Cappadocia Whirling Dervish Ceremony

Activities

What’s the Whirling Dervish Show?

Sema, the whirling dervish ceremony, is the inspiration of Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi (1207 – 1273) as well as part of Turkısh custom, history, beliefs and culture. Sema has seven parts and each part symbolizes a stage of the mystic journey to perfection called ascension. Also whirling dervish has seven diffenrt part. Always Semah dancer numbers have to be 1-3-5 like this numbers. Because the God one.

Contemporary science definitely confirms that the fundamental condition of our existence is to resolve. There is no object or being which does not revolve and the commonality amongst beings is the revolution of the electrons and protons in their atoms, which constitute all things from the smallest particles to the starts in the sky.

As a consequence of this similarity, everything revolves and man carries on his life, his very existence by means of the revolition in his atoms, in the structural elements of his body, by the circulation of his blood, by his coming from the earth and return to it, and by revolving with the earth itself.

However, all of these are natürel, unconscious revolutions. But man is the possessor of a mind and intelligence which distinguishes him from and makes him superior to other beings. Thus, the whirling dervishes (“Semazen” in Turkısh) cause their minds to participate in the shared similitary and revolution of all other begins.

Whirling Dervish What time does the start?

The Dervish show starts at 6pm, the same in all months of the year. The total length of the show is 1 hour. Our teammates will transfer you 20 minutes before the show start time.

Are there any rules I have to follow?

Since this show is a religious show, there are some rules. It is not allowed to eat or drink during the performance. We are also not supposed to talk during the performance.

Gallery
What is the content of the show?
Cost Info

Gallery

What is the content of the show?

SEVERAL PARTS WITH DIFFERENT MEANINGS...
SEVERAL PARTS WITH DIFFERENT MEANINGS...
1- It starts with a eulogy"Nat-i serif"to the Prophet, Muhammad, who represents love and all prophets before him. To praise them is praising God, who createdall of them.

2- This eulogy is followed by a drum soundsymbolizing the Divine order of the Creator..."Kun=Be!"

3- Then follows an instrumental musicS improvisation ("taksim"in Turkish) with a reed

wind instrument called a "ney", which represents the first breath which gave life to

everything: The Divine breath.

4- The fourth part is where the dervishes greet each other and perform their thrice

repeated circular walk called the "Devri Veledi", accompanied by music called "peshrev".

This part symbolizes the salutation of soul to soul concealed by shapes and bodies.

5- The fifth part is the Sema (whirling), which consists of four salutes or "selams". At the end of each salute, as in the onset, the dervish testifies to God's unity with his appearance.

A- first salute is man's birth into truth through feeling and the mind. It represents his

complete conception of the ecstasy of God as the creator and his own state of being.

B- second salute expresses the rapture of man witnessing the splendor of creation in front

of God's greatness and omnipotence.

C- The third salute is the dissolution of rapture into love and thereby the sacrifice of

the mind to love. It is complete submission; it is the annihilation of self in the loved one, in His

unity.

This state of ecstasy is known as "Nirvana"in Buddhism and "Fenafillah"in Islam. In Buddhism,

this is the highest state of ecstasy.

However, the highest rank in Islam is the rank reached by the Prophet: He is called God's servant foremost and subsequently his messenger.

The aim of Sema is not unbroken ecstasy and loss of conscious thought, but realization of

submission to God.

D- The fourth salute: Just as the Prophetascended to the "Throne"and then returned to his

task on earth, the whirling dervishes, following the termination of their spiritual journey and ascent,

return to their tasks and to their state of subservience. "He is a servant of God, of His Books, of

His Prophets and all the reation. " (Sura Bakara 2, verse 285).

At the end of their salute, they demonstrate this again with their appearance, arms criss-crossed over the chests to represent the unity of God, consciously and feelingly.

6- The sixth part of the Sema is a reading from the Quran, especially of the verse "Unto God

belong the East and the West, and wherever you turn, there is God's countenance. He is All-

embracing, All-Knowing"(Surah Baqarah 2, verse 115).

7- The Sema ceremony ends with a prayer for peace of the souls of all Prophets and all believers. After the completion of the "Sema"ceremony, all the dervishes return silently to their cells for meditation ("tefekkür"in Turkish).