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WHIRLING DERVISHES EMAV
The Association of Galata Mevlevi Temple
(Istanbul)
Sufi music and dance
Versione
italiana
Line up:
8 semazen (whirling dervishes), 1 leader semazen
8 musicians, 1 music director, 1 spiritual master, 1 tour manager
(Size: 15,8 MB Lenght: 9' 20")
Mevlevi Ceremony
Naat-i Mevlàna (Eulogy 17th Century)
Ney Taksimi (flute improvisation)
Peshrev (processional)
Ayin-i Sherif (Mevlevi "Mass")
1 Selàm (first "greeting" dance)
2 Selàm (second "greeting" dance)
3 Selàm (third "greeting" dance)
4 Selàm (fourth "greeting" dance)
Son Peshrev, Son Yuruk Semai (concluding dance)
Taksim (improvisation)
Niyaz Illàhisi (thanksgiving Hymn)
Son Taksim (concluding improvisation)
Kuran-i Kerim (the Glorious Koran)
Since the XIIth century, in the town of Konya, the Mevlevi brotherhood
(better known by western travellers as Derviches tourneurs) has been
developing a refined music based upon the makam system (musical modes
analogous to Arabic maqam, Iranian datsgah and Indian raga). Sufi music
performed by the religious set Mevlevi, by virtue of its spiritual and
contemplative features, helps believers to get closer to God. According
to the ritual, the dancer has to move in a rotatory way keeping the
palm of his left hand turned to the ground and the right one turned
to the sky, to become a medium between heart and heaven.
The predominant elements of the music are nay (vertical flute, which
has a mystic role in Turkish music), Küdum (small kettledrum coated
with kid leather) and halile (copper cymbals). These are the basic musical
instruments plaid to perform the music of the Mevlevi rite (ayîn),
which is the most important element within the sema (the spiritual concert
preconized by the brotherhood’s founder Mevlänä Djelâleddin
el Rûmi: «our master Djelâleddin from the village
of Rum») and which later become the basis of the educated Turkish
music.
The cerimonial chant is composed for the most part by poems extracted
from the Masnavi or other writings by Rûmi. Its spiritual content
are two basic dervisci precepts: ecstasy is a way to reach God and ritual
dancing is a powerful means of being enraptured.
Once the ecstatic status is reached, percussions, singers and musicians
stop playing but the Dervisci will go on whirling in the silence of
their trance. (They say that once a dervisci is thrown into ecstasy,
it could happen his feet will get off the ground). Then, a solitary
sound of flute will bring them slowly back to reality.
According to the Dervisci, these dances enable them to remove all earthly
matters from their minds and have the power to detach their souls form
their bodies so that they could get together with God again.
Each element within the Mevlevi ceremony, even the dresses’ smallest
details, has a symbolic meaning. The long white dress represents the
Dervisci’s sudarium, the black mantle his grave, the tall top-hat
his tomb-stone.
The ceremony master (Semazen) wears a scarf rolled around his hat, since
he is the medium between heart and heaven; he sits on a red carpet symbolizing
the purple sunset of the day when Rûmi died.
The rite starts with a slow solo of prayer to the prophet Maometh. Then
the dancers take off their black mantles and ask the Semazen for permission
to dance; blessed by him, they start whirling slowly, with their arms
crossed. As the turning becomes faster and faster, the dresses draw
away from the dancers’ bodies and they spred their arms. The course
traced by the Dervisci on the floor symbolizes the movement of the planets
around the sun: each dancer pirouettes on his axis revolving at the
same time round the Semazen, who represents the sun.
CONTEMPORARY LOVERS OF MEVLANA
Taking his position in 1965 from Hakki Dede , the last sheik of the
Skopia Mevlevi Temple , with great love and ardor Hasan Dede set out
on a noble path... Under his leadership the group which formed as the
Association of Galata Mevlevi Temple in 1982 , and the Contemporary
Lovers of Mevlana Association in 1988 , launched a broader platform
in 1998 under the identity of The Contemporary Lovers of Mevlana Foundation.
The community developed by Hasan Dede as Spiritual Director and Guide,
constantly broadened and intensified its endeavors and by sheer determination
hoisted the flag of modernity. Young and old, male and female, those
of different religions, languages and races from all over the world--through
the participation of countless lovers of Mevlana, universal messages
have been given to all humanity. Great effort based on peace and tolerance
has been expended against those who would confine the forward-looking,
active, revolutionary world of Mevlana to reactionary, passive fanaticism,
and would force this might philosophy into narrow constraints. Women
and men turning together in the Sema Ceremony, newly composed hymns
and ritual music, colorful ceremonial garb, introductory brochures made
available in many languages, and other enhancing activities--these are
all the visible expression of the sentiments shared with people of the
world. Thus we are the present day continuation of the thought coming
from thousand or even millions of years ago: "to be an honorable
human being". We are today's contemporary and universal defenders
of the chain of beauties bubbling from the common spring of all the
prophets and saints Striving to identify with the cultural and ideological
characteristics of those who served as our leaders, we are devoted to
great personages such as the Exalted Mohammed, the Exalted Ali, The
Exalted Mevlana, and the Hero and Head teacher Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
It is we who have proven that the universality of the Exalted Mevlana
( which for years has been seen as the property of the radical conservative
element of Konya ) cannot be represented by paid government employees
'performing' as Semazens ( whirling dervishes ). For this reason, with
a formal application to he Ministry of Culture we have made known our
wish to present the Seb-i Arus Ceremonies in Konya, openly stating our
desire to offer the Ritual composed in honor of Ataturk with men and
women together in the Sema, in that distinguished city of oursecular
republic. In the light of Hasan Dede we are the defenders of all beauty
and ambassadors of peace and tolerance .
