Today's Zaman - Istanbul, TurkeyMonday, July 9, 2007
Konya: The Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Konya Turkish Sufi Music Ensemble, one of the two official whirling dervish groups in Turkey, will break a record with the number of ceremonies they will have put on by the end of this year.
Konya: The Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Konya Turkish Sufi Music Ensemble, one of the two official whirling dervish groups in Turkey, will break a record with the number of ceremonies they will have put on by the end of this year.
2007 was declared the Year of Mevlana by UNESCO, in honor of the 800th anniversary of the birth of 13th century Sufi saint Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi, with numerous celebrations -- including sema (the whirling dervish ceremony) performances -- taking place across Turkey and beyond.
Director of the ensemble Ömer Faruk Belviranlı said that their 44-person ensemble has 14 whirling dervishes and for large events they were helped by other well-trained whirling dervish friends. He said that the youngest and least experienced member of the group had been whirling for 25 years.
They have been invited to a great many events both at home and around the world, he said, and added that the ensemble performed whirling ceremonies in hundreds of world cities. He noted that the interest in Turkish Sufi music and whirling was increasing worldwide and said the number of their sema performances had risen accordingly.
"The number of whirling ceremonies we put on last year in and outside the country was about 250. The number will be around 500 this year; twice as many as before. Also, last year between Dec. 1 and 17 we put on 27 whirling ceremonies as part of the commemoration ceremonies organized in honor of Mevlana Rumi. This year we will put on 36 ceremonies between the same dates," he said, noting that he expected the exposure generated by the Year of Mevlana to keep interest in sema elevated beyond 2007.
He also emphasized that whirling is a very tiring activity and performing it 500 times a year is exhausting, however he added everyone in the ensemble was happy it would be a world record at the end of the year: "Whirling tires the body, but rests the spirit. So this busy schedule will not be hard on our whirling friends.
But if this schedule were that of another field, nobody would be able to withstand this tempo."
Director of the ensemble Ömer Faruk Belviranlı said that their 44-person ensemble has 14 whirling dervishes and for large events they were helped by other well-trained whirling dervish friends. He said that the youngest and least experienced member of the group had been whirling for 25 years.
They have been invited to a great many events both at home and around the world, he said, and added that the ensemble performed whirling ceremonies in hundreds of world cities. He noted that the interest in Turkish Sufi music and whirling was increasing worldwide and said the number of their sema performances had risen accordingly.
"The number of whirling ceremonies we put on last year in and outside the country was about 250. The number will be around 500 this year; twice as many as before. Also, last year between Dec. 1 and 17 we put on 27 whirling ceremonies as part of the commemoration ceremonies organized in honor of Mevlana Rumi. This year we will put on 36 ceremonies between the same dates," he said, noting that he expected the exposure generated by the Year of Mevlana to keep interest in sema elevated beyond 2007.
He also emphasized that whirling is a very tiring activity and performing it 500 times a year is exhausting, however he added everyone in the ensemble was happy it would be a world record at the end of the year: "Whirling tires the body, but rests the spirit. So this busy schedule will not be hard on our whirling friends.
But if this schedule were that of another field, nobody would be able to withstand this tempo."
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