Description of the attraction
One of the best preserved buildings in the ensemble of madrasahs is the Mevlevihane building. Jelaleddin Rumi Mevlana is a great Sufi poet and humanist philosopher, whose teachings, developed in the 13th century, were adhered to by statesmen, respected and wealthy citizens. "Mevlana" translated from Arabic means "Our Lord". Jalaladdin Rumi died in Konya on September 17, 1273, but his mausoleum has survived to this day and is considered a holy place that pilgrims constantly visit.
The building, erected during the time of the Seljuks, in the 18th century was given by the governor near Mevlevihan - a place of meetings of admirers of Mevlevi philosophy. In the monastery, they comprehended the philosophy of Mevlana and underwent training in the main Mevlevi rite, which unites the philosophy of sound, word and action. Today it houses a gallery of contemporary art.
There is a foot-washing fountain in the courtyard of the mosque museum. In the upper part of the structure there are four domes, which are completely covered with red brick.
According to Mevlana's will, the festival of dancing dervishes is held in Konya every December and is called Sheb-i-Aruz. Dervishes canonized the poet's habits, his manner of moving and dressing. The ritual "sema" (the dance of joy of the dervishes of the brotherhood) symbolizes the path of man's ascension to the abode of divine love. The dance is the personification of the mystical journey of the human spirit through consciousness and love for God. It was a mystical religious ritual in the Middle Ages, and in our time it has another purpose - to entertain the public.
This festival is considered one of the best in Turkey. More than a million tourists come to the festival every year, each of whom strives to get to the main temple of the museum, where the main performances take place.
The festival is attended by members of the mystical Sufi order of dervishes, striving to dance as close to Allah as possible. The stands of the indoor stadium are filled with people, the choir and orchestra are located at the main entrance, and in the arena there is an old mentor standing on a piece of red sheepskin. The novices in conical felt hats and black robes are located near the old man. It all starts with the beatings of the timpani, after the silence of which, the hall is filled with the mournful sounds of her (like a flute). Gradually, other instruments join in, and the musical rhythm gradually becomes more and more intense, as if hypnotizing performers and spectators. At this moment, the dervishes throw off their black robes, and, remaining in white shirts, crossing their arms at their chest, approach the mentor, bow their heads on his shoulder, kiss his hand, after which, lining up in a column, turn around and bow to each other. It can be considered that the prelude to the ritual, which was born more than seven centuries ago, is over.
The participants in the process begin to circle according to the command, led only by them, from the mentor. Literally from Arabic "dervish" is translated as "whirling". Their arms are spread out in opposite directions, and their heads are thrown back. They turn the palm of the right hand up, and the left down.
During the ceremony, the dervishes dance around the hall three times. The first circle means knowing God, the second is the vision of God, and the third is the truth of unity. A boy is dancing with about three dozen adults and it seems that there will be no end to this marvelous performance, but after ten minutes the whirlwind subsides and the dervishes kneel down, and then plunge into a magical dance again. This goes on at least five times. According to the Turks, this is not a dance at all, but a mystical ceremony, during which the followers of the teachings of the medieval thinker and poet Rumi, who take part in the dance, fall into a trance. They raise their palms upward in order to receive the blessing of God, and the palm facing downward should transmit it to the ground.
The dance of the dervishes is one of the most impressive features in the mystical life of Islam, beginning with a long praise in honor of the Prophet (Jalaleddin himself wrote this hymn), accompanied by amazingly beautiful music of beauty and ending with short ecstatic songs. The festival was held under the auspices of UNESCO in 2006 to celebrate the eight hundredth anniversary of the birth of Jelaleddin Rumi. The Rumi Jubilee Medal was established by UNESCO.
