The famous Mevleve Tekke Museum is located in the Turkish part of Nicosia, near the Kyrenia Gate. The place is relatively small and quite different from all other museums in Cyprus. The building itself was built back in the late 16th century on the orders of Governor-General Arap Ahmet Pasha after the Ottomans captured Cyprus. He, like the commander of the Turkish army Lala Mustafa Pasha, belonged to the Mevlevi sect.
The Mevlevi, or Order of Dancing Dervishes, who were followers of Sufism, a fairly popular trend in Islamic philosophy, were founded by the mystic poet Jalaleddin Rumi. It was for their ritual dances, the sema, that they became known as "spinning dervishes": to the sound of the tambourine and flute they would begin to spin until they fell into a state of exaltation, believing that in this way they achieved union with God.
The order was very influential, and the monastery owned a large territory: in addition to housing for the permanent residents, auxiliary premises and a large garden, there were also rooms for guests. However, in 1925 Ataturk officially banned Sufism and at the same time dispersed the order, and the inhabitants of the Mevlevi Monastery had to leave. The building was turned into an orphanage for children, then several exhibitions were opened there.
It was only in 2002 that the ethnographic museum, which consists of only a few rooms, was established after major renovations. On the ground floor there is an exposition containing household items used by the dervishes, poems by the founder of the sect Rumi, musical instruments and paintings. There is also a large room where the sacred dervish dances were organised. Next to it, a passage leading to the 16 tombs of the sheikhs opens up.
