The Mevlevi worship ceremony, or sema, is a ritual dance representing union with God; it's what gives the dervishes their famous whirl, and appears on Unesco's third Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Watching a sema can be an evocative, romantic, unforgettable experience. There are many dervish orders worldwide that perform similar rituals, but the original Turkish version is the smoothest and purest, more of an elegant, trancelike dance than the raw energy seen elsewhere.
The dervishes dress in long white robes with full skirts that represent their shrouds. Their voluminous black cloaks symbolise their worldly tombs, their conical felt hats their tombstones.
The ceremony begins when the hafız, a scholar who has committed the entire Quran to memory, intones a prayer for Mevlâna and a verse from the Quran. A kettledrum booms out, followed by the plaintive sound of the ney (reed flute). Then the şeyh (master) bows and leads the dervishes in a circle around the hall. After three circuits, the dervishes drop their black cloaks to symbolise their deliverance from worldly attachments. Then one by one, arms folded on their breasts, they spin out onto the floor as they relinquish the earthly life to be reborn in mystical union with God.
By holding their right arms up, they receive the blessings of heaven, which are communicated to earth by holding their left arms turned down. As they whirl, they form a 'constellation' of revolving bodies, which itself slowly rotates. The şeyh walks among them to check that each dervish is performing the ritual properly.
The dance is repeated over and over again. Finally, the hafız again chants passages from the Quran, thus sealing the mystical union with God.
It's worthwhile planning your Konya trip to be here on a Saturday when the sema ceremony is performed at the Mevlâna Culture Centre. Those interested in learning more about the philosophy and beliefs of Sufis (Muslim mystics) can also attend a lecture on the teachings of Mevlâna beforehand at 8pm. There's usually no need to book but you might want to arrive early to guarantee your seat.
