THE WHIRLING DERVISHES

Sufi whirling, or spinning, is practiced by the Sufi Dervishes, as a form of physical meditation. Their aim is to reach "the source of all perfection". We were fortunate in that we were able to watch a ceremony with only about 20 spectators, which made it very intimate. The music that accompanied the ceremony was very unique, and really added to the mystical atmosphere. As the Dervishes start whirling, it is like they are in a trance, and it really is incredible the way they can go around, and around, and around, and around for as long as they do. There is one man, a sheikh, who walks slowly among them, giving signals as to their placement on stage and their spacing, although at the time, we did not notice any type of communication. We were able to talk with the sheikh after the ceremony, which was very interesting.