DERVICHES TOURNEURS D’ISTANBUL
Sufi music and dance
Formed in 2006, the Derviches Tourneurs d’Istanbul Ensemble has performed at the Philharmonie de Paris, the Fez Sacred Music Festival (Morocco), the New Eleusis Symposia (Elefsina archaeological site, Athens), Salle Peyel (Paris), Rimini Festival (Italy), Le Lieu Unique (Nantes), Monaco Convention Center, Bodrum Ancient Theater (Turkey), Megaron Concert Hall (Athens), Palais de Chaillot (Paris), Samothrace World Music Festival (Greece), Phaselis Festival (Antalya's ancient amphitheater), and more.
The ensemble is now presenting a new creation — a high-level music and dance performance that incorporates elements of Sufi ceremony and ritual.
In some performances, the Byzantine Choir of Athens (from the Association of Music Lovers of Constantinople) joins the Derviches Tourneurs d’Istanbul. Together, they present the show "ISTANBUL: From Byzantine Chant to Sufi Tradition". It is an extraordinary meeting of two major liturgical music traditions of Istanbul: one Christian, dating back to the 4th century during the Byzantine Empire; the other born under the impulse of the mystical order of the Mevlevis (Sufis), founded in the 12th century by the great master Mevlana Jalal ad-Din Rumi.
Performance at the Philharmonie de Paris on September 13, 2025
Derviches Tourneurs d’Istanbul
Ensemble conducted by Mete Edman
Orchestra
Mete Edman, oud & vocals
Emre Isik, ney
Mustafa Dedeoglu, qanun
Kaan Sezerler, kemenche
Rifat Caliskan, bendir
Dancers
Pinar Yatarkalkmaz
Deniz Evren Gügüs
Gökhan Denkel
Erdinç Mustafa Kızılöz
Gökhan Demir
Artistic Director Kenan Öztürk
Production Director Ekim Öztürk
Management CaféTurc Music & Arts
Text by Sami SADAK, academic and ethnomusicologist
The Derviches Tourneurs d’Istanbul, led by Mete Edman, form a mixed-gender ensemble — women and men — who have embraced Turkish Sufism as a spiritual path. A singer, composer, and oud player, Mete Edman has composed several works performed during contemporary semas (Sufi ceremonies). The ensemble accompanies the whirling dervishes in an authentic ceremony, set to the hymns of great Sufi composers.
According to Rûmî's philosophy, women are equal to men. The first Mevlevi communities were mixed; women were only excluded later. This ensemble is one of the few to reintegrate women into the sema (the whirling ritual), thus reconnecting with the original spirit of Rûmî’s Sufism.
Classical Turkish music developed in close connection with the capitals of the Ottoman Empire. In the 13th century, Konya became a major cultural center under the Seljuks, thanks to Mevlâna Jalâl al-Dîn Rûmî — the Persian poet and mystic — who incorporated music into his spiritual teaching. After the fall of the Seljuks, Bursa (in the 14th century), and then Constantinople/Istanbul from the 15th century onward, became the hubs of a refined musical art, culminating in the 17th century with composers such as Itrî and Osman Dede.
The Mevlevi order, founded by Rūmī's disciples, established itself in Istanbul and profoundly influenced Ottoman music, giving it a meditative dimension. In Ottoman Istanbul, musical training was transmitted primarily in two settings: the Enderūn Palace school and Sufi centers, especially the Mevlevi tekkes, considered veritable conservatories.
The Whirling Dervishes, members of this order, embody a mystical tradition rooted in medieval Islam. Their philosophy, influenced by Rûmî and his master Shams al-Dîn Tabrîzî, a heterodox Ismaili spiritual guide, advocates the quest for the absolute through art and music. The sema, a ritual codified by Rûmî’s son Sultan Veled, is still practiced today in the tekke of Konya and Istanbul.
This ceremony, which means “spiritual hearing”, symbolizes the cosmic movement. The dervish, with open — right hand turned to the sky, left hand to the earth — becomes the intermediary of divine grace. His attire is rich with symbolism: the sikke (hat) symbolizes the tombstone of the ego, the white robe (tennure) the shroud, and the black cloak the grave. Before spinning, the dervish crosses his arms over his chest — a gesture evoking divine unity.
A danced ritual, the sema unites the dancer with God in a mystical ecstasy. The ney (flute), symbol of the soul in search of its Beloved, accompanies the ceremony along with other traditional instruments, creating a captivating and spiritual atmosphere.
After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople, a new capital emerged in the Islamic world, with a huge musical, cultural, and religious void to fill. The Ottoman Empire claimed to be the successor to the Byzantine (and therefore Roman) Empire, and Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror added to his titles that of Caesar of the Roman Empire (Qayser-i Rûm). This historical continuity was not limited to the official and political realms and took shape organically in various sectors of society: law, commerce, culture, and... music.
From a strictly musical perspective, Byzantine civilization never ceased to exist. With the advent of Istanbul as the capital of the Ottoman Empire, a powerful process of synthesis and modernization began, leading, after just over a century, to the birth of a magnificently autonomous Ottoman culture.
On one hand, the Mevlevi orders gradually became a fundamental vector in the incorporation of elements and techniques of Byzantine music into Ottoman classical music. On the other hand, Ottoman music was enriched through its openness: any talented musician, regardless of origin, could contribute to it. In Istanbul, where Muslims, Greeks, Armenians, and Jews coexisted, musicians from each community perpetuated their traditions while engaging in dialogue with Ottoman classical music. Thus, the composers who enriched the semas repertoire were also influenced by Byzantine music. We can also mention figures such as Petros "the Peloponnesian" (1730-1777), active in both the Orthodox Church and among the Mevlevi dervishes as a ney player.
VİDEO
