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Mevlevi
dervishes perform the whirling sema ceremony
with traditional orchestra at Istanbul's Galata
Mevlevihanesi (a dervish tekke, or
hall) in Beyoglu every
Sunday afternoon, and some Saturday
afternoons, all year.
Several different dervish
groups share
the tekke and whirl on different
days.
The Galata semas
are authentic and very popular with
tourists, and all seats are often sold
out, sometimes in advance. You cannot
just go to the Galata
Mevlevihanesi and expect
to buy a ticket at the time of the sema.
You may be able to, but you will probably
be disappointed. (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 Galata
Mevlevihanesi 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.
The problem, of course, is that you
may not be in Istanbul a day or more
before the sema, so how do you get
tickets? There is currently no organized
way to buy tickets by phone or on the
Internet.
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)
This group performs every Sunday,
usually at 17:00 (5 pm), but sometimes
also at 18:15 (6:15 pm) if demand warrants.
You must check the times when you buy
your tickets. The entire program lasts
between 60 and 90 minutes, and admission
costs YTL25.
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 four times
each Sunday in the Tarik
Zafer Tunaya Culture Center,
Sahkulu Bostani Caddesi No. 8, Tünel, next
to the Consulate of Sweden, off Istiklal
Caddesi, just
a few minutes' stroll north of the
Galata Mevlevihanesi.
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).
At Sirkeci Station
Other performances take place in the
evening on Wednesday, Friday
and Sunday in a large room at Sirkeci
Gar. You may order tickets for these
by phone: +90 (212) 458-8834, or
-8835. More...
Galata
Mevlevihanesi
Beyoglu
Istanbul
Mevlevi
Dervishes
Jelaleddin
Rumi
Islam
Tom's
Turkish Almanac
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