Encyclopedia of Islam

Mevlevi Sufi Order

  

471  J

---

secured a teaching position, which Rumi took 

over when his father died. Rumi was a respected 

teacher of Islamic sciences until his meeting with 

a mysterious figure named Shams, who inspired 

him to write his ecstatic poetry, and Shams intro-

duced him to the whirling dance known as samaa.

After his death in 1273, Rumi’s circle of followers 

was organized into the Mevlevi order, the supervi-

sion of which was claimed by Rumi’s descendants, 

who came to be called Chelebi. Rumi’s son Sultan 

Walad (d. 1312) played an important role in the 

formation of the order, and his name was later 

incorporated into Mevlevi ritual.

Novices who were accepted into the order 

were initiated in a ceremony, after which they 

became known as muhibb. After a trial period of 

1,001 days of service to the 

tekke

 (dervish lodge),

another ceremony was held elevating the muhibb

to the rank of dervish. Advanced dervishes could 

be appointed 

shaykh

s, giving them the right to lead 

a  tekke. Mevlevi dervishes wore a cloak (khirka) 

and a conical hat called a sikke. They were encour-

aged to learn the samaa, which involved a long 

period of instruction. The actual dance consists 

of repetitive counter-clockwise rotation with the 

right arm raised upward and the left downward, 

performed in four separate cycles to the accom-

paniment of music. The principal musical instru-

ments used were the reed flute (nay) and a pair of 

small kettledrums (kudum).

The Mevlevi order came into prominence 

in the Ottoman period, spreading throughout 

Anatolia and to the Balkans and the a

rab

 lands. 

It benefited from the patronage of Ottoman 

sUl

-

tan

s, and in one period the Chelebis were given 

the honor of girding new sultans with a sword at 

their enthronements. Some sultans were also said 

to be affiliated with the order. The Mevlevi order 

in general appealed to the upper classes and intel-

lectuals. Mevlevi dervishes studied and produced 

art in the tekkes, and many famous Ottoman poets, 

composers, and calligraphers were Mevlevis. The 

order came to be known in Europe when travelers 

reported their observations of the whirling dance.

Mevlevi  tekkes were closed along with those 

of all dervish orders in Turkey in 1925, and the 

samaa was prohibited. The central tekke at Konya, 

which houses the tomb of Rumi, was later opened 

as a museum. In 1953 the samaa was allowed to 

be performed in public, but as a cultural exhibi-

tion, rather than a religious ritual. Today, some 

Mevlevis continue the tradition in Turkey, but it 

has practically disappeared in the Balkans and 

Arab countries. The Mevlevi order has, however, 

influenced the ritual practices of other orders, 

such as the Jerrahis, who perform a similar samaa.

The dance continues to be performed as a tour-

ist spectacle, once a month in the Galata lodge 

in  i

stanbUl

, and annually in Konya at the com-

memoration of Rumi in December. In e

Urope

 and 

North America, the poetry of Rumi and Mevlevi 

rituals has attracted a new generation of spiritual 

seekers.

See also o

ttoman

 

dynasty

; p

ersian

 

langUage

and

 

literatUre

; s

elJUk

 

dynasty

; s

UFism

.

Mark Soileau