Istanbul - The Whirl of the Dervishes Photo Gallery by Azlin Ahmad at pbase.com

Istanbul - The Whirl of the Dervishes

PERFORMED BY THE SUFI ENSEMBLE OF GALATA MEVLEVI MONASTERY
A UNESCO INTANGIBLE HERITAGE

I would like to share a truly amazing experience with you, a whirling dervish performance which I witnessed in Istanbul recently. It is more of a form of worship rather than an art form, where these whirling dervishes attempt to achieve union with God through dance. A movement which originated from the Sufis, a small Muslim cult, this form of worship easily transcends religious boundaries and goes into the realm of spirituality and mysticism.

As a token of respect to the dervishes, flash photography was discouraged, so capturing minute detail was a bit of a challenge under the low lighting conditions. Being trapped in the second row of seats did not help much in my freedom of movement either! So this was the best that I could do under those limitations.

I have attempted to capture the essence of this most fascinating performance and hope you enjoy it.

In response to some of the questions I've received, these dervishes are the "real thing". They had to go through religious training, which included 1001 nights as an apprentice, doing humble jobs such as cleaning latrines and working in kitchens. During the time of their studies, they were taught music, poetry and religion - in the process, they had to let go of their attachments to worldly possessions.

As for their costumes, the white and black cloaks represent death shrouds, and in dressing this way, these dervishes have confronted and come to terms with their own impending death.

Enough of the trivia!

These photos are presented in sequence, and I suggest that they are best viewed on a slideshow format.

The beginning...








		... the end

comment |

Azlin Ahmad		02-Jan-2011 11:50
Michael, I have no idea! :D

Aberdeen17		02-Jan-2011 11:24
Why do Dervishes rest their hands on their shoulders between whirls ? Is it part of the ritual or to rest their arm muscles between dances ?

Deniz Kilinc		24-Nov-2009 09:18
these are Mevlana's words; be like a river in generosity and help be like the sun in tenderness and mercy be like the night in covering the faults of others be like the dead in anger and nervousness be like the earth in modesty and humility be like the sea in tolerance be like your appearance or appear like yourself thank u so much for this galleryy ...ý m happy to be part of this culture...

t t		05-Aug-2008 22:33
such a beautiful gallery!

Guest		20-Feb-2008 08:57
wonderful peek into this strange, mysterious ritual - thank you -V

kimene S		15-Jan-2008 12:09
Exceptional work! V V V V!

Juliano Lopez		30-Dec-2007 14:59
Nice photojournalism work. Voted.

Marc Demoulin		01-Jul-2007 20:35
Excellent dynamic work! Vote. marc

Wenche Aune		25-Jun-2007 08:38
Very nice gallery. V

Photo Club Pavillonnais		12-Jun-2007 15:55
Wonderful ! Mouvements, couleurs, cadrages, tout est superbe ! Bryline

Guest		09-Jun-2007 16:47
Felt like an entrapment in a different world. I like the motion well presented.

Guest		03-Jun-2007 21:15
Very nice gallery. Vote.

Barbara Read and Fred Schaad		03-Jun-2007 17:06
I wonder how these guys don't get dizzy. I get dizzy just looking at the images, lol. Great shots and a wonderful collection. Thank you for sharing. V

Guest		03-Jun-2007 02:30
This is wonderful. Thank you for sharing

Martha Albuquerque		02-Jun-2007 10:54
Wonderful register and captures.. thanks for sharing it, my vote*

Michael J. Parkinson		02-Jun-2007 00:22
Having once seen dancers whirling like this, but only for about five mesmerizing minutes, I'd say you nailed it. I like the whole gallery as a single work. GMV

Guest		01-Jun-2007 13:36
Beautiful gallery. As already said, motion is extremly well captured. V

Peg O'Brien		01-Jun-2007 12:21
You've captured the motion well, Azlin. Nice gallery. Vote

flowsnow		01-Jun-2007 10:41
Congrats for being on first page!

fc		31-May-2007 21:48
Well, like it, we can feel the athmosphere... so congratulation. Voted.

krunal		31-May-2007 13:53
nice very nice reminds me of my experiences with whirling meditations vote

Guest		30-May-2007 23:00
Wonderful series my friend thank you for bringing it to us,V

