The Turkish Sufi order of Mevlevi became one of Istanbul’s most recognizable symbols and tourist attractions due to their eye catching “Whirling Dervish” act.
Whirling Dervish Dance Istanbul-11.JPG
Whirling Dervish Dance Istanbul-5.JPG
What does it look like in action? Here’s a video of a one man show I caught in one of the tourist restaurants at the old city.
Interested in a more professional group dance? here’s from Google video :
If you’re thinking – this is simple, then I challenge you to keep going like that for more than 30 seconds without going completely dizzy and losing your balance. It does require a meditative state of mind and letting go of your surroundings, which the repeating music theme helps with.
Wikipedia explains a bit :
The Mevlevi Order, or the Mevlevilik or Mevleviye (Persian: مولويه – Mowlawīya) are a Sufi order founded in Konya (in present-day Turkey) by the followers of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi-Rumi, a 13th century Persian poet, Islamic jurist, and theologian. They are also known as the Whirling Dervishes due to their famous practice of whirling as a form of dhikr (remembrance of God). Dervish is a common term for an initiate of the Sufi path; the whirling itself is known as the Sema and the participants are properly known as semazens. […]
The Mevlevi believe in performing their dhikr in the form of a "dance" and music ceremony called the Sema, which involves the whirling from which the order acquired its nickname. The Sema represents a mystical journey of man’s spiritual ascent through mind and love to "Perfect". Turning towards the truth, the follower grows through love, deserts his ego, finds the truth and arrives at the "Perfect". He then returns from this spiritual journey as a man who has reached maturity and a greater perfection, so as to love and to be of service to the whole of creation.
http://www.filination.com
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