The Whirling Dervishes are a part of the Sufi branch of Islam, known for its mysticism and asceticism. Scholars of Sufism have defined it in many different ways throughout the times, but they all agree on its fundamental character as being the inner, esoteric, mystical, or purely spiritual dimension of Islam. To become a Dervish, one must take a vow of poverty and live in monastic conditions, similar to Christian monks. For these Dervishes, spinning is their way of worshipping God.
Despite us being non-religious sorts, we see them as one of the highlights of our stop in Istanbul this November.
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| That is NOT Jeff pictured on the right |
The Whirling Dervishes seek a close relationship with God through chants, prayers, music and a whirling dance.
When the ceremony begins, the Dervishes enter wearing black cloaks over their white dresses. One after the other, the dervishes drop their black cloaks and start whirling in their white garments revealing their considerable wideness as the whirling continues and intensifies.
The dropping of cloaks connotes the shunning of falsehood and any elements of beautification for the truth to be revealed, symbolized in the white garments the Dervishes wear under the black cloaks.
And then the whirling starts in an counter-clockwise direction, initially in a slow motion and starts picking up gradually, with each Dervish slowly unfolding his arms, with the right palm facing the sky symbolizing reaching up to heaven to receive God’s blessings, and the left palm facing down symbolizing the delivery of the received blessings to humankind on earth.
The ritual is sacred and focuses on the relationship between the body and soul, man and god, lover and beloved, with an ideal submission of God reiterated throughout.
Dervishes are a peaceful people who abhor violence, but in the 1920s they were banned from Turkey out of fear that their religious roots would lead them to revolt against the new secular government. It was only nearly 30 years ago that the authorities allowed them to perform again, seeing their uniqueness as a big draw for tourists.
You are allowed (for a TL60 per person admission fee, natch) to view a Dervish ceremony in a variety of venues throughout Istanbul. We’re booked to see them Saturday, November 9th in a hall located in a 550 year old Turkish bath that has been converted into a performance space.
We’re really hoping it doesn’t turn out to be like the tango shows in Buenos Aires or the flamenco shows in Spain.
