Watch Whirling Dervish Ceremony in Istanbul
The Mevlevi Order, a Sufi path founded on Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi’s 13th-century teachings, is best known for the sema ceremony. In this sacred ritual, whirling dervishes symbolize the universe’s harmony, the soul’s journey, and divine love. Performed in stages with ney, kudüm, and other traditional instruments, the sema represents spiritual purification. The dervishes’ white tennure signifies the soul’s cleansing, while their whirl embodies ascent to God. With one hand reaching skyward and the other facing earth, they express the flow of divine love.
More than a dance, the sema is a profound spiritual experience, preserved today—especially in Konya—where it continues to inspire and captivate.
We’d be happy to reserve a spot for you to experience the mesmerizing Whirling Dervishes ceremony at Hodjapasha Culture Center. Booking in advance is required to secure your seat—let us know, and we’ll take care of the rest!
Availability: Everyday at 7 pm
Duration: 1 Hour (Introduction Video: 5 min, sufi music concert 10 min, whirling dervishes ceremony 45 min )
Price: 1400 TL per person
- Children under 7 are not permitted.
- Seating is assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
Prices may change on short notice, and our website may still display outdated rates. In such cases, the price provided via email will be the valid one. Thank you for your understanding!
Whirling Dervishes are trying to teach Mevlana philosophy to the next generations. It’ s founded by Mevlana’s son Sultan Veled and his grandson Ulu Arif. Their center Mevlevihane is in Konya. Moseleum Mevlevîhânes are two kinds of Stadiums that can provide 1001 days of training, and the smallest of these, the lodges, which do not have a training organization.
There were nearly 140 Mevlevihanes within the borders of the Ottoman Empire. Hz. Mevlana Islamic Sufi education was more difficult than traditional madrasa education. The person who wanted to enter the Mevlevi education must have had the consent of mother and father, be of age and single. To the ‘reminder’ who was found to be morally correct, the difficulties of the road were explained. If he insisted on his decision, he would sit in the place called Saka Post in Matbah-i Şerifi (in the kitchen) and watch the life in Mevlevi. They give him food, water, but no one would talk to him, so as not to impress.
We can evaluate the people who got into the Whirling Dervish Order Sect in three groups.
In the first group, the title of “Dede” was given to a special ceremony held for “Can”, who successfully completed the 1001 day training period and suffered. He was either given a cell in that Mevlevihan or sent to another Mevlevihan.
The second group is those who fulfil their ‘Dervish’ positions by obeying the customs and customs of Mevlevism, while not removing ‘Çile’.
In the third group, there were also those who came to learn the Semâ (learner), but only to listen to the conversations and watch the Semâ ceremonies.
In summary, Mevlevihanes Hz. Mevlana’s thoughts were taught, as well as religious and literary knowledge, schools that provide art education, such as a conservatory and an academy. Especially Mevlevihanes in Istanbul played an important role in the training of Turkish music masters. Although it is clear that the education described above applies to men, there have been female dervishes who have acted as deputies for Mesnevîhânlik, teacher, caliphate and even their underage sons.
The life of the Mevlevi is on “adab and erkan”. Very kind, elegant, hear others Even the Mevlevi handshake that pays attention not to hurt their guesses, do not overdo their speeches and movements, but the right hand on the heart while tilting and give the message ‘you are in my heart’ by gently tilting its head, is unique. They grasp each other’s hands and kiss the other’s hand to show respect and equality between them. This greeting is ‘salute to the soul of the hidden soul’, it represents equality. These behaviours, which also have spiritual meanings, such as not being able to step on the ground while walking, and respect for everything they use in daily life, can be seen in the dervish movements exhibited in Semâ ceremonies as an extension of the Mevlevi daily behaviour.
Price: 1400 TL per person
What is included:
- Show
- Tea before the show
Please note Prices may change on short notice, and our website may still display outdated rates. In such cases, the price provided via email will be the valid one. Thank you for your understanding!
Basis Travel - Free Walking Tour Istanbul
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Lidia Moharic
3 days ago
I had a fantastic time on the Free Istanbul Tour! The guide was knowledgeable and friendly, sharing fascinating stories about the city's history. The pace was perfect, and I loved exploring both popular and lesser-known sights. Highly recommend it to anyone visiting Istanbul!
