Museum of the Mevlevi Dervish Monastery in Galata
Whirling Dervish Museum, Galata Mevlevihanesi Müzesi, Galata Dervish Lodge Museum, Galata Mevlevihanesi
Turkey, Istanbul
The Mevlevi monastery, which has been a museum since 2011, is located in the center of a large flowering garden, there is a pleasant atmosphere of peace and serenity. The ground floor of the museum is a richly decorated hall intended for ritual Sema dances, on the lower floor there is an exposition that tells about beliefs, ideas, as well as about the daily life of dervishes, their living conditions. The exhibition presents personal belongings of the monks, musical instruments, costumes, as well as a small exposition of calligraphy and musical instruments.
Every Sunday, the Mevlevi Monastery hosts a dance show of whirling dervishes. During such a dance, dervishes in snow-white robes enter a special, almost hypnotic state and begin to spin around themselves. This is a rather unusual and spectacular action with a pleasant musical accompaniment.