Photos: Turkey’s dervishes whirl to commemorate Rumi
Updated On Dec 21, 2017 01:52 PM IST
The trance-like Sema of Turkey’s whirling dervishes, far from being just an act of introvert worship, attracts tourists every year as the Turkish city of Konya organises 10 days of celebrations to commemorate the December 17, 1273 death of Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi, the Sufi mystic and one of the world's most beloved poets.
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Arms crossed over their hearts, hands resting on their shoulders, the dervishes start their dance. They turn on themselves, slowly sliding their hands along their bodies before raising them, embracing the universe. But far from being only an act of introvert worship, the dance of the whirling dervishes is now a huge draw in Turkey, attracting thousands of tourists every year. (Murad Sezer / REUTERS)
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Dervishes ahead of a ‘Sema’ ritual during a ceremony marking the 744th anniversary Rumi’s death in Konya. Every December, the city organises 10 days of celebrations to commemorate the December 17, 1273 event. It was his followers who founded the brotherhood of whirling dervishes, so-called for the trance-like dance which is distinguishes their worship. (Adem Altan / AFP)
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Dervishes prepare for the Sema ritual at the Mevlana museum in Konya -- which houses Rumi’s tomb -- the most visited museum in Turkey with 2.43 million visitors. During the celebrations between December 7 and 17, nearly 65,000 people came to watch the dervishes in trance. (Murad Sezer / REUTERS)
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But such numbers weren’t always the case. The dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and the establishment of the secular Turkish Republic in 1925 led to an official ban on Sufi fraternities and the closure of “tekke” or dervish lodges around the country. (Murad Sezer / REUTERS)
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It was later in the 1950s that whirling dervish ceremonies resumed, the state recognising their cultural value and potential for tourism. The silhouette of the whirling dervishes with their long white outfit and their tall cap -- one hand pointed towards the heavens and another towards the earth -- has become one of the most famous symbols of Turkey. (Chris McGrath / Getty Images)
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A dervish prepares a reed flute called the ‘Ney’, used along with the lute and fiddle to accompany the Sema. Rumi’s writings were mainly in Persian, but also include Arabic, Turkish and Greek, leaving Afghans, Iranians and Turks over the years claiming him as theirs, though others stress he left a legacy for all humanity. (Chris McGrath / Getty Images)
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At Rumi’s mausoleum -- recognisable by its turquoise-tiled dome -- tourists jostle, reflect deeply and some weep at the poet’s tomb. “Each time I visit, I feel different emotions,” said Alper Ali Atik, adding the first time he visited, he left with a better understanding of human beings. In 2008, the Sema ceremony was recognised by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. (Murad Sezer / REUTERS)
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The audience watched entranced at a dance which copies the movement of planets against a background of Sufi music. “When we say Konya, we think of Mevlana and when we say Mevlana, Konya comes to mind,” Abdussettar Yarar, director of Konya Culture and Tourism said. (Murad Sezer / REUTERS)
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