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Now that the Galata
Mevlevihanesi (a dervish tekke, or
hall) in Beyoglu is
closed for restoration, Mevlevi
dervishes perform the whirling sema ceremony
with traditional orchestra at Istanbul's
Muammer Karaca Tiyatrosu off
Istiklal Caddesi (map) every
Sunday evening at 18:00 (6 pm). Admission
costs TL30.
Other performances of the sema are
held by the Galata
Mevlevileri dervishes at Sirkeci
Station and near the station
at the Hodjapasha
Art & Culture Center. More...
The semas
are authentic and very popular with
tourists, and all seats are often sold
out, sometimes in advance. You cannot
just go and expect
to buy a ticket at the time of the sema.
(If you do decide
to chance it, go several hours before
the time of the sema.)
The best way to assure that you'll
be able to see the dervishes is to
go to the theater a day or
more in advance of the sema you
want to see, or contact one
of the several groups that
perform the sema,
and buy your tickets for it.
If you have reserved a hotel
room for your Istanbul stay, your hotel
may be willing to send someone to buy
tickets for you. They may charge
a fee for this service, as it is an
expense for them. A travel
agency may
also be willing to buy you tickets
(for a service fee), especially if
you are also reserving other services
through them, such as hotels, rental
cars or tours.
Contemporary Lovers of Mevlana (EMAV
- Evrensel Mevlana Asiklari Vakfi)
In addition, EMAV organizes evenings
of spiritual discourse on
Thursdays
in Üsküdar,
on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus,
with a prayer service, sema,
and question-and-answer session (with
English translation). For info, contact
EMAV.
Galata
Mevlana Music & Sema
Ensemble
Also known as the Rumi Mevlana
Music & Sema Ensemble,
this group performs the sema as well.
The group is headed
by Mr Atilla Baran Demirtas (tel
+90 (505) 678 0618 or +90 (535)
210 4565, info@galatamevlevi.com, galatamevlevi@gmail.com, www.galatamevlevi.com.
Here's the schedule (subject to change
without
notice, of course).
Performances on December
17, are in honor of Sebi-
Arus (SHEB-ee ah-ROOSS), Mevlana
Jelaleddin Rumi's "wedding
night with God" (the night of
his earthly death).
Galata
Mevlevihanesi
Beyoglu
Istanbul
Mevlevi
Dervishes
Jelaleddin
Rumi
Islam
Tom's
Turkish Almanac
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