The Sufi whirling expresses an elegant and mystic religious ritual of active meditation. Sufi followers of the Mevlevi order (whirling dervishes) have practiced this ritual for centuries, giving it deep meaning as an act of love and a drama of faith.
HISTORY
Mystic poet and Islamic theologian Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (Mevlânâ) founded the order of whirling dervishes in 1312 in Konya, Turkey.
Members of this Sufi fraternity called themselves dervishes (from the Persian word darwish). They followed prescribed disciplines to serve a given sheikh or master and to establish trust with him. The Mevlevi order grew quickly, and followers founded dozens of monasteries (tekke) throughout the Ottoman Empire in cities like Athens, Cairo, Mecca, Baghdad, and Damascus.
After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey’s authorities declared all Sufi fraternities illegal in 1925. Ataturk’s government shut down every monastery, and communities converted many into mosques or museums. Only in the last 20 years of the 20th century did Turkish authorities begin to permit public performances of the Mevlevi order again.
In 2005, UNESCO recognized the whirling dervish ceremony (Mevlevi Sema Ceremony) as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
Today, whirling dervish ceremonies across Turkey attract large crowds from all over the world, even though many performances have lost some of their original spiritual meaning. Still, seeing them in Istanbul offers a powerful experience.
PERFORMANCE
The whirling dervish dance ranks among the most impressive expressions of mystical life in Islam. Musicians accompany it with exquisite music, beginning with a great hymn in honor of the Prophet.
Rumi’s followers chant poetry, rotate rhythmically, and play continuous music to create an intense spiritual ceremony that inspires ecstasy and a sense of mystical flight for the faithful.
Whirling dervishes perform this meditation within a worship ceremony called Sema. They seek to connect with Allah by abandoning personal ego, listening to music, focusing on God, and spinning in repetitive circles—symbolically imitating the planets orbiting the sun.
In Sema ritual symbolism, the semazen’s camel’s hair hat (sikke) signifies the tombstone of the ego, and his wide white skirt (tennure) represents the ego’s shroud. When the semazen removes his black cloak (hırka), he experiences a symbolic rebirth into spiritual truth.
During the ritual, the semazen stands with arms crossed to signify the number one and testify to God’s unity. While whirling, he opens his arms: the right arm points to the sky to receive God’s blessing, and the left hand directs that spiritual gift toward the earth, signaling compassion for all who watch.
As each semazen spins past the sheikh (master), who stands on a red sheep skin, the sheikh acts as a channel for divine grace.
WHERE SEEING WHIRLING DERVISHES IN ISTANBUL
There are quite a few places in Istanbul where you can enjoy whirling dervishes' performances. Most of them, nowadays, are strongly tourist-oriented and poorly authentic, unfortunately (like Dervis Cafe & Restaurant). So they often prove poorly suited for serious photography.
I suggest you one of the following three places for something very close to "authenticity".
Before deciding where to go, remember, first of all, whirling dervishes' Sema is a religious ceremony.
You have to respect it by being silent and shooting photos very discreetly, where allowed, without disturbing the audience around you and the ceremony itself. As a sign of respect, also follow the dress code by wearing long sleeves and long pants or a flowing skirt.
Here are a few options that preserve closer connections to tradition:
HODJAPASHA CULTURE CENTRE
This restored 15th-century hamam hosts a one-hour Sema ceremony each evening at 7 pm. The performance includes brief English explanations on projectors and an extensive exhibit about the dervishes. While the performance itself forbids photography, you can email ahead and request special permission. Flash use forbidden.
Ticket price is 35€ (37 USD) and you can book tickets on line.
SILIVRIKAPI MEVLANA CULTURAL CENTRE
This venue hosts a longer, more traditional four-hour ceremony every Thursday at 7:30 pm, including prayers and a Q&A session in Turkish. Photography receives permission here, and tickets are usually purchasable online.
SIRKECI TRAIN STATION
For now, restoration work has suspended Sema performances at this historic site, but when organizers resume them, the Orient Express’s old station remains a beautiful place to shoot the ritual.
GALATA MEVLEVIHANESI MUSEUM
This was another famous place to see whirling dervishes performing inside a historic and significant venue. In fact, this was the oldest Sufi lodge and school in Istanbul (established in 1491). They used to host a Sema ceremony every Sunday at 5 pm but since Covid-19, all performances have been cancelled. Check their website if ceremonies are bookable again.
HOW PHOTOGRAPHING WHIRLING DERVISHES
As already said above, the dance of whirling dervishes is a religious ceremony. This means you have to be silent and respectful throughout the duration of the whole performance, even if not held inside a religious building.
Ask if shooting photos during the ceremony is allowed. Better to arrange for a granted permission by email before attending the ceremony in order to avoid any unpleasant setback.
As photographer, my first absolute suggestion is to turn your silent shutter on in your camera before the performance begins.
As you will be seated very close to the stage, as normally happens, you will need a wide-angle lens for shooting. I used my Nikon Z 14-30mm. Bring also a more powerful zoom to shoot a single dancer only.
Bring with you additional battery and memory card for shooting the event.
As whirling dervishes' ceremony is held indoor with poor light usually, you will have to raise the ISO of your camera, consequently. Don't be afraid to raise up to 2500 or 4000. You can easily manage both high amount of grain and noise in post production. Software like Adobe Photoshop or Topaz DeNoise can master these problems very well with great final results.
As whirling dervishes move quickly and continuously, set the focus mode in continuous-servo (AF-C). Your camera will adjust focus continuously to compensate for changes in the distance to the subject while the shutter-release button is pressed.
Set lower f-stops to let more light into the camera.
Give a motion effect to the single subjects by looking for the ideal combination of aperture and shutter.
If possible, try to shoot the ceremony from a higher viewpoint (if the building is provided) for a different and unusual angle.