Whirling Dervishes Ceremony: A Magical Experience

110 Ratings

Fatih

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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

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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

What's Not Included

Pick up and drop off

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

4.3

(110 Ratings)

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Nads26

Jun 19, 2025

Cultural performance - The experience was lovely to watch. Being in Istanbul I wanted to see a cultural show. The 1 hour performance by the musicians and the dancers was just right. It was mesmerising. Thank you for the water too.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Explorer789603

May 1, 2025

Whirling worth it. - Worthwhile. Easy way to take in a different culture. This one-hour demonstration will make you want to learn more about this practice.

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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

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Patriziao180

Jun 23, 2025

Engaging mysticism - The ceremony was really engaging. Too bad for the audience, most of them not prepared for the kind of performance they would have seen

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Gchloe1997

Jun 14, 2025

A traditional ceremony - We discovered a spiritual rite practiced in Turkey. Before going there, we had read to each other information about the turning dervishes, which seems essential to understand the ceremony.

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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.

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Rhondae427

May 17, 2025

Visibility is poor - We were very disappointed at the poor seats we had. Some of the seating is behind the musicians and other seats are behind pillars. Our view of the ceremony was limited. The tickets said we had assigned seats based on when we booked the tour, but that was not true. Seating was first come, first served so if you want to see you need to arrive early. We also wish there had been some kind of introduction to tell us more about what we were experiencing.

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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

Michael

May 1, 2025

Seriously oversold - Technically, the show is alright. The musicians delivered wonderful music and songs. The dancers are good. The problem is that the show was overbooked. No enough seats were prepared. All the seats are occupied before 1845 hrs. The door keeper would try to convince you to come back at 2030 hrs, which was not an option for booking. Seats are cramping and view is blocked.

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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

Check Availability

From $23

up to 15 guests

1 - Adult