Whirling Dervish Ceremony in Saruhan Cappadocia
Dervish Ceremony in Cappadocia
The first and only Whirling Dervishes Ceremony in the Cappadocia region is held in our caravanserai. The ambience of a historic building and the natural lighting of this environment will work deep into your soul and you will have an unforgettable time. We strongly recommend that you watch our daily ceremony and see our caravanserai that defies time.
Whirling Dervishes Ceremony at Historical Caravanserai
Semâ is the inspiration of Mevlanâ Celâleddin-i Rumi (1207 – 1273) as well as part of Turkish custom, history, beliefs and culture… It symbolizes in seven parts the different meanings of a mystic cycle to perfection (Ascension – Mirac).
Contemporary science definitely confirms that the fundamental condition of our existence is to revolve. There is no object, being which does not revolve and the shared similarity among beings is the revolution of the electrons and protons in the atoms, which constitute the structure of the smallest particle to the stars far in the sky. As a consequence of this similarity, everything revolves and man carries on his life, His existence means of the revolution in the atoms, structural elements in his body, the circulation of his blood, and his resurrection. However, all of these are natural, unconscious revolutions. But human beings possessors of a mind and intelligence which distinguish them from, and make them superior to other being. Thus the whirling dervish or Semâzen causes the mind to participate in the shared similarity and revolution of all other beings…
The Semâ ceremony represents end entire mystical journey, a spiritual ascent through love, in which the dervish deserts his ego, finds the truth and arrives as “The Perfect”. Then he returns from this spiritual journey as a man who has reached maturity and a greater perfection, so as to love and to be of service to the whole creation, to all creatures without discriminating in regard to belief, class, or race.
The dervish with his head-dress (his ego’s tombstone), his white skirt (his ego’s shroud) is spiritually born to the truth, by removing his black cloak, he journeys and advances to spiritual maturity through the stages of the Semâ. At the onset and each stage of the Semâ holding his arms crosswise he represents number one, and testifies to God’s unity.
While whirling his arms are open, his right hand directed to the sky ready to receive God’s beneficence, gazing his left hand turned toward the earth, he turns from right to left, pivoting around the heart. This is his way of conveying God’s spiritual gift to the people upon whom God looks with a Divine watchfulness. Revolving around the heart, from right to left, he embraces all of humankind, all the creation with affection and love.
Dervish Ceremony in Cappadocia – Les Arts Turcs