Whirling Dervish Ceremony: Mystical Dance Ritual

Experience the mystical Whirling Dervish Ceremony in Cappadocia’s historical Caravansarai. Witness the real dervishes and live musicians in a mesmerizing ritual accompanied by the Ney. Don’t miss the complimentary syrup and the captivating light show about the formations of Cappadocia. Book now!

Duration: 50 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Saruhan Culture and Event Center - A shuttle will collect you from your accommodation, and following a brief 20-minute journey, we will reach Saruhan Caravanserai, an exceptionally preserved example of Anatolian Caravanserais that is certainly worth the visit.
    We will proceed to Dervishane (Dervish House) to witness an authentic Dervish Ceremony….
What's Included
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Other
Additional Information

Whirling Dervish Ceremony: It is known as the most mystical dance in the world, created and developed with the inspiration of Rumi (1207-1273). It taught by Shams-i Tabriz to Mevlana. In fact, when looked more deeply, it is the ritual of the Mevlevi dervishes. It can be summarized as the ritual they perform by opening their arms to both sides, turning…

Location
Saruhan Culture and Event Center
Yeni kayseri Yolu 6 km
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(52 Ratings)
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Adriandaniel_l
Aug 20, 2025
One in a life experience. - Spiritual experience, just feeling everything you see at the ceremony. Amazing. Very well organized and perfect.
Review provided by Viator
Ayteng506
Aug 19, 2025
Mystical spiritual representation - Personally, I enjoyed discovering an authentic dervish ceremony. Being aware of this branch of Islam, which is not a “sect” as I heard it, I enjoyed rediscovering the dances and music that my husband found mesmerizing. I do not recommend families with young children to go there because the very young may be bored. It is not a “show” but a mystical spiritual representation.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Texasvacationer2017
Jun 10, 2025
Authentic religious ceremony NOT A SHOW! - Absolutely phenomenal religious ceremony to which visitors are invited. Tourists need to be advised that THIS IS NOT A SHOW ! The practitioners are not performers. If you are expecting a show performance you will be disappointed. The Mevlevi are practicing their worship with religious chants they are not doing a dancing music performance. You are simply paying for the guides to transfer you to the site of ceremony and inform you. I bet very little to none of the proceeds are going to the Mevlevi religious practitioners. So if that’s what you are looking for please save them the disrespect of walking out in the middle of their worship session and do not book it. This ceremony was completely authentic. I am Turkish and me and my family thoroughly enjoyed this unusual and rare experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Grace_s
Oct 10, 2024
Authentic and moving! - The location and lighting set the scene and the intimate nature of the performance and it's authenticity was particularly moving - not a show but a true experience of the ceremony - would highly recommend
Review provided by Viator
Beatriz
Sep 29, 2024
The show was in a cave and was very good! - The company was excellent. The show we had booked was suspended and they were in charge of getting us another one!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chyonne_k
Jun 16, 2024
Mesmerising! A must do experience in Cappadocia - This was the highlight of my trip to Cappadocia. I was utterly mesmerised by the focus and devotion of the dervishes, not to mention the talented musicians. On top of this, the location at an original caravansary (Silk Road rest stop) made for a perfect, spirituality uplifting, evening. It was truly magical!
Review provided by Viator
Kelly_m
Aug 5, 2025
Mesmerizing ceremony - This was a lovely ceremony. Beautiful music and singing with mesmerizing Whirling dervishes. Beautiful grounds and fun photo ops in Beautiful room at the end. Great history being on the grounds where camels stopped to trade goods on the Silk Road.
Review provided by Viator
Mercedita_e
Sep 13, 2024
vertigo dance - it’s really entertaining very authentic entertainment and one of a kind only you. an experience in this place
Review provided by Viator
Connie_r
Jun 10, 2025
Ritual not dance - This is not a dance or performance. It is a spiritual ritual with a serious tone. If you can get into that you will enjoy it.
Review provided by Viator
189shrutiv
May 8, 2025
Avoid at all costs – rude staff, discriminatory behavior, and a complete scam - Do NOT book this tour operator. Save yourself the frustration and disappointment and choose literally any other provider for the Whirling Dervish ceremony. What should have been a meaningful experience turned into an upsetting, overpriced sham. Despite arriving well before others, we were forced to sit at the very back while all the front rows sat empty. When we asked why, we were dismissively told that those seats were “reserved” – something that was never mentioned or available as an option during booking. There is no seat selection offered at checkout, yet you’ll be treated as second-class upon arrival. The ushers and coordinators were unbelievably rude and dismissive. Even worse, their behavior raised serious concerns about prejudice and bias. If you are a person of colour, be especially cautious. When I complained about this to the tour guide operator, he completely blanked us on all communication lines. Absolutely disgraceful service. Avoid this vendor and spend your money with someone who actually respects their guests.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $70
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).