The INA keeps a report broadcast on December 20, 1967 (10'07, Behind the scenes of the exploit). It is recalled that every year the dervishes meet in Konya for the birthday of Mevlânâ Jalâl ad-Dîn Rûmî and that some men came to Paris, invited by the Association of Turkish Students and the American Center of the boulevard Raspail. This capsule gives a valuable insight into the reception of samâ in France at the end of the 1960s.
The whirling dervishes are members of the mevlevi order (Mawlawiyya), a Sufi movement born in Konya in the 13th century around Rûmî. Their fame in the West comes from their prayer in rotation – a form of dhikr (remembrance of God) – observed and described by European travelers, hence the name 'whirling dervishes'.
The samâ (or sema) is a ceremony with precise gestures. According to the UNESCO sheet, the students turn on their left foot (axis) and propel themselves with their right foot, their eyes open but defocused to let the images blend. The musical repertoire (ayîn) includes vocal and instrumental sections, with ney, singing, naqqāra (timpani) and cymbals. Historically, the training could last 1001 days in mevlevihane.
The week of Şeb-i Arûs – the "Night of the Union" commemorating the departure of Rûmî – remains a peak of the Mevlevi calendar in Konya. It crystallizes the alliance of poetry, music and ritual dance, and perpetuates an international pilgrimage around the mausoleum of Rûmî. (Associated activities mentioned by UNESCO.)
The 'Mevlevi Sema Ceremony' was proclaimed in 2005 'Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity', then inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List in 2008. This recognition highlights the need to preserve the original spiritual dimension of the ritual in the face of its tourist spread.
To understand how dervishes were presented to the French public in the 1960s, watch the INA video from 1967 (10'07). It connects Konya and Paris, between annual celebration of Rûmî and cultural dissemination of the samâ.
Fiche UNESCO « Mevlevi Sema ceremony » : context, technique, enjeux de transmission.
Members of the Mevlevi Sufi order, founded in Konya in the 13th century by the disciples of Rumi, known for rotating prayer (samâ).
Yes: proclamation in 2005, inscription on the Representative List in 2008.
Left foot axis, right foot impulse, non-focused gaze; structured music (ayîn) with ney and percussion.
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What is the Dervish Oracle?
It is a silent spiral. Each card is a step in an invisible dance where we join the rhythm of the world. The oracle is not static: it vibrates, it breathes, it allows itself to be tamed by slowness.
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