Evening (about 4 hours) · Istanbul
Whirling Dervish Ceremony in Istanbul: The Sema, the Lodge and Galata at Dusk
A whirling dervish ceremony in Istanbul with a guide: the Galata Mevlevi…
Best for First-time visitors · Returning visitors
Topic
Sufi Heritage
Photo: Bernard Gagnon / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
12 pieces on this topic
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Article · Ankara
Konya or Ankara: Which Central Anatolia City to Visit
Konya or Ankara? Rumi, the whirling dervishes and Seljuk tiles, or Atatürk's tomb and the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations: how to choose…
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Place · Cappadocia
Hacı Bektaş Veli Lodge
The 13th-century lodge of Haji Bektash Veli at Hacıbektaş, three courtyards around his tomb, a museum since 1964.
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Article · Istanbul
Turkish Folk Instruments: Bağlama, Ney and Kemençe
Turkish folk instruments you will hear most: the bağlama or saz, the ney reed flute and the kemençe fiddle, and where to…
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Article · Central Anatolia
Şeb-i Arus: Rumi’s Wedding Night in Konya
Şeb-i Arus explained: the December ceremonies in Konya that mark Rumi's death on 17 December 1273, the meaning of the sema, how…
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Place · Central Anatolia
Mevlana Museum
The Mevlana Museum in Konya: the tomb of Rumi under the turquoise Green Dome, the former lodge of the whirling dervishes, their…
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Article · Central Anatolia
Whirling Dervishes in Turkey: The Sema and Where to See It
The whirling dervishes of the Mevlevi order: what the sema ceremony means, its story from Rumi to UNESCO, and where to see…
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Place · Istanbul
Galata Mevlevi Lodge
The Galata Mevlevi Lodge, the first whirling dervish lodge of Istanbul, founded in 1491: the octagonal wooden sema hall, the tomb of…
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Person · Central Anatolia
Rumi (Mevlana)
Rumi, the 13th-century Sufi poet of Konya: his life, Shams of Tabriz, the Masnavi, the whirling dervishes and where to visit his…
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Place · Central Anatolia
Seyyid Battal Gazi Complex
The Seyyid Battal Gazi Complex in Seyitgazi: the hillside shrine of a legendary warrior, founded by a Seljuk queen in 1207, enlarged…
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Person · Cappadocia
Haji Bektash Veli
Haji Bektash Veli, the 13th-century mystic from Khorasan revered by Alevis and Bektashis, whose lodge in Hacıbektaş is a museum on UNESCO's…
Tours
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Full day (about 7 hours) · Cappadocia, Central Anatolia
Private Hacıbektaş Tour: Sufi Lodge and Rock Church
A private Hacıbektaş tour from Cappadocia: the lodge and tomb of Hacı…
Best for Returning visitors
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Full day · Cappadocia, Central Anatolia, Konya
Private Cappadocia to Konya Tour via Sultanhanı
A private Cappadocia to Konya tour: your hotel transfer with a guide,…
Best for First-time visitors
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Full day (about 8 hours) · Istanbul
Islamic Heritage of Istanbul Private Tour: Mosques, Relics and Sufi Lodges
A private Islamic heritage of Istanbul tour: Eyüp Sultan Mosque, the Sacred…
Best for Returning visitors
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Full day (about 8 hours) · Central Anatolia, Konya
Konya Mevlana Tour: Rumi’s Green Dome, Seljuk Tiles and the Village of Sille
A private Konya Mevlana tour: the tomb of Rumi under the green…
Best for Returning visitors
About this topic
Sufi Heritage
Sufism, the mystical path of Islam, shaped much of Anatolia’s poetry and music. After Rumi died in Konya in 1273, his followers founded the Mevlevi order, whose whirling dervishes perform the sema, on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list since 2008.
Visit his tomb at the Mevlana Museum, and read about Haji Bektash Veli and the poet Yunus Emre, two other great figures of Anatolian Sufism.