Dave Hein		30-May-2007 08:10
Inspirational! And a great idea for shooting a set of moving, yet confined set of images. Thanks, Azlin! V

Guest		29-May-2007 22:57
WOW! Excelent gallery! v

Guest		29-May-2007 11:51
Awesome, vote deserved

Azlin Ahmad		29-May-2007 08:33
Thanks for the suggestion Phil - though my idea was to give viewers a true feel of what it's like to actually be there, especially if viewed on a slideshow format. If I ever get round to printing these for my album, I would probably only print less than half of these, as the display would be more "static". As a general rule, I am rather sparing on the amount of photos I put in each gallery - this one is an exception! :)

flowsnow		29-May-2007 07:08
A well deserving gallery.....Vote!

poetry666		28-May-2007 22:54
Thank you for the link to this gallery Azlin. What a wonderful gallery pf these dancers. Excellent variety of angled shots. I really like the hats they all were too. Great gallery and photography. Big V!

Phil Douglis		28-May-2007 22:15
Some of these express the energy and beauty of the dance more than others, Azlin. Sequences work best when each image tells a different story. Use this gallery as a practice edit, choosing using fewer images with less redundancy -- and featuring those that you feel best convey the essence of the story. Even if you decide you want to keep all of these, the practice will be of huge value to you.

Aloha Diao Lavina		27-May-2007 23:28
Thank you for the introduction and for these wonderfully dynamic images. The frenetic fervor of the dance is eloquently captured in your collection. An impressive study. V

Steve Viscot		27-May-2007 12:32
elegant and very interesting gallery - vote

Azlin Ahmad		27-May-2007 12:01
Check out Mariam El-Mofty's gallery on the same theme -http://www.pbase.com/mofty/dervishes

Guest		27-May-2007 11:59
Excellent gallery, and u perfectly captured the mood...you did the very thing I wanted to do and that is to show the motion "swirling of the dervishes" excellent job my friend :) Voted

Greg Harp		27-May-2007 03:13
Masterful work.

silvia marmori		26-May-2007 21:11
so good work you made.. how hard to shoot it, and also to capture their feelings.. my vote!

Gervan		26-May-2007 16:24
Interesting theme and beautiful photography. I love the visible movement in your pictures. vote.

Marisa Livet		26-May-2007 14:53
A splendid gallery, of sublime elegance here Azlin! I have always felt the charm of this kind of mystic dance and its meaning, I had already seen many picture of it, but yours have a special impact. I do think that the low light enhances the feeling of mystery and mysticism and give a great effect of movement. There is a hypnotic beauty in all the series, Marisa

Johan Gerrits		26-May-2007 11:18
Fantastic gallery Azlin, difficult to photograph them in low light and under whirling. You captured the spirit and mood excellent, Big V

Salah El-Sadek		26-May-2007 10:37
Fantastic shots, it is quite obvious you were limited in your own free movments as viewer to the show, however you were able to capture great shots Azlin.. Well done

Denise Dee		26-May-2007 10:22
Gorgeous- I feel uplifted viewing this gallery. Great work (you and them) You have my vote. thanks, d

Richard Calmes		26-May-2007 00:43
Amazing sequence! Well done in challenging light! V

Emad Omar		25-May-2007 18:48
I like the movements in this shot well done

Guest		25-May-2007 17:40
Istanbul is always in my wish list... because i also wanna take shots like this. Very nice gallery, Azlin, thanks for the inviting!

Sam Bashir		25-May-2007 15:01
Azlin, thanks for pointing me towards this. I had heard the term Whirling Dervish in a phrase like "faster than a Whirling Dervish" but I have never connected it to what it really meant. So, in addition to seeing some lovely images taken by the one and only Azlin, I have also learned something. Great shots!

Guest		25-May-2007 11:07
You did a great job in photographing the Dervish dancers. Great shots.

Ken DeFusco		24-May-2007 18:38
Very nice, great action shots V

Guest		24-May-2007 17:34
Nice gallery, welcome...

Mostafa Moftah		24-May-2007 09:53
Marvelous, Azlin.. ~Voted~

Guest		24-May-2007 08:45
This is a very energetic, whirling gallery. Fantastic to look at!

Latifa Messaoudi		24-May-2007 04:23
nice , nice gallery!!!!!

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