Until several weeks ago, I thought a Whirling Dervish was just something that my parents had called me when I was little and used to go crashing around the house in a frenzy.
Little did I know that a Dervish is actually a religious person who whirls during their prayer ceremony in order to represent man’s spiritual journey through the mind to the “perfect state”, close to God and truth.
I guess if my parents had tried to explain that to me when I was a kid I would have been a bit befuddled.
After reading about the weekly Sema Ceremony held in Konya every week, where a whirling performance is carried out, I knew I wanted to go and see it.
I have to say, there is little else to do in Konya. There are a few places outside of the town that you could do day trips to, but the majority of people who traipse through here do so on a Saturday night to see the ceremony and then leave town the next day.
We stayed for a couple of nights, but our focus was simply the ceremony. And eating 50 cent baklava. Yes, you read that right – they have 50 cent baklava in Konya.
We walked to the Cultural Center where the performance takes place, passing this amazing building along the way, which has nothing at all to do with the cultural center, but I just thought it looked pretty impressive in the moonlight.
The Sema Ceremony takes place within what can only be described as a large round sports-style stadium or gymnasium, meaning that there isn’t really a bad view to be had. Although we sat about halfway up, and we did get a really good view of all of the dervishes throughout the performance.
Whirling Dervishes Ceremony – Religion or Tourist Attraction?
As this is still part of a religious ceremony, flash photography should not be used and people should remain respectfully silent throughout. I have seen people on TripAdvisor complaining that people still use their flash, which they do, but to be fair, the introduction speech is given in Turkish, with only one line of English warning about flash, which could be very easily misheard or missed altogether. Just playing Devil’s Advocate, although I’m the kind of person who hates people disobeying the “no photos” rule at attractions.
The ceremony starts off quietly and slowly. Once the dervishes start to whirl, they are mesmerising to watch; much like white spinning tops in a circle. And the way they chant almost sent me into a trance myself.
The Sema Ceremony Isn’t For Everybody
I found it fascinating and hypnotic to watch. But this kind of performance is not for everybody.
For a start, it is fairly long (almost an hour and a half) and it is very monotonous. Some people had brought babies to the ceremony with them, who mostly started crying at some point.
Also, the music and chanting involved in the ceremony would not be to some peoples’ taste. Having already spent several weeks in Turkey, I was used to the traditional style music and the sound of the call to prayer, however if you were new to the culture, it might not be your cup of tea.
Having said that, if you want to witness a truly unique religious spectacle, then the trip to Konya is definitely worth it. The ceremony itself is free to watch and you will most likely leave feeling slightly more informed about the world.
so fancy!