Hz. Mevlânâ

Mevlana was born in Balkh, a city in today’s Afghanistan, on September 30, 1207/Rabi’ul-Awwal 6, 604. His father, Muhammad Bahauddin Valad, who came from a well-known scholarly family, made fame by his honorific title, Sultan al-‘Ulama (the Sultan of the Learned), an his mother, Mu’mina Hatun was the daughter of Ruknaddin, Sultan of Balkh, who came also from a noble family.
The real name of Mevlana, as he himself pointed out in his work, Mesnevi, was Muhammad. Although he was given in his time and after his death such nick-names as Hudavandighar, Hunkar, Mevlana, Mevlevi, Shaykh, the Molla of Rum and Rumi, he made reputation by the name Mevlana (our respected Sir) Jalal al-Din al-Rumi.
Mevlana became an examplary representative of the Islamic mysticism, thanks to the formal education and the moral training provided to him by first his father Sultan al-‘Ulama and then the latter’s successor, Sayyid Burhan al-Din Muhaqqiq al-Tirmidhi, and also thanks to the revolutionary efforts of his mentor and friend, Shams, who not only embellished his heart with the beauties of the spiritual world but opened him up to the mysteries of Sufism.
Shams al-Tabridhi, possessed of numerous mysteries, undoubtedly exercised tremendous impact on the life of Mevlana, who in turn found in the former the love which he had long been searching for in books and circles of companies and thus moved with rapture and ecstasy.
Mevlana, the Sun of Gnosticism and Love, passed away from this temporal world and dawned on the heaven of the eternal world, in a cheerful mood, with full brightness and smiles on his face, at the time of sunrise on a Sunday, December 17, 1273 / Jamadha’l-Akhir 5, 672. .
This particular night at which Mevlana departed for his Lord was called by the Mevlevis ‘the night of arrival’ (Shab-i Arus).
The entire city of Konya was submerged in a deep quiteness; so much so that even a sigh and a breath could be heard of.
Mevlana’s belief and spiritual teaching began to be taught and transmitted word by word over the years by his faithful disciples and followers with an admirable sincerity and fidelity to their Master. Such a formidable undertaking led his disciples to the establishment of the Mevlevi Order on the firm foundations laid down by Mevlana himself.
Needless to say, words and pages are not enough to relate all the aspects of Mevlana. We can only invite, therefore, all those who desire to know him more closely, to see and appreciate the beauty of his ever-inspiring and the ever-living teachings, which had been originated from his deep love of God, the Prophet and humanity and kneaded and moulded by his formidable knowledge and experience. Despite the elapse of 732 years after his death, the liveliness and freshness of his teachinsg have persisted upto now and continue to do so forever.

Mevleviyye
The Mawlawiyya is a mystical Order, whose foundations were laid down, right after the death of Mevlana in 1273, by his son, Sultan Valad and continued to be further shaped around the time of his grand-son Ulu ‘Arif Celebi. The major goal of this Order was to introduce the life of Mevlana and his world-view to the subsequent generations, and its overall philosophy was to respect human being as the noble creature of God and instill in mankind the path of love and knowledge.
Sultan Valad has undertaken not only the task of establishing the Mevlevi Order but the duty of relating the life of his father, Mevlana, as well as of transmitting and interpreting the latter’s works in a faithful mannner. By his personal efforts and travels, Sultan Valad has contributed immensely to the development and spread of the Mevleviyye fast and efficiently. Besides, he has given to the Mevlevi Sama‘ (Audition) today’s ritual order (‘ayin).
The Mevlevi Order lost nothing from its original strength and inspiration; on the contrary it has grown further and spread around by its powervful message, placing at its center Mevlana’s overwhelming love for God and His Prophet and treating all humanity with care and respect and embracing them all within that ocean of love.

Mevlevi Rite
Melodious sounds give pleasure to the lovers, because “they became accustomed to and raptured at, beautiful voices in the spiritual world at time of Alast. Whenever they hear a similar voice in this world of the soul, caught in the murky body, being far from that world of the spirits, they at once move out of ecstasy, longing in sadness and ever-increasing passion for the joy of the voice of Alast.”
