Dressed head-to-toe in white, with tall red hats, the trance-like performance of the Mevlevi order of Sufis, or Whirling Dervishes, is increasingly well-known. Performances almost nightly are held at Sirkeci Station, an unlikely venue for a mystic performance.
Each Whirling Dervish performance begins with tranquil sufi music, then the Whirling Dervishes come out to spin, trancelike. Dressed head-to-toe in white, adorned with tall hats, they perform a mesmerising and unique display. Dervishes are members of Sufi ascetic religious Tarika, known for their extreme poverty and austerity. Their spinning ritual represents a mystical journey of man's spiritual ascent through mind and love to "Perfect".