Mevleviyya

The Mevleviyya, or Mawlawiyya, is a Sufi order within Islam that emerged in the 13th century in Konya (present-day Turkey). It traces its spiritual lineage to Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, a Persian-born mystic who settled in Anatolia, and developed its teachings through his followers after his death. The order is named Mawlawi, from Mawlana, an honorific for Rumi. It became influential in the Ottoman realm, where its lodges, or tekkes, served as centers of worship, learning, and music.

Mevlevi practice emphasizes inward purification and ecstatic devotion through music, poetry, and ritual. The sema, or whirling ceremony, is the most renowned expression: initiates wear a white woolen robe (tennure) and a tall black felt hat (sikke) and move in a circular, meditative spin that symbolizes the soul's ascent toward the divine. The ceremony is accompanied by traditional instruments and vocal recitations, drawing on Rumi's poetry to convey longing for God.

Under the Ottoman system the order enjoyed patronage but faced regulation, and in 1925 Turkey abolished religious orders, closing many tekkes. Since the late 20th century, Mevlevi groups have continued in Turkey and in diaspora communities as cultural and religious centers, preserving the sema tradition and Rumi’s poetry as part of a shared heritage. The Mevleviyya remains a widely recognized symbol of Sufism and spiritual poetry in the Turkic-speaking world.