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
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
4.4
(117 Ratings)
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Ahmedhosny_z
Sep 10, 2025
If you didn’t attend such a show before, then it’s a must - Spiritual and religious traditional music, songs and dancing ( rotating dancers ) You are too close to musicians and performers which is very sensational
Review provided by Viator
Lameoh
Aug 26, 2025
Mesmerizing - Mesmerizing. And the usher is a character. Very memorable and intimate. Would deffo go again. Loved the ambiance and the complimentary tea was delicious.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
34urmilag
Aug 17, 2025
A taste of turkey - A touching experience. Intimately close to the whirling dervishes. I had a front row seat and the ritual with live music is to highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jackietran617
Jul 14, 2025
Gotta see - I heard/saw this performance on a TV show called Sulieman the Magnificent Century so I wanted to see it in person. Truly a humbling experience see it take place from seeing it on the TV screen to right in front of me. Excellent performance as well as it being a devout devotion to God. The energy and the mysticism was felt. Also they were really kind in helping my friend charge his phone or we would of been stuck. If your in Istanbul def one of the cultural highlights to see.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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
Normanp311
Sep 11, 2025
A good insight into a Turkish traditional dance. - The location was very good and the performance itself was quite interesting. At first there is accompanying music; perhaps for 20 minutes or so; then the 3 dancers came on stage. They perform some introduction rituals and then dance for maybe 30 minutes or so - but this was probably long enough. An hour in total, which was more than enough for us; but still gave a good insight into this Turkish traditional performance.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Olatz_a
Aug 17, 2025
Don’t miss the derviches on your visit to Turkey - It was amassing seeing the derviches dances. We liked it very much. They found a place for our little girl so she could see from the front row and gave there a gift.
Review provided by Viator
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
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $23
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).