Whirling Dervishes Ceremony: A Magical Experience

Experience the mesmerizing Whirling Dervishes Ceremony in Istanbul, where dancers enter a state of hyper consciousness and maintain outstanding balance. Don’t miss this magical and unforgettable experience!

Duration: 50 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Kızlarağa Medresesi - The Mevlevi Sema ceremony is a Sufi ceremony that symbolizes the degrees of the path to Allah, contains religious elements and themes, and has detailed rules and qualities in this form. Mevlevi was the son of Mavlana Jalaluddin Rumi. It was performed in a disciplined manner starting from the time of Sultan Veled and Ulu Arif…
What's Included
  • Whirling Dervishes Ceremony
Additional Information

Experiencing the spectacle of whirling dervishes can shift your ordinary state of awareness, opening a window to a mystical universe.
Observing these dancers, possessed by an elevated state of consciousness while sustaining extraordinary equilibrium, is a breathtaking sight. Being a part of the Whirling Dervishes and the Mevlevi ceremony is certainly an…

Location
Kızlarağa Medresesi
Hoca Rüstem Sokak
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(104 Ratings)
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Arun
Apr 18, 2025
Amazing and must view visit - It was interesting. Some music, some ceremonies, and the dance. Compact and very impressive. Really recommend the visit to everyone
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Laura_f
Mar 20, 2025
Moving Experience - It's a very moving experience. It's worth reading up about it beforehand to understand what you're watching.
Review provided by Viator
Cimonpouliot
Feb 22, 2025
Cultural tour that make... - Cultural tour that make you want to know more about this religions dance. Hypnotic show of dance and music.
Review provided by Viator
Yussifkhassan
Feb 11, 2025
Sombre and intimate display - My wife and I felt honoured to be able to witness this meditative religious practice and found the whole experience to be powerful. It was approximately an hour long, beginning with live instruments and chanting before moving onto the whirling practice. Maybe something has changed in the structure of this display because we saw more than just 15 minutes of whirling and thoroughly appreciated the music beforehand in any case. The only thing that marred the experience was some of the other people in the small crowd, who in various ways didn't show the utmost respect to the space and the religious practice (laughing, chatting, moving seats and blocking others' views, taking lots of photos and videos, trying to cross the central space that was blocked for the dervishes, etc). However, I won't dock a star as this is of course not the fault of the organisers who are graciously inviting us to witness their practice of worship and it didn't hamper our ability to appreciate this spiritual experience.
Review provided by Viator
Stamtour
Feb 10, 2025
Beautiful presentation of the Sufi movement thank you - Superb ceremony, musicians and a singer at the top. On the dervish side a quality evolution to 3, we feel people in their conviction. Tea is offered if you do not arrive at the last moment... to be well placed I recommend you to come 45 to 39 minutes before the performance time. To understand the dervish inform on the internet before coming.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adriana_p
Feb 3, 2025
Culture , culture, culture! - Excellent show. just the right amount of time. very cultural. If you like to immerse yourself in something Turkish, and authentic then this is it!
Review provided by Viator
Danielj23
Apr 15, 2025
Great, but be prepared - Very interesting but no explanation or interpretation, so be sure to research in advance. The music and dance is hypnotic and wonderful… but be sure to stay awake! It is a great hour of cultural tradition. And arrive well in advance to get a good seat.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stuti_r
Apr 21, 2025
Absolutely mesmerizing to witness but extremely poor organisation - Come as early as possible. The organizer oversells tickets. So the number of people far exceeds the seats available, which caused arguments to break out among other people that were attending. The person responsible for logistics at the venue-specifically dealing with the chairs was incredibly aggressive. This was incongruous for an event devoted to sufi mysticism which is rooted in peace and calm and harmony. But if you overlook all of that-the music and the dervishes are absolutely amazing. It's spellbinding to witness. You are blown away.
Review provided by Viator
Williamrn9926hs
Apr 13, 2025
Interesting but suboptimal - The experience was good, since it offered the opportunity to watch this interesting ceremony. But the quality of the interpretation and particularly, the condition of the room were suboptimal. The performers sang and danced with no conviction and engagement. The room did not offer the conditions for all attendees to have a fair visibility of the show, especially for those who sat in the third row.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vipin_v
Apr 21, 2025
Have seen similar... - Have seen similar whirling dervish shows in Istanbul earlier. As a show it was fine. What was very poor were the arrangements. Overbooked and with inadequate space and seating, me, my wife and son spent an hour standing, a lot of the time on one foot and being jostled around. The performance was often hidden behind pillars. Unlike some better performances and venues this didn’t have any commentary or set any expectations or provide background to people who had no idea what they were seeing
Review provided by Viator
From $23
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).