Muslim Spaces of Worship and Gathering

Whirling dervishes at Galata Mevlevihanesi.
Credit: istanbul.com.
The Mevlevihane and
Sama‘khana
The mevlevihane also known as a
sama’khana or tekke is used by the Mevlevi
Sufi order (tariqa), known more popularly
as the ‘whirling dervishes’. This Sufi order,
named after the 12 th -century mystic and
poet, Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi, has a
large following in Anatolia and the Balkans,
as well as in its diasporic communities.
Historically, important lodges have existed
throughout the former Ottoman Empire,
attesting to the presence of significant
Mevlevi communities in these regions.
The mevlevihane is the central element of
the dervish lodge in which members of the
Sufi tariqa live, gather and pray. It is usually
square or rectangular in shape, with a
central octagonal performance ground on
which the main ceremony is staged. At the
two ends of the central hall are places for
accompanying musicians and an area where
the post or dyed red sheepskin mat is kept
- representing the presence of Mawlana
Rumi himself. In Konya, it is Rumi’s tomb
rather than the post which is located in the
main hall.
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