Destination Guides Konya

The Mevleviye, one of the most well known of the Sufi orders, was founded in 1273 by Rumis followers after his death, particularly by his successor Husamettin Celebi who decided to build a mausoleum for Mevlâna, and then Mevlânas son, Sultan Veled Celebi (or Celebi, Chelebi) (the word Celebi means fully initiated). He was an accomplished Sufi mystic with great organizing talents. His personal efforts were continued by his successor Ulu Arif Celebi.

The Mevlevi, or The Whirling Dervishes, believe in performing their dhikr in the form of a dance and music ceremony called the sema.

The Sema represents a mystical journey of mans spiritual ascent through mind and love to Perfect. Turning towards the truth, the follower grows through love, deserts his ego, finds the truth and arrives at the Perfect. He then returns from this spiritual journey as a man who has reached maturity and a greater perfection, so as to love and to be of service to the whole of creation.

The sema was practised in the semahane (ritual hall) according to a precisely prescribed symbolic ritual with the dervished whirling in a circle around their sheikh, who is the only one circling around his axis. The dervishes wear a white gown (symbol of death), a wide black cloak (hirka) (symbol of the grave) and a high brown cap (kûlah), symbol of the tombstone.

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Whirling Dervishes