italian couple and he said we can go in now if we pay the man behind the window cashier. We quickly pulled out our money from our pockets and paid, and then we were ushered inside the building slowly. We were told to keep quiet because the Sema ceremony has just started.
I was so stoked for having made it in!!! =)
The whole 1-hour ritual was quite a surreal experience. The whirling dervishes were whirling, twirling and spinning non-stop. They all looked so poised and regal yet they were dancing as if they were in trance. Hypnotised in prayer and with their relationship with god - allah. I did wonder if they ever get dizzy with the turning. Has someone ever missed a step? Hit each other with their whirling skirts? Those skirts are heavy I am sure. Fallen down perhaps to the floor or came crashing against one of the pillars in the hall?
Whilst watching them spin, I noticed that they have a system in place in the way they turn and place their foot down, as well as the timing when the skirts are lifted up. Indeed, these whirling dervishes are definitely no amateurs.
I have read somewhere that the whirling dance is a way of offering themselves to god. And I can see that truly in the faces of the men. They looked very content and peaceful. Abandoned.
As I took pictures of the ceremony and even managed to shoot a short video, my eyes wandered off to the beautiful interior of the hall. The pillars, the design and the golden details. Ah, European western art influence has blended well with eastern Arabic calligraphy. I realised that this is a museum after all.
Will I recommend the Sema ceremony – whirling dervishes performance? Yes surely, if you are a curious culture vulture like me =)
Here are some reading for you if you are interested: The Mevlevi Order | Sufism
The Galata Mevlevi Order Museum.
The location of the museum on the map:
It is located in Galata, Beyoglu... very near to Tunel at the end of Istiklal street on Galip Dede Caddesi. It is the main pedestrian street of Galata where you enter from Istiklal to the Galata neighbourhood.
The whirling dervishes hall.
The ritual has begun...
They walk around...
Afterwhich they line up, took off their cloaks and place their arms crossed on their chests.
Then the whirling dancing starts, one whirling dervish after the other...
Here is a very short video I made:
Advice to visitors during the whole performance:
- Do not talk
- Do not change seats
- Do not walk around
- Do not use flash photography
- Turn off your phones or mute it
- It is a religious ceremony so be still and pay your respects!
Then they take a break and do the formation again.
And then the dancing starts again, they slowly lift their crossed arms on their chest up high and twirl, whirling their skirts and spinning around.
The ceremony at its final end.
Interior details of the whirling dervishes hall. Arabic text or calligraphy blends with European inspired art (which looked very much like Rococo).
These are tourists waiting to get inside the museum. They had to wait as we were inside witnessing the Sema ceremony.
Travel Period: May 2015
Destination: Galata, Beyoglu (Istanbul – Marmara), Turkey
Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
Comments
Post a Comment
Hi, thank you for taking time.