When you visit Turkey, a few things become apparent; they have great carpets (oh yes, I bought a few), they drive and move very quickly (see Flashback Friday-Istanbul), and this is the country of the Whirling Dervishes. You’ll see glimpses of them here and there; on TV, maybe at a show in Istanbul. But if you want to see them at home, visit Konya. Konya is a city in Central Turkey and it was the home of Mevlana Rumi. Rumi started the Mevlevi Order. The Mevlevi (followers of Rumi) are known as Whirling Dervishes. Supposedly, Rumi had a habit of “whirling from joy” in the streets of Konya.

The whirling done by the dervishes is a bit more controlled.  This sema (religious rite) is similar to a physically active meditation. While whirling, the right arm is pointed to the sky and the left arm is pointed to the earth. The dervish turns and turns, counter-clockwise, for several minutes at a time …without stopping.

In December, the Mevlevi hold a huge celebration to commemorate the “wedding night” of Rumi (the day he died and joined his beloved…God). This is the celebration Mike and I witnessed in December of 2010.

The event takes place at the Mevlana Culture Center and is comprised of seven parts…beginning and ending with a prayer. The sema is performed to music, and after about 15 minutes or so, the lights would change colors, and the Mevlevi would continue to whirl.

The beginning of the ceremony, before their cloaks are removed

 We were mesmerized.  It’s actually pretty meditative for the audience as well.

We also visited the Mevlana Museum…

It was a fun trip.  As we were leaving, Mother Nature decided to she wanted to join the party. So, she dumped a little snow on the ground.

Sure, it was pretty…but so not cool (like, in a not good way, because yes, I know, snow is cool).