Saruhan Kervansaray

Beautiful Ceremony. The Whirling Dervishes are part of the Sufi branch of Islam. The ceremony itself is around 1hr. Even though you can buy tickets and attend more than a performance, this is an actual ritual-- a form of physically active, rapid-spinning, mindful meditation. They arrive with a black cloak that they later remove, representing being spiritually reborn to the truth. In a trance-like manner, they go around each other in perfect unison with one hand facing up (receiving God's blessings), and the other down (delivering those blessings to those watching/participating in the ceremony.) The skill and technique employed to execute the moves are awe-inspiring; I would not be able to last more than 2 min straight! For them, the spinning ceremony is to remember, worship, and connect with God. They wear white to symbolize purity.

We did not go for the dervish show but just to experience the environment. I lova kervansarays so I was blown by it. For national standards, there are more beautiful ones out there but it is a kervansaray, it’s giant rectangular building and has many stone arches, so how bad can it be? I only wish they used it as a proper museum to display historic and cultural artefacts.

Interesting visitnProbably a lot better if you watch dancing live

Very interesting and enlightening. During this performance I got the chance to learn about different cultural and religious performances and ceremonies. I thought this presentation was very astounding. Having the chance to see other religions show their amazing rituals was very interesting. Definitely worth it and highly recommend to watch.

Whirling dervish is worth seeing if you never have before. But it used to be part of Turkish night with many different other shows but now is a stand-alone show. For a stand-alone show, its too expensive and too short (finished in about 35 min). If you are looking for entertainment, go for Turkish night. If you are seeking a spiritual experience and calmness, do visit this!