In the Sema (whirling dance), Dervishes pick up speed, causing their skirts to whirl as their left feet turn them counterclockwise in meditative rapture. For 830 years, the beauty and mysticism of the "whirling Dervishes" has enthralled many around the world with their dancelike form of meditation.
Standing outside the only Dervish lodge left in Istanbul, Metin Kazas warmly greets his fellow members of the Mevlevi brotherhood with a smile, a hug and kiss on both cheeks. It is a brotherhood bond that has endured since the Middle Ages. Now, however, tourists gather to see this ancient tradition in motion.
"If Islam is the main body of the tree, we are the flower on that tree," said Kazas.
Kazas said the Mevlevi way is about exploring the boundless potential of love, for God and for humanity.
Dervishes are just one form of a mystical branch of Islam known as Sufism. They are followers of the classic poet and writer Jalaluddin Rumi, who is credited with profoundly shaping the arts, music and literature of the Muslim world.
Rumi was born into a family of learned theologians in 1207 in what is now present-day Afghanistan. His family would later travel to the Arab lands after the Mongol invasions and settle in the Anatolia region in what is now modern Turkey.
During Rumi's life, his writings gained a strong following, espousing the exploration of love and closeness to God.
Yet it was the loss of a close friend, according to historic accounts, that prompted Rumi to explore the spiritual subjects of yearning and separation. It is written that after his friend's death Rumi spent his days "in the whirling dance" reciting his poetry and music. It was in this dance that Rumi was said to have found spiritual unification with his friend and God.
To this day, among the rich, flowery Dervish musical compositions, the lone reed flute plays a solo. "The reed is singing, yearning to go back to (the marsh) where it came from," Kazas said.
By the time Rumi died in 1273, his works had influenced literature and music from Turkey to Iran, India and other parts of the Muslim world.
Yet for most followers of Islam the performance of music, dance and creation of certain forms of art is frowned upon as things of excess. The Sufi way seems to contradict this interpretation of Islam.
"Music and pictures are often forbidden in Islam," Kazas said. "But there are various ways. Sufism believes everything is a different shape of God," including God's highest creation: man. Music, dance and art are but man's celebration of God, he said.
Dervishes' black robes signify the shrouds of their egos; their hats are tombstones.
The turning danceBefore the Sema (turning dance) ceremony begins, a red-dyed sheepskin is placed on the floor on the east side of the room.
This is where the order's Sheikh sits. The red skin represents birth and existence.
An orchestra of drums, flutes, lutes and other instruments accompanies chanters as the disciples wander into the room. Before they start the first of four spinning sessions, Dervishes wander the room three times, bowing to each other in salute.
The Dervishes then gather in a line. One by one, each approaches the Sheikh and bows at his side. The Sheikh kisses each on the back of the neck, which is returned by a small armless hug, to signify the beginning of their first turning. Slowly each Dervish spins with arms crossed to chest to signify a desire to be one with God. As they pick up speed, their skirts unfurl and their arms extend in meditative rapture. At all times their right feet remain planted on the floor as their left feet pump them counterclockwise. "At each turn they say in their minds, 'Allah, Allah,' " Kazas said.
The right hand to heaven and the left hand to earth, said Kazas, is to symbolize the Dervishes' desire to receive God's grace. Rather than keep it, the Dervish passes this energy on to the Earth and the rest of humanity.
Rotation is important to the Mevlevi way. Members explained that just as the smallest atoms have rotations so do the planets and galaxies. Even the blood in the human body has a cycle. "Rotation is life," Kazas said.
Out of the some 15 Dervish lodges once in Istanbul, only one remains. It is now managed by the Turkish government, but disciples still conduct ceremonies there. The Mevlevi way, which was formally established by Rumi's son shortly after his death, still endures in the Turkish city of Konya, where Rumi's remains rest within the walls of a colorful mosque.
For a short time in 1925, turning was stopped by an overall ban of religious groups in Turkey but was restored later on. Mevlevi members said other Sufi lodges burned down in Istanbul, but they claim they were all by accident.
Kazas said members of his order travel the world, performing music and meditation, in an effort to spread their message of love.
As Rumi history professor Annemarie Schimmel said, "Rumi teaches man to look with the eye of love at this world, to smell in every rose the fragrance of the eternal divine garden, to discover the divine weaver behind the manifold colors and patterns of life's carpet."
