Mevlevi Order (Whirling Dervishes)

Overview

A Sufi order founded by the followers of Jalal al-Din al-Rumi (1207-1273 CE) in Konya, Turkey. Famous for the Sema ceremony, a meditative spinning dance that represents the soul's journey toward God. The Mevlevi tradition emphasizes divine love, poetry, music, and the arts as vehicles for spiritual transformation. The order was closely associated with Ottoman court culture and produced many scholars, poets, and musicians. Though officially dissolved with the Turkish Republic's banning of Sufi orders in 1925, the tradition continues.

Key Beliefs

• Divine love as the fundamental spiritual reality
• Sema (whirling ceremony) as a form of moving meditation and dhikr
• Poetry and music as vehicles for spiritual expression
• Universal compassion and tolerance toward all creation
• Knowledge of self as the path to knowledge of God