In dervish lodges, flutists, drummers, chanters and choir compromise of a band called “Mutrip”. Semahane (it is the place where Sema ceremony is performed) locates in front of the Mutriphane. Directly across from the entrance to the Semahane, there is the Sheikh post. The line assumed to be between the post and the entrance is called “Hatt-I Istiva”. This the shortest way through the unity is going to the truth. The Sheikh is the only person to tread on this line during the ritual. The Sheikh represents Mevlana. The post is the greatest spiritual level. With its red color, it represents birth and existence.

Sema Ceremony compromises of seven parts.

1st part: After mutrip, whirling dervishes and sheikh take their places in the post. Chanter recites “Nat-i Sherif” . Composed by Itri, this work praises the Prophet Mohammed.

2nd part: Following the chant, a drum voice is heard, symbolizing the order “Be”.

3rd part: Then, the Ney (a kind of flute) improvisation starts. Ney represents the first breath which gives life to the universe.

4th part: Upon the completion of the improvisation, “Devr-I Veled starts with the accompaniment of “peshrev”. The Sheikh and the Whirling Dervishes revolve for three times in the Semahane with the music. The first revolution tells the creation of the sun, the moon, stars and non-living things by God. And then, the second revolution tells the creation of the plants and the third revolution tells the creation of the animals. While passing the post during “Devr-I Veled; the whirling dervishes plead with each other and prostrate themselves before the hearts of each other.

5th part: Taking his place in the post after Devr-i  Veled, the sheikh meets with the whirling dervishes who remove their coats as the first salute of the ritual begins, and then the whirling dervishes start to revolve. This represents the birth of humanity. The whirling dervishes wear a special costume symbolizing the death of ego. The sikke represents the tombstone, the coat represents the tomb, and the tennure represents the shroud. The whirling dervishes’ cross the arms across their chests while they enter the circle. So, they look like a “number one”, attesting the Unity of God in this position. As the Whirling begins, they extend their arms with their right hand opened upward and the left hand turned downward meaning

“We receive from God and we give to human; we keep nothing to ourselves”.

The whirling dervishes revolve both around their own axes and around the circle, just as planets revolve both around their own axes and also sun.

1st salute: Sema is a means for humans to reach Divine Reality and an intoxication of the soul. The first cycle of the Sema is to view the words. It is the way to reach the grandeur and majesty of God. During the first salute, lovers get rid of doubts and attest the Unity of God.

2nd Salute: The second salute is to dissolve the entire existence in this Divine Unity.

3rd Salute: In the third salute, lovers cleanse themselves and reach the level of “maturity”.

4th Salute: In the forth salute, the ultimate union of “nonexistence” in “existence” is reached. In this salute, Sheikh also enters the Sema. Revolving at the heart of the whirling dervishes in Hatt-I Istiva, the sheikh opens his coat with his right hand and clasps the two edges of his coat with his left hand, demonstrating that he opens his heart to all people.

6th part: The sheikh returns to his post with the ney improvisation. The ritual continues with a reading of the Quran: “The East and the West belong to God and wherever you turn, you are faced with Him. He is All-Embracing, All-Knowing”(Bakara Sur’a 2, verse 115)

7th part: The Sema ends with Fatiha Sura for the souls of all prophets, our martyrs and all believers and a prayer for the salvation of our country…

Thus, the journey ends. But, as a matter of fact, it is only a part of spiritual journey which those who follow Hz. Mevlana, those who pursue love and those who seek the Divine within themselves take in every minute of their lives. With the words of Mevlana:

“When you enter the Sema, you will leave both of the worlds; this world of the Sema is outside of both worlds.”

• Mevlevi Sema Ceremony is proclaimed as an INTANGIBLE WORLD HERITAGE OF UNESCO in 2005 in traditional performing art social practices themes. So, If you ask, we can add this Sema Ceremony to our guided tour Istanbul program. It is one of highlights in Istanbul day trips.

The post Sema Ceremony appeared first on Tour Guide Zerrin.

In the Islamic world, there are many orders known. Mevlevi Order has been most famous one in the world. Ottoman Turks have called it as Mevleviyye in Ottoman Turkish. Sultan Veled, the son of Mevlana, had established Mevlevi order in 1273 after death of Mevlana. He wanted to keep framework of his father’s ideas.  Because of that, All followers had regarded Sultan Veled  as the real founder and the second father  of the Mevlevi order . He had founded the Mevlevi Order institution totally on the base of love and tolerance.

Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO

The Mevlevi order continued its existence as the most institutionalized order during Ottoman Empire.  Today, Sema Ceremony is the most significant ritual of this culture. It has been a cultural heritage. Also, we believe to transfer to the next generation by universities, foundations and associations. As Turkish people, we continue their existence by means of various activities. In 2005, the Mevlevi Sema Ceremony was proclaimed as Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. It is one of the most important richness in Turkish Culture as a tradition of 800 years. We try to introduce as much as possibleto all over the world as our culture of 800 years.

The post Mevlevi Order appeared first on Tour Guide Zerrin.

Family of Rumi

After getting married to Gevher Banu in Karaman, Hz. Mevlana (Rumi) had two sons named Bahaeddin (Sultan Veled) and Alaeddin. Years later, during the time when he lived in Konya, Gevher Banu passed away. After the death of  his wife, Hz. Mevlana (Rumi) got married to Kerra Hatun. He had 2 more children from second marriage. Hz. Mevlana had already started to attend his father’s lessons at a very early age and tried to find the secrets of truth on the way to God. He had learned Turkish, Arabic, Persian, common Greek, and Classical Greek. He had studied other religions along with Islam and from history to medicine; he had received education first from his father and then from Seyyid Burhaneddin Tirmizi and other esteemed scholars of that time. Then, he had started to convey such information to hundreds of students in Maddrassahs.

Sems-i Tebriz-i

In the mean time, Sems-I Tebrizi who was a scholer too, had attained and searched for a fellow acquaintance to match his own scholary wisdom. Rumi had always enjoyed his company. He met Rumi first in Damascus and then in Konya in 1244. These two guardians, who were the lovers of God, had moved into deep divine conversations and reached heavenly wisdom. Mevlana( Rumi)’s students had got jealous with him. Because they had started to spend most of their time having conversations, reading poems and performing whirling rituals with spiritual fellow. And they started to spread unjust rumors against Sems-I Tebrizi.

Sems had felt offended

So he left Konya and went to Damascus. All torn up about the separation, Hz. Mevlana secluded himself from all his friends and went aside. At this time, he wrote many of his poems that we read in Divan-I Kebir. The instigators expressed remorse under the circumstances. Sultan Veled, the son of Mevlana, had gone to Damascus and brought Sems- Tebrizi back to Konya. However, jealousy had arisen once again and Sems suddenly had disappeared. Later on, his tomb in Konya became the center of visit for his lovers.

Upon the separation with his closest friend, Hz. Mevlana had entered a new stage. He appointed first Sheikh Selahaddin-I Zerkub and then Chalabi Husameddin, one of his students, after Sheikh Selahaddin-I Zerkub passed away to teach on his behalf.

“As long as I live, I am the slave of Quran I am the ground of chosen Mohammed’s way. Whoever carries a word of me apart from this I am complainant of him and I am complainant of those words too.”

As we also understand from his above-given words, Hz. Mevlana had headed towards God under the leadership of Hz. Mohammed. He had abided by the commands of God. And he had enlightened the humankind within the scope of the Islamic discipline. He had lived in line with the ethics of Islam throughout his life. Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi had always complained about the fanatic ideas appended into Islam and about fake Sheikhs.

“The summary of my life is these three statements: I was immature; I became experienced; I was consumed.”

Having summarized his life with these statements, Mevlana lied sick for a time and in 17^th December 1273 rejoined God and his Prophet. This night has been the holiest in the Mevlevi calendar as the night of union. The whirling Dervishes call that night “Sheb-i Arus (Wedding Night)”. When the separation ended, or departed the mortal world to become one with God who loves and has been loved; It is not a time to mourn but to rejoice:

 “At my death, do not lament our separation… As the sun and moon, it seems to set but in reality, this is the rebirth.”

The Exalted Mevlana has embraced those of every language, creed and race or color; he has been the symbol of love, peace, brotherhood and tolerance.

Every year, thousands of people from the far corners of the world, travel to Konya in response to Mevlana’s call of 735 years ago:

“Come, come again, whoever you are, come!
Heathen, fire worshipper or idolatrous, come!
Come even if you broke your penitence a hundred times,
Ours is the portal of hope, come as you are.”

Apart from Mesnevi, the first 18 lines of which Hz. Mevlana had written and the rest dictated to his student Chalab-I Husameddin. Hz. Mevlana is the writer of Divan-I Kebir, Fih-I Ma’Fih, Mecalis-I Seb’a and Mektubat. Because of the fact that the common language was Turkish, the literary language was Persian and scientific language was Arabic back then, the works of Hz. Mevlana are in Persian. All of his works were translated into Turkish in time.

“Human is the most honorable of all creation.” has been one of his maxims.

Everyone in the world knows or heard the sipiritual man Rumi. But not many people know that Rumi is Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi.

The post Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi appeared first on Tour Guide Zerrin.