Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE WHIRLING DERVISHES OF THE MEVLEVI ORDER
The founder of the Mevlevi Order was the poet Jelaluddin Mevlana, known in the West as Rumi, and born in the
13th century. His most famous work is Mathnawi, a long poem that details Mevlana's teachings and understand-
ing of the world, and emphasises the belief that an individual's soul is separated from the divine during one's
earthly life; only God's love has the power to draw it back to its source. Rumi's teachings were also based on the
belief that everything was created by God, so every creature was to be loved and respected. The order paid spe-
cial attention to patience, modesty, unlimited tolerance, charity and positive reasoning.
But most importantly, and shockingly to orthodox Muslims at that time, Rumi claimed that music was the way
to transcend the mundane worries of life, and that one could connect with the divine through dancing, or indeed
whirling.
The slow, whirling, trance-like dance of the dervishes is called sema, and it is accompanied by the sound of
the ney (reed flute), an instrument central to Rumi's idea of yearning for the divine. The sound of the ney, whose
tonal range is equal to that of a human voice, is supposed to symbolise the soul's cry for God. The oud (Levantine
lute) and kudum (paired drums) are the other instruments that accompany sema . During their dance, the dervishes
hold one palm upwards and the other downwards to symbolise humanity's position as a bridge between heaven
and earth. The sema was performed exclusively as a spiritual exercise, and it was considered blasphemy to per-
form for money or show.
The Mevlevi order flourished for 700 years in Turkish life and spread from Konya in Turkey to the Balkans
and southeastern Europe, until they were banned in Turkey by Atatürk in 1925. Today the dervishes perform in
theatres all over the world, and it's possible to see their beautiful dance in most Western countries.
WHIRLING DERVISH PERFORMANCES
Performances of the mesmerising whirling dervishes take place daily at noon, 2pm, 3pm and 5pm, 50 metres
north of the Selimiye Mosque from April to September. Performances last approximately 30 minutes and cost €7.
Check the www.danceofcyprus.com website to confirm times.
1 Sights & Activities
To visit and appreciate the sights here, pick up a copy of the North Nicosia map from the
friendly tourist office. If you get lost, head for the Venetian walls, which you can easily
follow in order to reach a main point of reference. Running south from the Kyrenia Gate
is Girne Caddesi, which leads onto Atatürk Meydanı, the main square, surrounded by
banks and shops.
 
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