Night of the Whirling Dervishes
Well I am working all day tomorrow and got this part done - one more
folks and then the trip is over. Boo!!!! Then maybe I can get started on
the 19 rolls of film????? All I can say about the Dervish ceremony was "an
experience that we will remember forever". Again, just like so many other
things we saw in Turkey, the ceremony has to be seen in person to be
appreciated.
Early evening of DAY 16
TAXI!!! And off to Nurdogan's. We went to Nurdogan's shop, but he
wasn't there at the moment so we took this precious time to walk again
near the Blue Mosque. It had little white lights on the six minarets and
also flood lights that showed a gorgeous shade of blue and I believe also
a bit of yellow. It was an exquisite site and they have benches where you
can sit down and look at either the Blue Mosque or the Aya Sophia. I could
have stayed there for a very long time just gazing at the Blue Mosque. It
is a site to behold inside and outside. At night it is majestic and
hypnotic. I then tore myself away and we went to meet Nurdogan.
Before I get into the actual ceremony, I will give you all a little
background.
Known to the west as Whirling Dervishes, the Mevlevi Order was founded
by Mevlana Rumi in the 13th century. The Order wrote of tolerance,
forgiveness, and enlightenment. They survive today as a cultural
brotherhood. They are not theatrical spectacles but sacred rituals. The
ritual of the Mevlevi sect, known as the sema, is a serious religious
ritual performed by Muslim priests in a prayer trance to Allah. Mevlevi
believed that during the sema the soul was released from earthly ties, and
able to freely and jubilantly commune with the divine.
Dervish literally means "doorway" and is thought to be an entrance from
this material world to the spiritual, heavenly world. The Whirling
Dervishes played an important part in the evolution of Ottoman high
culture. From the fourteenth to the twentieth century, their impact on
classical poetry, calligraphy and visual arts was profound. Rumi and his
followers integrated music into their rituals as an article of faith. Rumi
emphasized that music uplifts our spirit to realms above, and we hear the
tunes of the Gates of Paradise.
The first part of the ceremony is The Sema, which represents a
spiritual journey; the seeker's turning toward God and truth, a maturing
through love, the transformation of self as a way of union with God, and
the return to life as the servant of all creation. The Semazen (with a
camel's-felt hat representing a tombstone of the ego; and a wide, white
skirt symbolizing the ego's shroud), upon removing his black cloak, is
spiritually reborn to Truth. The semazens stand with their arms crossed,
ready to begin their turn. Each rotation takes them past the sheikh. This
is the place of Mevlana Rumi, and the sheikh is understood to be a channel
for the divine grace. At the start of each of the four movements of the
ceremony, the semazens bow to each other honoring the spirit within. As
their arms unfold, the right hand opens to the skies in prayer, ready to
receive God's beneficence. The left hand, upon which his gaze
rests, is turned towards the earth in the gesture of bestowal.
Fix-footed, the Semazen provides a point of contact with this earth
through which the divine blessings can flow.
We all met at Nurdogens place and left in two taxies to the (Tekke)
where there is a branch of Mevlevies. They call it the Nurettin Dergahi
and it is a 300-year-old mosque. We arrived and had to take off our shoes
and I was given a head scarf as I had forgotten mine. We were then ushered
into a separate waiting room where we waited about 20 minutes or so. We
then were taken past a room or two and into the main area where the
religious ceremony would be performed. We women were taken to one side, up
a step and behind a banister. The men were taken to the same area, but had
to sit away from us. Above us was a small balcony that was latticed and
behind it we could see some Muslim women. The lady journalist said that
the last time she came with Nurdogen's, which was about a year ago, she
was taken up to the latticed part, but for some reason we were taken to
this superb spot which was only about a foot away, if that, from where
they would be performing. I felt very fortunate to be able to observe this
from this open area. In another room next to the whirling area was a group
of about 70 to 80 men all dressed in white with white hats on. They were
all kneeling except for the musicians. Since their backs were to us, I
wasn't able to see much, but could hear the music. I think I heard harmony
from a zither, whispering flutes, drums and soft percussion instruments.
Also while this mesmerizing music was being played, they brought a blind
man into the room where the musicians were. Nurdogan told Ed to wait till
he hears him sing as "He has the voice of a baby". The music and chants
coming from the other room were so in unison that I thought at first it
must be a recording. The Sufi music is played not for pleasure but for
cleaning the mirror of the heart. Waiting with great anticipation, the
Whirling Dervishes came into the room. They were led by the semazenbashi
(dance master), who stood at his "post". It is the highest spiritual
position, marked by a red rug indicating the direction of Mecca. The
dervishes took their places to his left with heads bowed. The semazenbashi
wears a white sikke (felt hat). The other eight had the tan sikke. Then I
heard a drum and the slap of glory, calling the semazens to awaken and BE.
