PHOTO CREDIT: Above photo by John Rickman Photography, San Jose, California.

NOTE: The historical information in this article came mostly from a pamphlet distributed to tourists near Konya and the Turkish tour guide that Shira had in 2000. If academic sources contradict the information in this article, it's probably better to believe the academic sources.

The son of a noted Islamic preacher, Celaleddin Mevlâna Rumi came to live in the city of Konya, Turkey in 1240, when he was 33 years old. Four years later, he met Mehmet Shemseddin Tebrizi, one of his father's Sufi disciples. Tebrizi had a profound effect on Celaleddin, who became devoted to him.

According to an informational flyer that was distributed to spectators at a whirling dervish exhibition near Konya, Turkey in 2000, Rumi's own disciples put Tebrizi to death in 1247 because they feared his powerful influence over their master. Horrified, Rumi withdrew from the world to meditate. It was then he wrote his great poetic work, the Mathnawi. He also wrote many ruba'i and ghazal poems, which were collected into the Divan-i Kebir.

Rumi died in December, 1273. His son organized his followers into the brotherhood of whirling dervishes now known as the Mevlevi. Today, tourists and pilgrims can visit the tomb of Rumi, his father, and his son in Konya, Turkey at the Mevlâna Müzesi.

ABOUT THE PHOTO: This photo taken by Shira shows the tomb of Celaleddin Mevlâna Rumi at the Mevlâna Müzesi shrine in Konya, Turkey. Click on the photo to see it in more detail.

This museum / shrine once served as a monastery where members of the Mevlevi order lived and meditated. In addition to hosting the tombs of prominent dervishes, it has several hairs from the beard of Mohammed on display.

Several of the cells in which members of the order once lived have been arranged to show dioramas of daily life in the monastery. One such cell is shown in the photo to the right. Click on the photo to see more detail.

Over the centuries, the dervish orders held a great deal of influence with the Ottoman political, social and economic life. When Ataturk came to power in the early 20th century, he abolished the dervish orders and converted the monasteries to museums. Though outlawed, several dervish orders remained alive under the guise of fraternal brotherhoods. They were revived in 1957 in Konya as a "cultural association" intended to preserve a historic tradition.

Restrictions against the order have eased in the decades that followed. The order still exists in Turkey today, led by a descendant of Rumi named Faruk Hemdem Çelebi.

More than seven centuries after his death, religious and secular communities alike continue to honor Celaleddin Mevlâna Rumi as one of the world's greatest poets and philosophers ever known.

After three circles, the dervishes drop their black cloaks. One by one, arms folded on their breasts, they approach the master, bow, kiss his hand, receive instructions, then spin out onto the floor.

Through whirling, the dervishes relinquish the earthly life to be reborn in mystical union with God. Opening their folded arms, the dervishes hold their right hands palm-up to receive the blessings of heaven. They hold their left hands palm-down to transfer the blessings to earth.

ABOUT THE PHOTO: Shira took this photo at a dervish exhibition in a caravanserai near Konya, Turkey.

Eventually, the semâ reaches a point where all dervishes are simultaneously whirling. After about 10 minutes, all stop and kneel. Then rising, they begin again. This combination of whirling followed by salute is performed a total of four times. Each of the four repetitions of kneeling is a salute, and they signify:

1. Humanity's birth to the truth of God as Creator and humanity's role as creature.
2. The rapture of man witnessing the splendor of creation.
3. Dissolution into the rapture of love and the sacrifice of mind to love, to complete submission to God.
4. Termination of the spiritual journey, including return to everyday life and subservience to God.

At the conclusion of the whirling, the hafiz reads the Koran, especially the verse from Sura Bakara 2, verse 115: "Unto God belong the East and the West, and wherever you turn, there is God's countenance. He is all-embracing, all-knowing."

The semâ closes with a prayer for the peace of the souls of all Prophets and all believers.

Scenes from Turkey

Photos taken in Turkey in July, 2000.

• Folk Dance
  • Göbek Dansı: The "Real" Turkish "Belly Dance" At the Gar Gazinosu restaurant in Istanbul.
• Oriental Dance
  • Oriental Dance at Gar Gazinosu. Photos of performances at the Gar Gazinosu restaurant in Istanbul.
  • Oriental Dance at Kervansaray. Photos of performances at the Kervansaray restaurant in Istanbul.
  • Oriental Dance in Kusadasi. Photos of performances at the Kervansaray Hotel in the city of Kusadasi.
  • Oriental Dance at Orient House. Photos of performances at the Orient House restaurant in Istanbul.
  • Other Oriental Dance. Photos of performances at Yasar Baba, Colossae, and back in Istanbul.

Dervish-Related Topics

• Dances of Ecstasy. Review of a documentary video that includes footage of a Turkish zikr with whirling dervishes.
• Whirl Like a Dervish. By Arabella.