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 shaykhs, 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 arab lands.
It benefited from the patronage of Ottoman sUl-
ta ns, 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 istanbUl, and annually in Konya at the com-
memoration of Rumi in December. In eUrope and
North America, the poetry of Rumi and Mevlevi
rituals has attracted a new generation of spiritual
seekers.
See also ottoman dynasty; persian langUage
and literatUre; selJUk dynasty; sUFism.
Mark SoileauFurther reading: Ira Shems Friedlander, The Whirling
Dervishes (New York: MacMillan, 1975); Talat Sait Hal-
man and Metin And, Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi and the
Whirling Dervishes (Istanbul: Dost, 1983); Franklin D.Turkish children enact a Mevlevi samaa dance at a
school in Nigde, Turkey. (Juan E. Campo)
K 472 Mevlevi Sufi Order