This began the procession of the semazens around the dance master. It is
the salutation of one soul to another, acknowledged by bowing. Then begins
the Sema ritual itself. During the Sema itself there are four selams, or
musical movements, each with a distinct rhythm. At the beginning and close
of each selam, the semazen testifies to God's unity. The first selam is
the birth of truth by way of knowledge. The second expresses the rapture
of witnessing the splendor of creation. The third is the transformation of
rapture into love; complete submission and communion with God. The fourth
is the semazens coming to terms with his destiny and his return to his
task in creation. Then they cast off their black robes and revealed the
wide bell-like skirts. They stepped forward, arms crossed in front of
their chest. Raising their arms, holding their right palm upward toward
heaven and their left palm
downward toward earth, they gradually started whirling in a
counterclockwise direction. No one rushed, every step looked measured.
With the scarf on my head, I had become warm, but when the semazens began
to twirl, their billowing skirts was like a giant wind blowing in and it
made me feel very cool.
Their twirling is magnificent to watch. The dancers are not seeking
ecstasy. Instead, they enter a hyperconscious state and tempt to maintain
their physical axis (thus the lack of dizziness among the dancers) while
contemplating the shaikh in the center of a circle of dancers. The shaikh
represents their link to Rumi and their love of God.
They must train for years before they are permitted to take part, whirl
as a reflection of the natural revolutions that move all things. Through
the whirling they seek to achieve a union with God. The dervishes silently
perform the sema, making small, controlled movements of hands, head and
arms as they whirl. They are accompanied by music, often dominated by the
sound of the reed pipe as well as drums and chanting as the ritual
gradually transforms itself into rapid, spinning ecstasy. The twirling
which was done in three sessions - each one lasting about fifteen minutes.
As their wide, white skirts floated past me like giant waves, I could
see their black shoes and feet under the white skirts and their movements
were so small and graceful. While one foot remained firmly on the ground,
the other crossed it and propelled the dancer round. A secret turning in
us Makes the universe turn. Head unaware of feet, and feet head. Neither
cares. They keep turning. ---Rumi
The seemingly endless rotations of its dancers are intended not for us,
but for Allah. Twirling 20 to 30 times a minute - after a time their
movements also seemed to melt into one another. Their dancing became a
prayer and I think most of us there became a part of it.
At one point I noticed one of the dancers at the side with his cloak
on. Later I found out from Nurdogan that the shaikh goes from one Semazen
to another and can tell if he is getting tired and if so, he nods for him
to quit. I was so entranced by the dancers that I didn't even notice this
happening. Near the end, the sheikh enters the circling dervishes,
where he assumes the place of the sun in the center of the circling
planets. With this part of the ceremony over, the dervishes returned side
by side right in front of me and knelt down. Their black cloaks were put
on them to again represent the material world. The men in the other room,
who had never stopped kneeling, then started to bob their heads and chant
in perfect unison again. Their voices just fusing into one. I found out
they were saying the 99 names of God.
The ceremony ended with a prayer for the peace of the souls of all
prophets and believers. To God belong the East and the West, And wherever
you turn is the face of God. He is the All-Embracing, the All-Knowing.
Nurdogan told us later that they had prayed for the visitors among them
this evening. The sheikh and dervishes complete their time together with
the greeting of peace and then depart, accompanied by joyous music of
their departure. They silently go to their rooms for meditation. One of
the beauties of this seven-centuries-old ritual is the way that it unifies
the three fundamental components of man's nature; mind, emotion, and
spirit, combining them in a practice and a worship that seeks the
purification of all three in the turning towards Divine Unity. But most
significantly, the enrichment of this earth and the well being of humanity
as a whole.
Our group left this unforgettable ceremony and it was one of the
highlights of our trip to Turkey. I had seen pictures of the Dervish
Ceremony which is performed in Konya once a year for spectators by the
thousands, but this was the real thing and very personal.
I give special thanks to Nurdogan Senguler who kept his promise to me
to take us to this ceremony. I had been in email contact with him for
about eight months before our trip and true to his word, he made this
possible for us. I have many Muslim friends and they are like family to
me. I love them
dearly. They are generous, giving and honest people. I have a little
knowledge of their religion and I find it fascinating.
I was asked many times, why Turkey? Why not? I found the Turkish people
to be very friendly; hard working people and the many faces of its
landscape was stupendous. I can also throw in Istanbul, which is one of
those cities that have an enormous sense of history. It is a country that
would draw me back again. I also find the mystery of the Middle East
luring me back to those countries. I personally feel very safe in the
Muslim countries I have been fortunate enough to visit.
After the ceremony, we got a taxi back to our hotel. By then it was
about 11:00 and we hit the bed for some sleep. Tomorrow would be our last
day in this marvelous country. Boo Hoo!!!! I don't want to leave!
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