Sufi whirling, also called Sufi turning, is a type of meditation that involves movement. It began with certain Sufi groups and is still practiced by Sufi dervishes in the Mevlevi order and other groups like the Rifa'i-Marufi. During a sema, or worship ceremony, dervishes (also called semazens) try to connect more closely with Allah. They do this by letting go of personal desires, listening to music, focusing on God, and spinning their bodies in circles. This spinning is seen as a symbol of how planets in the Solar System move around the Sun.

The Mevlevi practice inspired an Egyptian version called tanoura, which uses a colorful skirt. Over time, this style has also been adapted by non-Sufis, including dancers outside the Islamic world.

Origin

The Whirling Dervishes were founded in the 13th century by the spiritual poet Rumi. At first, Sufi fraternities (Arabic: طرائق, romanized: ṭarāʾiq) were organized as groups where members followed specific rules or practices under the guidance of a sheikh or master to build trust with him. A person who joined such a group was called a Persian darwish. These groups, known as turuk, helped organize Islamic religious life. They were often started by independent holy people or formed when existing groups split apart. Each Sufi tariqa comes from a special silsila, or "chain of order," which connects members to Allah through a line of teachers. This chain begins with the individual’s teacher, then continues through their teacher’s teacher, and so on, until it reaches the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet is considered the beginning of Sufism, and the practice has been passed down through a line of holy people.

Practice

A dervish participates in several rituals, with the most important being the dhikr, which means remembering Allah. This ritual includes reciting Islamic prayers. The dhikr is often combined with physical movements, such as dancing and whirling, which outsiders sometimes describe as "ecstatic trances." According to Sufis:

In the Mevlevi order, the dhikr is performed in traditional clothing, including a tennure (a sleeveless white robe), a destegul (a long-sleeved jacket), a belt, and a black overcoat called a khirqa, which is removed before whirling begins. When the ritual starts, the dervish wears a felt cap called a sikke and a turban, a symbol of the Mevlevi order. The sheikh, or spiritual leader, guides the ritual with strict rules.

The Western world, after seeing Sufi whirling through tourism, has described dhikr practices as "barking, howling, dancing, etc." Each tariqa (a specific Sufi group) has unique traditions, and customs may differ by country. Even the same tariqa in different countries may have different practices, as each emphasizes "emotional religious life" in its own way. The Mevleviyah order, like others, performs dhikr through whirling meditation. Along with whirling and prayer, the custom of sama helps participants "nourish the soul" by listening to "subtle sounds" from the spiritual world.

In contrast, some tariqa orders include other practices alongside whirling and prayer, such as playing musical instruments, handling glowing embers, live scorpions, and glass, or performing acts like piercing the body with needles and spikes, clairvoyance, or levitation. Dervish practices are often led by community members or laypeople, who are typically from lower social classes. Women were accepted into a tariqa by a male sheikh but were usually taught to perform dhikr alone or with a group of women in the same order.

The custom of sama has caused debate within Islam. Some argue that "sama" means physically "listening" in a spiritual context, while others say it means "hearing," which can include any sound, including spiritual ones. Supporters of sama claim the term also means "understanding" and refers to recognizing and applying religious teachings or gaining higher knowledge. Sama can also mean listening to a leader who promotes justice and spreads God's message. Sama became popular around the mid-9th century in Baghdad and later spread to Persia, Turkey, and India. Over time, sama was practiced alongside dhikr, whirling, and sometimes dancing or meals. Rules were created to distinguish spiritual practice from entertainment, emphasizing that sama comes from the heart or spirit rather than the ego. Despite these rules, some sheikhs still limited or opposed sama. While debates continued, the music itself was not affected. Today, sama is most commonly performed during dhikr ceremonies. Supporters argue that "sama and dance do not cause ecstasy, but ecstasy leads to dance," and that sama is only a tool that reflects what the listener brings to it.

In 2005, UNESCO recognized the "Mevlevi Sema Ceremony" of Turkey as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Today

During the Middle Ages, Dervish communities played an important role in the social, religious, and political lives of people in areas where Islam is practiced. Dervish groups were once much larger than they are today because governments took control of many Dervish monasteries in these regions. In 1925, the government of Turkey ended all Sufi fraternities by law, but the Mevlevi order survived in small villages across the Middle East. In 1954, the Turkish government allowed the Mevlevi order to perform ritual whirling dances for tourists twice a year. Today, religious scholars who follow strict beliefs have criticized Dervish practices, leading to fewer wandering dervishes who ask for help in central Islamic regions. Even though governments have strictly controlled Dervish activities, the Mevleviyah order still exists in Turkey. Historically, only men were allowed to take part in the ceremony, but now some communities permit women to join.

Regional and secular forms

In Egypt, the practice of whirling is called tanoura (Arabic: التنورة, romanized: el-tanoura). The word tanoura refers to the colorful skirt worn by the whirler, with each color representing a different Sufi group. It can also refer to the dancer, who is usually a man. Tanoura is connected to Sufism and is performed during Sufi festivals. It is also performed by non-Sufis as a traditional or concert dance.

Although the tanoura is mainly used for visual display, the dancers use it to help them balance better by using the spinning force created during the dance.

In Pakistan, at Sufi shrines like the Lal shrine in Sehwan, Sindh, whirling is called Dhamaal. This practice honors Sufi saints, or qalandars. Unlike the Turkish version, Dhamaal can be performed by anyone, including priests and pilgrims. Dhamaal is usually introduced with the sound of a drum (naghara) and the ringing of bells. Pilgrims raise their hands, take small steps while standing still, and gradually enter a trance as the drumbeat speeds up. As the rhythm changes, the drum is accompanied by the shehnai, a musical instrument.

People who practice Dhamaal link the dance to Lal Shahbaz Qalandar and to events after the Battle of Karbala. They believe the drum's rhythm represents the rhythm of the universe’s creation, as described in the idea of "Kun Fyakun."

The tanoura tradition has drawn attention from some Westerners in the belly dancing community. These performers include both men and women, and they perform alone or in groups. Their shows may include fireworks, veils, wings, or ribbons. Techniques from Egyptian tanoura can also help belly dancers improve their balance and reduce dizziness.

Sufi whirling has also been promoted by actor and writer Annabelle Gurwitch as a way to relieve stress.

Physiology

Whirling is a movement where a person spins in a circle without stopping, either clockwise or counterclockwise, around a central point. This motion must be done carefully to avoid feeling dizzy. People who are not trained in whirling often feel dizzy or experience motion-induced vertigo when they spin for long periods. Training for whirling helps improve the inner ear, which controls balance in the human body. To help manage dizziness, whirling dancers practice different balancing and mental techniques.

Records

In 2012, Guinness World Records for "most Sufi whirls in one hour" were given in London. Shafik Ibrahim Abd El Hamed completed 2,905 spins in the male category, and Tara Lee Oakley completed 2,191 spins in the female category. These records were broken in Zurich in 2015 by Nicole McLaren, who completed 3,552 spins.

The longest nonstop spinning performance lasted more than four hours. The record for the most people spinning at the same time is 755, set in Taiwan in 2011.