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Fez – On the evening of Sunday, May 18, the majestic Bab Makina in Fez opened its gates to a spiritual immersion unlike any other.
The Istanbul Sufi Ceremonies Ensemble (Istanbul Meydan Meşkleri Topluluğu) brought the ancient ritual of the Mevlevi Sema to life, as part of the 28th edition of the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music.
Under moonlit skies and centuries-old stone, the audience sat hushed as the first soft notes of the ney flute stirred the air. In flowing white robes and tall felt hats, the dervishes stepped into the circle, not to perform, but to pray.
Also in attendance was the Turkish Ambassador to Morocco, Mustafa İlker Kılıç, whose presence noted the deepening cultural and diplomatic ties between the two countries.
His presence at such a spiritually grandiose performance is none other than a symbolic gesture of Turkey’s support for interfaith dialogue and cultural exchange.
The shared Sufi heritage between Morocco and Turkey, two huge homes to rich mystical traditions, offered a moment of unity, in music and in values of tolerance, introspection, and the pursuit of the divine.
Meanwhile, Dervish Mehmet Mithat Özçakıl, a third-generation Mevlevi whirling dervish, pointed to the importance of preserving the spiritual and cultural legacy of Rumi and the Sufi tradition. Speaking to Morocco World News (MWN), Özçakıl explained, “We need Rumi’s opinion. We need it because Sema tells unity. Rumi tells about unity and brotherhood.”
Özçakıl, who performs as part of an ensemble from Istanbul and is also the director of Istanbul Sufi ceremonies ensemble, noted that the international gathering of artists and audiences at the festival reflects the very ideals Rumi preached. “Many people are coming here. And it also makes us a unity. So this festival is very important for us,” he said. “It looks like very similarity with the Rumi’s Sufi thoughts.”
His ensemble, he added, is composed of highly trained individuals dedicated to maintaining the authenticity of Sufi spiritual practice. “In our ensemble, we have very special people. We have masters. And they follow the Sufi tradition spiritually,” Özçakıl said.
As a representative of a lineage that spans three generations, Özçakıl takes pride in continuing his family’s spiritual mission. “I am a whirling dervish. I am a third generation, me, my brother, and me the third one,” he explained. “Our father was our teacher. And his father, my grandfather, was my father’s teacher. We are trying to preserve this tradition.”
Despite the passage of time and changes in musical interpretation, Özçakıl stressed the importance of staying true to the roots of Sema, the whirling ceremony that symbolizes spiritual ascent and unity with the divine. “The Sema changed a lot. Unfortunately, the music changed a lot. But we are trying to do the authentic form, the original form of Sema with the full part,” he said.
For the evening’s performance, Özçakıl prepared to present a deeply traditional rendition of the Sema. “Tonight, our Sema music is nearly 100 years old. And this Sema is Mevlevi Sufi order’s Sema, and it’s almost 400 years old,” he explained.
The spirit of Rumi in motion
“All paths lead to God. I have chosen the one of dance and music.”
These words, attributed to Jalal ad-Din Rumi, echoed in the very air of Bab Makina. The dervishes embodied this devotion, their slow, steady revolutions mirrored the movements of celestial bodies, from the orbits of planets to the spin of atoms.
Rumi, the 13th-century Persian poet and mystic, saw the universe as a constant dance of love. He taught that music and movement could dissolve the self, allowing the soul to reach toward the divine. This philosophy found expression in the Mevlevi Sema, a ritual of whirling, music, poetry, and silence.
No mention of Rumi is complete without Shams ed Dîn Tabrîzî, the wandering dervish whose meeting with Rumi sparked a spiritual transformation that would change Islamic mysticism forever. More than a friend, Chams became the mirror through which Rumi saw divine beauty.
The Mevlevi path, shaped after Chams’ disappearance, carries the scent of that encounter. The whirling dervishes do not spin to entertain; they turn to vanish, to become empty vessels for the love that once passed between a poet and his beloved teacher.
Sacred music, shared humanity
This year’s festival theme, “Renaissances”, found deep resonance in the ensemble’s offering. Turkish makam music rose and fell in deliberate modes, guiding the dervishes in their spiritual ascent. The voices of the singers reached for the divine, even as their tones remained grounded in centuries of Anatolian tradition.
There were no flashing lights or grand finales. The power of the performance came from its quiet dignity. the way the Sema invited reflection, not spectacle.
Sufism speaks in a language that goes beyond religion. Its metaphors are not bound to creed. A circle of dancers, a reed flute, a poem of longing, these belong to anyone who has ever searched for something greater than the self.
As the final notes faded into the Fez night and the dervishes stilled their spinning, the crowd remained seated, caught in a moment of reverent silence. Here, in this meeting of East and West, past and present, a shared stillness unfolded; not just the end of a performance, but perhaps the beginning of a prayer.
Fez Festival of World Sacred Music continues through May 24, with performances spanning sacred traditions from around the globe.
