Goreme
Price €15
Min age 0
Rating 4.87 / 5 [227 ratings]
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Avanos, Central Anatolia, Turkey
Credit Shutterstock.com/MehmetO
Saruhan Caravansaray is the nightly setting for the region’s famed Whirling Dervish ceremony, a moving and extraordinary ritual expressive of Sufi mysticism, and dating back to the 12th century. Watch on as the sect’s white-clad initiates spin themselves into a trance state to the haunting accompaniment of drum, flute and chant.
Often mistaken for a dance, it is rather a meditation practice, a form of ritual whereby the dervishes aim to reach a state of karma by focusing only on God and the music. The spinning helps concentration, and it supposed to symbolise the planets orbiting the sun.
The surroundings, a restored 13th-century fortified inn set amidst Cappadocian steppelands, add to the atmosphere of the occasion.
Saruhan is prominently situated on the main road between Urgup (6km) and Avanos (3km). Self-drive or take a cheap and easily available taxi from any of the main centres.
The ceremony lasts for about 40 minutes. Book through the website in advance. If visiting in winter, be sure to wrap up warm as it can get cold inside.
The ceremony is held twice daily, all year round, though only daily when demand is low, as can be the case in the winter. Ceremonies, when operating to a full schedule, are twice-daily in the evening.
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