Mevlana and Mevlevi Order no doubt played an important role in the rise and development of the Classical Turkish Music, as well as of the Religious Music, in the Ottoman and Turkish world. Mevlana treated all of the artists and musicians of his time with respect and honor, and also mentioned the subject of music repeatedly in his works.
Let us try to intoroduce the Sacred Rite (Ayin-i Serif), known also as the Mevlevi Rite, which refers to the composed and chanted section of the Sacred Reciprocal Recitation (Mukabele-i Serif).
Ayin is regarded by the Mevlevis first and foremost as the remembrance of God’s Names (dhikr) and recognized as such in the Mevlevi Order throughout the centuries. The words of an Ayin generally consists of the Persian lyrics and couplets from Mevlana’s works, such as Mesnevi, Divan-i Kebir and Ruba‘iyyat, though on rare occasions they are extracted from the works of other Mevlevi poets such as Sultan Valad, Ulu Arif Celebi, Aflaki Dede, Seyh Galib, Mulla Jami, Seyhi, Semti, Gavsi Dede, and the works of the folk poets, like Yunus. (It is worth-mentioning that after Mevlana, Turkish lyrics began to be used in the Mevlevi ritual songs.) Composed by the Mevlevi musicians and other composers in various modes, the whole Ayin is divided into four parts, each called Salam. The Ayin, which is the longest form of the classical Sufi (Tekke) music, begins with an introductory instrumental piece, known as the first Pashraw, which consists of four sections, and ends with a concluding piece, known as the last Pashraw, which lends itself ultimately to the routinely performed musical piece.
“Ayins (Sacred Mevlevi Rites) are monumental pieces of the Turkish Music. In terms of its mode, rhythmic pattern and modulation, it is rare to find such an impressive musical form that articulates divine sentiments in a meticulously measured notes.”.
The rhythmic patterns used in the composition of the Ayin and modulations are arranged according to certain rules.
The Pashraw of the Ayin, which runs in the rhythmic pattern of Davr-i Kabir and is generally performed in double form, is composed in such a meticulous way that will give order and harmony to the circular movement of the Davr-i Valadi, known also as Sultan Valad’s Davr, consisting of three turns, at each of which the dervishes greet one another. ...
The Ayin consists of four salams. In the first Salam, such rhythmic patterns as Davr-i Ravan, Agir Duyek, and Duyek are generally employed. The first and third salams, as compared to the second and the fourth ones, relatively longer. The rhythmic pattern used in the secod salam is usually that of Evfer. Most of the modulation and the movement from one mode to another take place in the fourth salam. This salam begins usually in the rhythmic pattern of Davr-i Kabir. The intensity of the beats in the fourth salam, however, is rather different from that of the beats sruck during the Pashraw and is not doubled. Instead of Davr-i Kabir, other rhythmic patterns, as Agir Duyek, Frankchin, Fahte, and Double Duyek are also used, though rarely. Later it is proceeded to the rhythmic pattern of Aksak. At this juncture, an instrumental melody without lyrics is played, which is followed by the chanting of the lyrics, beginning with the words, Ey ki hezar aferin. With the performance of these lyrics, which are written by Ahmad Eflaki Dede, and which occur certainly in all ayins, the rhythmic pattern changes to Yuruk Sema‘i. At this section, the rhythm of the ayin is speeded up especially when the non-wordy melodies are played. The rhythmic pattern of the fourth salam is always Evfer. This particular salam is also the last section of the wordy part of the Ayin and is performed considerably slowly. The whole Ayin comes to an end by the performance of first the last Pashraw, which is composed in the rhythmic pattern of Duyek, and then the last Yuruk Sama‘i.
All kinds of the modes of the classical Turkish Music may be used in the composition of the Mevlevi Ayins. Transitions from one mode to another, during the first Pashraw and the wordy part of the Ayin, are always possible. These transitions and modulations add rather beauty, aesthetics and harmony to the Ayin.
Since it is chanted primarily as a form of dhikr (God’s remembrance) during the audition (sama‘), the Ayin is a spiritual and mystical song and as such it is expected to kindle and even flourish divine love in the hearts of its performers, the whirling dervishes (semazens), and the observing listeners, and also to give them tranquility, serenity and peace.
