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Scenes From Turkey: Whirling Dervishes© Shira
December: The Mevlâna Festival
A Brief Historical Look At Whirling Dervishes Whirling is one of the tools used by Sufis (Islamic mystics) to come closer to Allah, but it's not the only one. Different orders of Sufis apply different practices, including whirling, zikr, and others. The vast majority of whirling dervishes in Turkey trace their spiritual roots to Celaleddin Mevlâna Rumi, who founded the Mevlevi Sufi order in the 13th century. "Mevlâna" means "guide", or "master". "Rumi" means "from the Sultanate of Rum". The son of a noted Islamic preacher, Rumi came to live in the city of Konya 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. In 1247, Rumi's own disciples put Tebrizi to death 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. The above photo shows the tomb of Celaleddin Mevlâna Rumi at the Mevlâna Müzesi shrine in Konya, Turkey. 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. Here is a picture I took of one of them: Over the centuries, the dervishes 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.
The copyright of the article Scenes From Turkey: Whirling Dervishes in Middle Eastern Dance is owned by Julie Elliot. Permission to republish Scenes From Turkey: Whirling Dervishes in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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