One of the best preserved buildings in the madrasah ensemble can be called the Mevlevihane building. Jelaleddin Rumi Mevlana was a great Sufi poet and humanist philosopher, whose teachings, developed in the 13th century, were followed by the statesmen, honoured and wealthy citizens. "Mevlana", translated from "Mevlana" means "Our Lord". Jalaleddin Rumi died in Konya on 17 17 September 1273, but his mausoleum survives to this day and is considered a holy place that is constantly visited by pilgrims.
The structure, erected in Seljuk times, was given in the eighteenth century by the Mevlevihane by the governor as a meeting place for devotees of Mevlevi philosophy. В The monastery was a place where the philosophy of Mevlevi was learnt and the main ritual of the Mevlevi philosophy of sound, word and action. Nowadays it is a contemporary art gallery.
In the courtyard of the museum-mosque stands a fountain for foot washing. At the top part of the structure has four domes, which are completely covered with red brick.
According to Mevlan's will, a festival of dancing dervishes is held in Konya in Konya in December each year and is called Sheb-i-Aruz. The dervishes canonised the habits of the poet, his way of moving and dressing. The "sema" ritual (dance of joy by the dervishes of the brotherhood) symbolises the path of man's ascension to the abode of divine love. The dance is a personification of the mystical journey of the human spirit through the consciousness and love to God. It was a mystical religious ritual in the Middle Ages. Middle Ages, and in modern times it has another purpose: to entertain the the public.
This festival is considered one of the best festivals in Turkey. Every year more than a million tourists the festival attracts over a million tourists, all of whom are eager to get to the main temple of the museum, where the main performances take place.
The festival is attended by members of the mystical Sufi dervish order, who strive to come as close to Allah as possible through their dance. The stands of the indoor stadium are filled with people, with a choir and orchestra at the main entrance, and an old mentor in the arena is an old man mentor standing on a piece of red sheepskin. Near the the old man are the novices, wearing felt hats, conical in shape, and black robes. It begins with the striking of timpani, after which the hall is filled is filled with the mournful sounds of the ney. Gradually, other instruments join in. and the rhythm of the music gradually becomes more and more intense, as if hypnotising the performers and the audience. At this moment the dervishes throw off their black robes and, remaining in their white shirts, arms crossed at the chest, approach the preceptor, bow their heads on his shoulder, kiss his hand, and then, turn round and bow to each other. It may be regarded as the prelude to a ritual born over seven centuries ago is complete.
The participants of the process begin to twirl at the command of the mentor. Literally from Arabic, "dervish" translates to "twirling." Their arms are spread out to opposite sides and their heads are tilted back. The palm of their right hand is turned upwards and the left hand is turned downwards.
During the ceremony, the dervishes dance round the hall three times. The first round signifies knowledge of God, the second the vision of God and the third the truth of oneness. With about three dozens of adults the boy dances and it seems that there will be no end to this marvellous performance, but after ten minutes the whirlwind subsides and the dervishes get on their on their knees, and then plunge back into the magical dance. This goes on at least five times. According to the Turks it's not a dance at all, but a mystical ceremony in which the followers of the medieval thinker and poet Rumi, who take part in the dance, fall into a trance. They raise their palms upwards to receive God's blessing and the palm facing downwards is to to pass it on to the earth.
The dance of the dervishes is one of the most impressive features in the mystical life of Islam, beginning with a long praise in honour of the Prophet (Jelaleddin himself wrote this hymn), accompanied by music of marvellous beauty, and ending with short rapturous songs. The festival was held under the auspices of UNESCO in 2006, which marked the eight hundredth anniversary of the birth of Jelaleddin Rumi. UNESCO established the Rumi Commemorative Medal.