Ayins are naturally expected to be composed in a dervishic-style, namely in high-spirit and exciting pattern. Let us relate here what Dede Efendi stated about this subject, when he produced his Ayin of the Bestenigar rhythmic pattern in 1832: “All dervish brothers should know that this humble servant [of God] is privileged to have composed seven ayins. However, while arranging and composing every couplet of the ayin [I felt as if] the Venerated Pir was uttering the words from the tongue of this poor fellow. So much so that I turned into an empty-handed, miserable destitute, with no involvement whatsoever in the composition of the ayins nor in the selection of the modes, but with the prerogative and permission of our Master, the Venerated Mevlana, who gave his hand to me.” As has been noted in these beautiful words of Dede, the ayins should be composed in a spiritual fashion and within the spirit linking to God.
One can see a striking feature of the Mevlevi ayins when they are chanted and played at the performance of the Sema‘ (Mevlevi audition). The monitoring of the dhikr, encountered virtually in all other mystical Orders, is not seen in the Mevlevi Sama‘. For the ayin is so carefully composed that the participants therein need not be monitored. Nevertheless, as the Pashraws and the beginnig and ending parts of the salams are played, the drum-player (kudumzen) only comes to forefront as a sort of conductor, but without interfering in the course of the performence unless there is a need for it. In other words, the dhikr-conductor who is responsible for monitoring the dhikr rituals in other Orders takes no part in the Mevlevi Order. The dhikr is rather conducted according to the melodic composition of the Ayin.
Hammamizade Ismail Dede Efendi, who was one of the most eminent composers of the Turkish Music, has composed seven Ayins. All of them are no doubt the product of an extraordinary quality in terms of its musicality and aesthetic form. Among all of his ayins the one composed in the Huzzam mode, which is at the same time a precious piece of the Turkish Classical Music, is reportedly liked and appreciated most.
The present Ayin is composed by Hafiz Ahmet Calisir in the mode of Hijzakar, a mode, which, because of its melancholic nature, is not normally preferred in the performance of the religious music, and nor yet has it been ever applied to the composition of an entire ayin, but rather for minor transitions here and there in several ayins. From this particular angle, Calisir’s ayin is quite unique, for it is the first examplary piece in this mode of Hijazkar, and with its rich melodies, smoothness, and artistic quality it represents an examplary piece of the traditional ayin form.
In order to compose a Mevlevi ayin, the artist musician has to be not only a good composer but also knowledgeable enough in understanding Mevlana’s life and philosophy and in analyzing the Mevlevi tradition and its concepts and rituals, like Sama‘. Moreover, he ought to study well all the ayins composed before and examine them carefully and closely. Having been equipped with all these qualifications, the composer cares to select, from Mevlana’s works, especially from his Mesnevi, Diva-i Kabir, and Ruba‘iyyat, the lyrical words that will suit well for the prosodic structure of his composition, in such a way that the melodic tones and words should correspond to, and complement each other harmoniously. In any case, the composer should possess sufficient knowledge about the appropriate choice of the lyrics for the ayin to be composed.

Mevlevi Ritual
Sema is commonly understood among ordinary people as the play-show of the Mevlevi Ayin. The real name of the ayin of the Mevlevi Sema is in reality Mukabele-i Serife, i.e. the Mevlevi Sacred Ritual.
The Mevlevi Mukabele (Ritual) is performed in the special sections of the Tekkes (Dervish Convents), called Semahane (the Sema chamber), which is generally hedged by fences and bars. Every Sama‘ chamber has a platform, called zuvvar maksuresi, reserved for visitors, divided for men and women, and also a wide hall a certain portion of which is occupied by the musicians, namely the ayin singers and players, which is called mutribhane (the platform of the instrument players). The hall itself, which is either of circular in shape or octagon (though the sama chamber in the Mevlana’s own Lodge, today’s Museum, is of square shape, and does include the Mosque, too, due to the later renovations and modifications), is called meydan-i serif, the Noble Square, used by the samazans (the sama‘ performers) who whirl in the company of the musicians and ayin singers.
