Turkish: Mevlevi Dergahi | |
Abbreviation | Mevlevi |
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Formation | 1273; 749 years ago[1] |
Founder | Veled |
Founded at | Seljuk Sultanate |
Type | Dervish order |
Headquarters | Konya, Turkey |
Membership | ca. 2,000 as of 2015[2] |
Makam Chalabi (Chief Master) | Faruk Hemdem |
Rumi | |
Main organ | Diyanet |
Mevlevi Sema Ceremony | |
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Country | Turkey |
Reference | 100 |
Region | Europe, Asia and North America |
Inscription history | |
Inscription | 2008 (3rd session) |
The Mevlevi Order or Mawlawiyya (Turkish: Mevlevilik; Persian: طریقت مولویه) is a Sufi order that originated in Konya, Turkey (formerly capital of the Sultanate of Rum) and which was founded by the followers of Jalaluddin Muhammad Balkhi Rumi, a 13th-century Persian poet, Sufi mystic, and theologian.[3] The Mevlevis are also known as the "whirling dervishes" due to their famous practice of whirling while performing dhikr (remembrance of God). Dervish is a common term for an initiate of the Sufi path; whirling is part of the formal sema ceremony and the participants are properly known as semazens.[4]
In 2005, UNESCO confirmed "The Mevlevi Sema Ceremony" as amongst the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.[5]