We wish to collaborate in the ideas and endeavors of all our dear friends
while on this endless journey in the world of faith of the sublime Mevlana
who embraced all humanity without discrimination as to religion , language
, race , or of course , gender . In short , we are the present day servants
of the sublime Mevlana , working to spread the enlightenment which humans
actually deserve in place of their lives of fear , thus releasing them
from their dream world . We who are striving to become a drop within
that enormous ocean , believe the time has come for a clear and more
open explanation of the true identity of the human being . We are alay
society of men and women striving to live according to the universal
love , peace and tolerance of our patron saint , the Exalted Mevlana
Jelaluddin Rumi (sometimes written as Mawlana , or simply Rumi ) . We
are the Whirling Dervishes of Turkiye . We are believers in a Single
, Named , Personal God Who wished to be known and loved , so created
the world , and created the human being through whose eyes He views
creation and His Own Reflection
.
HASAN DEDE
Our spiritual Master Hasan Dede came into the world in the Macedonian
city of Skopia in the year 1935. During that period Skopia was one of
the most important Balkan centers of culture, art and learning. In this
city of many spiritual establishments Hasan Dede received a traditional
religious training as a child. He performed the service of muezzin (caller
to prayers) at the Murat Pasha and Yahya Pasha Mosques in Skopia.Upon
completion of high school Hasan Dede migrated to Istanbul together with
his family in October, 1959. The religious training he received from
his family and the influence of his mystic circle in Skopia along with
his ever-deepening love and interest in mysticism lead him first to
research and reading books, and later caused him to enter the mystic
circles in Istanbul. Within these fellowships the spiritual conversations
full of the love of Mevlana brought him eventually to Hakki Dede , whom
he had already met in Skopia and who would become his own spiritual
master one day.
In this way Hasan Dede again came together with the sheik of the Skopia
Mevlevi Temple, Hakki Dede, and began a new period in his life. After
spending some time with Hakki Dede and seeing his beauties, Hasan Dede
became his disciple and dedicated himself to him. As time passed thus,
the spiritual relationship between them continued with the lifting of
veils to the spiritual plane of Hakki Dede. And in this way in 1965
Hasan Dede attained the position of a successor to the Exalted Mevlana.
Then were the years of Hasan Dede’s enlightening and gathering
around him the first of those who would learn from him the beauties
of the path of Mevlana. In 1987 he took the position of formally leading
the ceremonies presented for Seb-I Arus in Konya.
The red ceremonial sheepskin used 700 years ago by the Exalted Mevlana
passed to his successors and descendents after his reunion with the
Divine. This spiritually meaningful ceremonial sheepskin, used personally
by Mevlana, was passed from hand to hand all the way to today. Within
the last 100 years this sheepskin was in the safekeeping of the Exalted
Mevlana’s descendent Bakir Celebi, and then it was turned over
to Celalettin Celebi. After Celal Celebi, Selman Dede, who held the
formal position of leader of the ceremonies in Konya, preserved the
sheepskin for 30 years; in 1993 following a spiritual directive he passed
this spiritually rich and meaningful sheepskin on to Hasan Dede. And
today, as the spiritual representative of the Exalted Mevlana, Hasan
Dede serves with this sheepskin in the Sema Ceremonies.
With the founding of The Preservers of the Galata Mevlevi Temple Association
and the Universal Lovers of Mevlana Foundation, Hasan Dede developed
a service groundwork for those giving their hearts to Mevlana. Almost
all of the words to the musical works of the Contemporary Lovers of
Mevlana have been composed by Hasan Dede.
As the formal leader of the Istanbul Galata Sema Ceremonies continually
since 1981, Hasan Dede carries on this service today. Besides this,
at the association meetings held every Thursday in the historic Mevlevi
building in Uskudar, he responds to questions of both Turkish and foreign
admirers of Mevlana, and introduces Mevlana’s message of Divine
Unity.
. KNOW YOURSELF
Look human, God has filled you with a thousand secrets;
You’re a mirror, He is the sultan of elegance.
My God, Dear God, there’s nothing but You.
Look human, whatever’s in the world is in you at every moment;
Seek within yourself; become aware of your essence.
Look human, you’re the first and last creature in the world;
Only you’re on the level with God, His Vicar on earth.
Look human, unique creature of heavens and earth, light of the world,
All creation sprang from you; you are the Divine Truth.
HASAN DEDE