The Mevlevi Noble Greeting (Mevlevi Mukabelesi) was performed, at the time of the Venerated Mevlana himself, in the form of Sema‘ with love and ecstasy and far from any regulating rules or ceremonial procedures. Later on, particularly through the efforts of Ulu Arif Celebi, a set of rules and ceremonial rites have been instituted for the performance of the Mukabele. Although it used to be performed only in the Mevlevi lodges in the past, it has now become a common mystical ritual, which can be performed in any place, provided that it is suitable in terms of [Mevlevi] ethics and location.

The Mevlevi Mukabele is performed according to the tradition as follows:
On the day or night when the Mukabale is to be performed, the Dede in charge comes to the Sema chamber sometime before the prayer starts and picks up the Seyh’s post (red-dyed sheepskin mat) laying in reverse on the floor and puts it on his shoulder. Then he goes to his own circle and asks for Seyh’s permission to do sema. The Seyh grants it by saying “eyvallah” (i.e. go ahead by God’s Will), which is followed by the Dede’s loud call to the dervishes: ‘proceed to taking the minor ablution and wearing the tennure (long white robe).” He then takes the post to the Semahane and places it, if the Mukabele is to performed in the Konya Asitane, under the Dome of the Post in front of the Silver cage just before Mevlana’s sarcophagus. If, however, it is performed in any Semahane outside Konya, then he lays the post there in front of the mihrab (the niche indicatong the kible, the direction of the Ka‘ba), facing towards the musical performers (seated opposite the mihrab). Thereafter, the ezan, call to the prayer, is read out. The dervishes who will enter into the sema, wea their Mevlevi attire. Keeping the tennures that are folded inside out under their arms and facing towards the kible, they kneel down and sit humbly on the floor and recite for Mevlana’s spirit the chapter of the Ikhlas thrice and that of the Fatiha once. While seated, they kiss the collar of the tennure and put it over the head to the bottom, and as such the outside of the tennure turns inside. Then they rise up and tie the girdles known as elifi nemed or elif-lam around their waists and put on a special vest known as deste-gul. They also wear over their shoulders a long and wide, black cloak with wide arms, called resim hirkasi (the cloak worn for the ceremony). They complete their ceremonial costum by wearing at last the sikke, the conical-shaped hat.
As soon as the Dede who is in charge in the hall calls out with his loud voice, “Buyurun Yahu,” (Come in, please), then all the dedes and others who are invited to the ritual start entering the Sema hall one by one with no order of seniority but on first-come-first basis. While entering the Semahane, they stand at the interior door, their hands crossed on the bosom, their feet pressed on the floor (in such a way that the toe of their right foot is placed slightly over that of the their left foot), and they salute by bending slightly their bodies foreward and their heads down towards right side and turning their face down to the heart. Starting from the place nearby the Seyh’s post they now take their places in order of hierarchy according to their seniority and position in the Mevlevi circles and wait on standing. Meanwhile, the players and singers who will perform the Ayin take their places in the Mutribhane (the place allocated specifically to the musical performers in the Sema hall). They all await the coming of the Seyh to the hall while they stand in the position just described above, namely their hands crossed over their bosoms and their feet stamped on the floor. This particular posture, which symbolizes the Unity of God, is called the Niyaz Vaziyeti, the posture of plea and supplication.
The Seyh enters the Sema hall together with the dede in charge on his right side in the back, and placing the toe of his right foot over the toe of the left foot he salutes the dervishes, who in turn return his salutation secretly. Thereafter the Seyh proceeds to his post. (In the rituals that are performed in Konya the red mat (post) is placed underneath the dome of the post and left it there unoccupied.) In the meantime, everybody in the sema hall wears their cloak and walks towards the center. They all stand in rows and start offering the prayer, which they perform exactly the same as is held in the mosque and end it with the Seyh’s recitation of the Fatiha.
Once the prayer is over, they leave the rows and start taking their new places by facing at the same time their faces towards the Mesnevi Chair (Mesnevi Kursu). The Seyh or the Kar-i Mesnevi (i.e. the Dede who is in charge of reading the Mesnevi) sits, facing towards the kible, on the prayer-rug which is spread open by the responsible dede known as the meydanci under the Chair and commences reading the couplets of the Mesnevi that need to be expounded. Right after the interpretation of the relevant couplets, a short passage from the Qur’an is recited in the platform of the musical performers, which is followed by the recitation of the Fatiha by the Seyh from his Chair. As the Seyh is descending from the Chair, all the dervishes stand up after kissing the floor and take their places on the right-hand side of the kible in the Semahane. If no commentary on the Mesnevi is held, though quite seldom, then the dervishes take their places immediately after the offering of the prayer. On such circumstance, the supplication from the post is done when the Seyh seated on the post.
