![Whirling Dervishes of Beyoğlu, Istanbul](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e95d9b13e6b2f7f177b574b/1609677588817-LKZA1RQLHS45FOLUBXL4/12.+Dervishes+in+Beyoglu%2C+Istanbul+2.jpg)
Whirling Dervishes of Beyoğlu, Istanbul
A whirling dervish performance in one of Istanbul’s few remaining Sufi dervish houses.
![Sufi mystics, Istanbul](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e95d9b13e6b2f7f177b574b/1587659334082-X9MMTYAG9KHZB47CVQSO/Istanbul-25.jpg)
Sufi mystics, Istanbul
On the outskirts of Istanbul lies one of the few remaining Sufi monasteries in Turkey. Here, the local community gather to watch a performance of ‘whirling dervishes’ - a practice which originated from the teachings of the 13th-century Persian poet, Islamic theologian and Sufi mystic, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi-Rumi.
![Dervish Mystics of Historic Cairo](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e95d9b13e6b2f7f177b574b/1609694281022-B1TVH84JV9P7P9I7RN4K/20.+El+Tanoura+Troupe+at+the+Wekalet+el+Ghouri+Arts+Centre%2C+Cairo.jpg)
Dervish Mystics of Historic Cairo
I was lucky enough to catch this performance in Wekalet el Ghouri arts centre on a visit to Cairo in October 2018. The Whirling Dervishes perform their dhikr in the form of a dance which involves whirling.