Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Mevlevi
tarika
(order), founded in the central Anatolian city of Konya during the
13th century, flourished throughout the Ottoman Empire. Like several other orders, the
Mevlevis stressed the unity of humankind before God regardless of creed.
Taking their name from the great Sufi mystic and poet Celaleddin Rumi (1207-73),
called Mevlana (Our Leader) by his disciples, Mevlevis seek to achieve mystical commu-
nion with God through a
sema
(ceremony) involving chants, prayers, music and a whirling
dance. This
tekke
's first
şeyh
(sheikh) was Şemaî Mehmed Çelebi, a grandson of the great
Mevlana.
Dervish orders were banned in the early days of the Turkish republic because of their
ultraconservative religious politics. Although the ban has been lifted, only a handful of
functioning
tekkes
remain in İstanbul, including this one. Konya remains the heart of the
Mevlevi order.
Beneath the
semahane
is a fascinating exhibit that includes displays of Mevlevi cloth-
ing, turbans and accessories. The
mahfiller
(upstairs floor
)
houses the
tekke
's collection
of traditional musical instruments, calligraphy and
ebru
(paper marbling).
The
hamuşan
is full of stones with graceful Ottoman inscriptions, including the tomb of
Galip Dede, the 17th-century Sufi poet whom the street is named after. The shapes atop
the stones reflect the headgear of the deceased, each hat denoting a different religious
rank.
For more on the whirling dervish ceremonies see the boxed text.
SEEING THE DERVISHES WHIRL
If you thought the Hare Krishnas or the Harlem congregations were the only religious orders to cel-
ebrate their faith through music and movement, think again. Those sultans of spiritual spin known as
the 'whirling dervishes' have been twirling their way to a higher plane ever since the 13th century
and show no sign of slowing down.
There are a number of opportunities to see dervishes whirling in İstanbul. Probably the best of
these is the weekly ceremony held in the
semahane
(hall) in the Galata Mevlevi Museum (
CLICK HERE
) in Tünel.
Another good option is to attend one of the
semas
(ceremonies) held most Monday nights at a
tekke
(dervish lodge) in Karagumruk in the Fatih District and Thursday nights at a
tekke
in Siliv-
