Sufi Dance in Cappadocia;

This religious ritual is conducted daily in the cave house of the Cappadocian dervishes. The dervishes from the city of Konya moved to Cappadocia in the last 200 years of the Ottoman Empire and have preserved their form of the mystical order of Islamic Sufism.

We will pick you up from your hotel in Cappadocia and take you to the dervish house where the ceremony takes place, and then return you back to your hotel.

The ceremony of the whirling dervishes begins with musicians playing special instruments and blowing into the “ney” to enter the ceremony with concentration, followed by the dervishes performing a special dance accompanied by music. The dervish dance lasts for 40-45 minutes and concludes with religious readings and prayers. The entire ceremony lasts for just 1 hour, during which spectators silently observe the ceremony without leaving the ritual hall.

At the end of the ritual, the dervishes will return to the hall and pose for photographs with you, and you can also engage with them and ask questions.

Schedule

Summer Periods - Daily: 17:30 and 20:30.

Winter Periods - Daily: 17:30.

The dervish dance is a traditional art that has its roots in Sufism, a mystical movement in Islam. Also known as “Sema” or “Mevlevi,” it is characterized by beautiful and symbolic ritual performance in the form of a circular dance.

The traditional dervish dance is performed by men wearing long white garments with wide circular skirts. They raise their arms upwards and spin around their axis, creating beautiful and harmonious movements. An important element of this dance is the symbolism of spinning, which embodies the search for divine truth and unity with God.

The dervish dance is usually accompanied by music, and the performance itself is a form of meditation and spiritual insight. The spinning of the dervishes also symbolizes the rotation of planets and spinning around their axes, calling for inner centering and harmony.

This traditional dance represents a unique combination of physical activity, spiritual practice, and artistic self-expression.

• Transfers to and from your hotel in Cappadocia
• Complete ritual - whirling dervish dance
• Drink of the dervishes - sherbet

• Personal expenses

• During the ritual, it is forbidden to go outside
• The entire ritual should be watched quietly and calmly
• Photography and video recording are not allowed while the ritual is ongoing (you will be able to do this after the ritual)
• The place where the ritual takes place is a religious house, so it is not recommended to go there in very short skirts