In the Turkish metropolis of Konya, 1000’s of individuals attend a weeklong collection of occasions and ceremonies that mark the dying of the Thirteenth-century Islamic poet, scholar and Sufi mystic.
(AFP)
To put together for the ritual forward, Omer Kilic and his 14-year-old son gown in white robes, drape black cloaks over them and don cone-shaped hats referred to as “sikke”.
The tennure robes symbolise funeral shrouds, the cloaks a tomb and the hats a tombstone — outfits which might be a part of a centuries-old custom carried out by the whirling dervishes of Türkiye.
(AFP)
The dervishes, a Sufi order of Islam rooted in mysticism, are mainly identified for the “sama” ritual wherein they spin in unison with prayers and verses from the Quran.
Kilic has belonged to the order for 23 years. Now a tennure tailor, he’s educating his craft to his apprentice and son, Toprak Efe Kilic.
Kilic says the non secular path first appeared to him in a dream. He determined to start out coaching as a dervish just a few days later.
(AFP)
Each yr, the dervishes of the Mevlevi order carry out their unmistakable act of devotion within the Turkish metropolis of Konya, the place 1000’s of individuals attend a weeklong collection of occasions and ceremonies that mark the dying of the Thirteenth-century Islamic poet, scholar and Sufi mystic Jalaluddin Rumi.
Rumi, referred to as Mawlana in Türkiye, was born in 1207 in Balkh, a metropolis now a part of Afghanistan. He settled in Konya in central Türkiye, the place he died on December 17, 1273.
He is thought to be one of the essential Sufi philosophers, and members of the Mevlevi order comply with his teachings.
(AFP)
Instead of mourning his dying, the ceremonies in Konya have fun what his followers imagine is Rumi’s union with God. The important characteristic of the “Sheb-i Arus”, or “night of the union,” is the ritual wherein the whirling dervishes revolve with their proper fingers symbolically turned up towards God and their left fingers turned down towards the Earth.
Ahmet Sami Kucuk, the pinnacle of the dervishes in Konya, described the whirling as an “end” and a state one attains after years of coaching and self-discipline.
In 2005, the UN cultural company proclaimed the observe for instance of “the oral and intangible heritage of humanity”.
(AFP)
The construction holding Rumi’s tomb in Konya is a museum, which is visited by 1000’s of individuals yearly. One customer, Mohammad Mobeen Dervesh, a Kashmiri dwelling within the United Kingdom, mentioned all lovers of God come to the location to honour Rumi.
Two years after the Covid-19 pandemic’s strict lockdowns, tourism official Abdulsettar Yarar mentioned the location attracted greater than 3.1 million guests this yr, 10 % of them from overseas.
(AFP)
READ MORE: Who was Rumi? Five fascinating information
Source: AFP
