The Whirling Dervishes

When my husband retired, November became our month of choice to travel, because it being a low travel season, there are lots of deals on air fares, and accommodations. There is of course, the added bonus of not having to contend with hordes of tourists. Of course it is also a rainy, cold month but we have learned, in the course of our lives, to take the good with the bad.  

 

This November, I decided that a return to Rome, my favorite city, was called for, so that my husband could finally "see" her as I did, in that magical year we spent there prior to his retirement, but before that, a first encounter with that most fascinating of cities, Istanbul!

 

There is so much to remember and recount of Istanbul, but witnessing the "dance" of the Whirling Dervishes was for me unforgettable. I put this experience at par with my enchantment with the Pantheon in Rome. Could it be because of the understated elegance of the sublime that both experiences conveyed to me?








A Dikhr, a remembrance of God

 

Pantheon's Oculus, a vision of heaven

The whirling dervishes are members of the Sufi order of Mevlevi, which was founded by a Persian poet, Islamic jurist and theologian in Konya a town in central Turkey. A Dervish is one who follows the Sufi path and the act of whirling is part of the Mevlevi Sema ceremony, a dihkr (dance) or a rememberance of God. The Sama, the whirling, represents man's mystical journey to the perfect. As man turns toward truth, he grows in love, abandons his ego, approaches perfection and is more able to love and serve all creation.

The ceremony starts with an ensemble of instruments accompanying a solo singer, singing praises to the Prophet.

 

Then the 4 dervishes make their entrance, one of them lays down a red cloth to which all bow.

The 5th dervish or the Sheikh, enters and proceeds to the front of the red cloth, where he is approached one by one by the samas who have at this time shed their black robes. After passing the Sheikh, they begin to whirl. The four samas represent the moon who are whirling around the Sheikh who represents the sun.

The dance represents the spiritual journey that every believer goes through. The first Sama represents the recognition of God, the second, the recognition of one's unity with God, the third, the ecstasy that one experiences when one surrenders to God, and the fourth, when the Sheikh joins the dance, symbolizes the peace which comes with this unity.

The dikhr is accompanied by sufi music and song, one also hears the scraping of the samas shoes on the floor. There is a slight continuous breeze coming from the whirling samas' tennure which represents the death shroud. Their sikkes, representing  gravestones stay firmly on their heads. Their hands are lifted with one palm facing up and the other facing down. A form of dying before dying, some say.

Click on the link to see part of the performance taped by my hubby:



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