Some call them a secret brotherhood, others refer to them as a spiritual mystery. The Mevlevis – or “Whirling Dervishes” – themselves acknowledge that their devotion blurs the line between physical ...

I’ve always wanted to see whirling dervishes perform the mystical Sufi ceremony known as a sema, in which their series of mesmerizing turns help them, and the audience, reach a state of nirvana. But ...

In this episode of Explore Türkiye, we travel to Konya to uncover its rich layers of history, Seljuk architecture, and the spiritual depth of the Mevlevi Dervish Sema ceremony. Konya, a city steeped ...

While watching the 2008 movie Jodhaa Akbar, I could not grasp the choreography accompanying the Sufi song Khwaja mere Khwaja. Years later, in Istanbul, I attended a cultural performance that seemed ...