Silivrikapi Mevlana Cultural Center

The Whirling Dervishes are a part of an Islamic religious order, the Sufis, originally born in Konya in Anatolia, where Mevlana spent most of his life. But it's in Istanbul that you'll have the best chance to be a part of a ‘Sema Ceremony’. The ceremony is not a traditional dance but a proper religious event, a mystic experience emotionally involving the spectator, while the practitioners get closer to ‘unity with god’ abandoning their egos, whirling and meditating almost in a trance state. The believers are dressed in long white or collared robes and wearing conical hats—every movement has a metaphorical meaning and the spinning symbolises the revolution of the planets around their axes and the sun.
There are many venues in Istanbul where it's possible to be a part of the Whirling Dervishes ceremony. Many of them are crafted for holidaymakers, being hosted in idyllic setting and requiring a hefty payment. However, if you want to assist in a real, genuine and totally free-to-participate ceremony, then you should head to Silivrikapi Mevlana Cultural Center where the Contemporary Lovers of Mevlana Society hosts the ceremony every Thursday evening around 7:30 pm. You will be greeted with tea and smiles, and involved in their ceremony including questions and answers and Quran reading.