The Mevlevi Dervish Order was founded in the 13th century by Mevlana Jeladed-din Rumi, a poet and mystic who rebelled against orthodox Islamic beliefs by replacing formal prayers with songs and dances. The Dervish order was banned in Turkey in the early 20th century, but once a year the government allows the Whirling Dervish ceremony to take place at Konya in Anatolia where the religion was founded. This extraordinary occasion is shown as a sequenced presentation with more than sixty-five devotees spinning like tops in a ritualized pattern, ultimately achieving an experience leading to religious ecstasy.

"After thirty years, these compact films remain valuable and useful for the study and teaching of the places in question, each release offering examples of rare and even extended footage." Dr. Terry Miller, Department of Ethnomusicology, Hugh A. Glauser School of Music, Kent State University

One DVD program with English narration. 27 minutes. Film originally released in 1972. (NTSC ONLY)