Faamanu Lefiti
a week ago
Tour guide was very informative! Hit main points I wanted to see. Would recommend!!
Aj
a week ago
Younes was amazing, very friendly and all around good👍
Darpan Gautam
a week ago
Younes was amazing, would highly recommend for everyone!
Jenny To
a week ago
Albert Packer
a week ago
Had a tour with Yunus and it was a wonderful experience! He took plenty of time to answer all of my many questions! He was super informative and now I see Istanbul and the culture from a totally different perspective. Can’t recommend this tour enough!
Maria S
2 weeks ago
It was an mazing walking tour with Yunus. Thank you very much. High recommended
Prashanth Shankar
2 weeks ago
Mohamed was an excellent guide and a story teller giving us both cultural and historical relevance to each place we went to.
Olga (Meilin)
a year ago
It was our first time visiting Turkey and Istanbul, so as good travellers we decided to learn more about this beautiful and historical place. We have closed Basic travel free walking tour and it was excellent choice. This tour includes all basic sightseeing and Yunus was our good guide to the most attractive and important chapters of the Istanbul history. Dear Yunus, thank you very much for your exciting stories, astonishing moments. And at the end of our tour as a cherry on cake, we visited nice rooftop with very nice food and coffee.
Laura M
4 months ago
Did the old town and off the beaten path tours with Yunus - fantastic!! Yunus was very knowledgeable and friendly. Highly recommend!
tracy mok
2 weeks ago
it’s a great tour to start off the trip of Turkey with different knowledge…the islamic culture, the history, fun things about the locals etc…the guide is funny and very knowledgeable. highly recommend!
Lorenz Steinkohl
9 months ago
I initially just started with the old town tour but ended up doing the alternative history tour as well. You can tell that Yunus is very educated and knowledgeable because he gives really balanced and insightful answers about Turkish’s history as well as current societal issues. Always open to chat about all sort of questions and made the tour fun. The old town tour was cool because we explored well known sites but also went down alleyways I wouldn’t have otherwise noticed. The alternative history tour gave me really good insights into the daily lives of Turkish people. I don’t think I would’ve gotten the same out of more touristy/ organised tour. If you have the option, I’d recommend doing a tour early on because for me it gave me a lot more context for my remaining Istanbul stay. We learnt some useful Turkish words as well. Aside from that, the tour groups were not too big and I got to meet some cool people via them as well! Thanks Yunus!
Alexandra Kutanina
a month ago
The walking tour with Yunas was fantastic! He’s a great storyteller who made the city’s history come alive. The tea and Turkish delight at the end were such a nice touch. Highly recommend for anyone exploring the city!
Sreshya Kamakshi Vishwanathan
a month ago
Excellent tour of the old city by Yunus, who offers many insights along the way and is a fabulous storyteller - the 2.5 hours flew by and we learnt a lot. Thank you so much for also being so approachable and genuine! The Turkish delights and teas at the end are also a very nice surprise.
Jim Butler
4 months ago
Mohamed was a lively, knowledgeable and articulate guide, providing great insight in to Istanbul, the sights, the sounds the culture and the history. He also ensured we all stuck with him on his tour and made sure we were kept safe as we navigated the traffic with him. Great tour, great guide and well worth doing, I recommend this experience to anyone venturing in to Istanbul for their first time.
Marko Švec
a year ago
Definitely one of the best walking tours i have ever been to! The guys are great guides, quite funny and very friendly. On both tours I met interesting people, so I would come againt simply to hang out with them. You shouldn't miss this if you come to Istanbul 🙂
Max
a year ago
Cumali was our guide for the Alternative Istanbul Walking Tour. Cumali has an extraordinary depth of knowledge of Istanbul. He is an exceptional teacher and storyteller transporting us back in time, it felt like we were walking the streets and alleys in a different era! I cannot recommend this tour highly enough, I’ve done many walking tours and this one is top tier. I’ve been thinking about his stories for many days since the tour and learnt so much. Thank you Cumali! 🤩🙌
Renata Lacerda van Dodewaard
11 months ago
What an amazing tour! Imran knows a lot of facts about the history of the city. He gave the group many tips on good spots in the city. He was friendly, and the tour was really great. I would definitely recommend it.