Galata Mevlevi House

The Galata Mevlevihanesi was founded in 1491 and is the oldest surviving Mevlevi lodge in the city. The Mevlevi order, founded on the teaching of Rumi in thirteenth-century Konya, is known abroad for the sema - the turning ceremony in which dervishes revolve with one palm up and one down, a form of remembrance rather than a performance. The lodges were closed in 1925 when all dervish orders were dissolved, and the building has served as a museum since. Its centre is the semahane, an octagonal wooden hall with a gallery above where musicians played, restored and now used for occasional ceremonies. Around it are exhibits on Mevlevi practice: instruments, calligraphy, manuscripts, clothing and the kitchen where novices trained. The garden holds the graves of former sheikhs and a cemetery of carved Ottoman headstones. Turning ceremonies held here are genuine religious observance, not a dinner show, and audiences are asked to sit in silence and not applaud.

What to look for

• The semahane - the octagonal wooden turning hall.
• The Mevlevi exhibits - instruments, manuscripts and dress.
• The tomb garden - sheikhs' graves and carved headstones.
• The sema - the ceremony, on scheduled evenings.

When to go

Year-round; the museum is indoors. Closed on Mondays. Ceremony evenings are limited and tickets go quickly - book ahead.

Before you go

The sema is worship, not entertainment: silence is expected and photography is usually prohibited during it. Many "whirling dervish" shows elsewhere in the city are commercial imitations - this is not one.

Nearby

Galata Tower is a two-minute walk; İstiklal Avenue runs uphill from Tünel.

Key facts