Whirling Dervishes

The Whirling Dervishes, are a spiritual Sufi order founded in Turkey by the followers of Rumi, a 13th century poet, jurist, and theologian. They are actually known as the Whirling Dervishes due to their famous practice of whirling as a form of dhikr (remembrance of God). Dervish is a common term for an initiate of the Sufi path; the whirling is part of the formal Sema ceremony and the participants are properly known as semazen-s.

In 2005, UNESCO proclaimed the "Sema Ceremony of the Whirling Dervishes" of Turkey as amongst the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.