Whirling Dervish Central: Konya, Turkey

When I was about 12 years old, my mother brought me to a poetry recital. Normally, this would have been a fairly painful experience for a 12-year-old, but this one was different: it was a recitation—accompanied by Indian tabla and tambura to set a meditative mood—by none other than author Robert Bly and Coleman Barks, translator to one of the world’s greatest poets, Rumi.

Aside from introducing me to the beauty of Indian music, the evening changed my life by exposing me to Rumi (properly Mowlana Jalaluddin Rumi, 1207-1273), his philosophy and particularly his world-famous ecstatic poetry.

Founder of the Sufi order famous as the “whirling dervishes,” Rumi (known as Mevlana, “our master” in Turkey) was born in modern-day Afghanistan, later moving with his father, himself a religious mystic, to Konya, in present-day Turkey.

Rumi’s spiritual awakening was triggered by a wandering mystic, Shams of Tabriz, about whom much of his writings is centred. Without getting into the long and fascinating story of Rumi’s life, suffice it to say that his writing and the religious order he founded have had a tremendous impact on Turkish culture—and beyond—over the centuries.

The Mevlevi order, sometimes called “whirling dervishes” for their ecstatic, meditative spinning “dance,” is still based in Konya today, and visiting the shrine/museum should be a must-visit item on every traveller’s itinerary.

Konya is one of Turkey’s most religiously conservative cities—alcohol is only served in a few places—and as such represents a different side of Turkish culture, especially if you have come from the more licentious beach areas!

Just to get an idea of what the “whirling” looks like, here is a quick video from a touristy show. Note that the “dance” is considered a sacred religious activity, and so is usually only performed on religious holidays—in Konya this means the first half of December when Rumi’s “wedding night” (i.e. death and union with God on Dec. 17, 1273) is celebrated.

Whoever you may be, come
Even though you may be
An infidel, a pagan, or a fire-worshipper, come
Our brotherhood is not one of despair
Though you have broken
Your vows of repentance a hundred times, come.

Tags: City Review, culture, Konya, Rumi, turkey