All the ayins performed at the mystical Orders commence with the salutations (salawat) offered for the Noble Prophet as an expression of love and veneration for him. Such expression is carried out in the Mevlevi Ayin by means of the hymn or the chanting of the litanies uttered by Mevlana, known as the Naat-i Mevlana. Mevlana’s famous lyrics which begin “Ya Habiballah, Rasul-i Khalik-i yekta tuyi (O Allah’s Beloved, you are the Messenger of the peerless and the One Creator),” had been composed in the mode of Rast by Mustafa Itri Efende, one of the master-composers of the Turkish Music. This masterpiece has been chanted for more than two centuries in all the Mevlevi centers, as well as in other Tekkes, whenever needed. This work of Itri is the most well-known composition of the Naat, which was suggested by Abdulhalim Celebi (d. 1679) and Bostan Celebi II (d. 1705) as recommendation from the Celebi Post for its recitation in all the Mevlevi ayins prior to the improvisation performed by the Ney player.
During the recitation of the Naat there prevails a complete silence. When the recitation is over, the head kudum player (kudumzenbasi) strikes the kudum (double drum) a few times with a pair of sticks called zahme as if sounding symbloically God’s order, “Be”. Then follows the Ney improvisation performed either by the head ney player or reed-piper (neyzenbasi) or any other ney player in the group appointed by the former. This is called post taksim (i.e. the instrumental improvisation performed for the post). As the instrumental improvisation goes on, the transitional modes and modulations, chosen completely at neyzen’s own will, run, nevertheless, according to the mode of the ayin to be performed for that day or night and end in the same mode. Then the head double-drum player gives a signal by hitting once on the drum for the commencement of the pashraw. At this moment the Seyh Efendi and sema performers (semazen) strike the floor forcefully with their hands and stand up at once. Such striking is called Darb-i Jalal (The Strike of the Majesty). The ney-pipers, too, rise and participate in the performance.
The sema performers, while standing and tiding their cloak, approach one another by moving towards right right. The Seyh this time stands before the post and salutes with his head. Also the rest salute along with him. Thereafter the Seyh turns right and, in accordance with the rhythm of the pashraw, begins to walk, first taking his right step forward and witholding his left step and then taking his left step forward and witholding his right step. The semazens standing on the side and facing to the center turn right and start marching in the same manner. The person behind the Seyh who is called semazenbasi the chief sema-performer or the master of the sema presses his feet together when he reaches before the post and crosses by his right foot over the supposedly existing equatorial line or imaginary line between the post and the platform of the musicians, a line which cannot be stepped by anyone but the Seyh. Then the chief semazen, without turning his back against the post, faces himself towards the same direction of his coming and wait by pressing again his feet together. Meanwhile, the semazen behind him also approaches before the post. He too presses his feet together and in front of the post the two dervishes look at each other’s face and come to eye-to-eye, focusing especially between their eyebrows and then placing their right hands over their hearts under their cloaks they greet each other. As the person on the right side of the post, without turning his back against the sema hall, start marching towards the right direction, the other semazen behind him follows him in the same way and makes the same motion. In the same way, the rest of the semazens greet one another, which is called “cemal seyri” (beholding the face) or “cemal cemale gelmek” (come face-to-face). By crossing the supposedly existing equator before the post that divides the sema hall into two segments, the semazens press their feet together and continue to march without coming face-to-face. If the sema is taking place in a sema hall that houses a tomb, then the semazens, while passing by the tomb, bow their heads as a sign of respect and greeting. When the Seyh completes one tour and arrives before the post, he encounters the dervish with no seniority. In other words, the Seyh who has the highest seniority meets the dervish who has no seniority at all. This ritual of marching goes on in the same fashion three times. Marching round the sema hall three times at a measured pace with humility is called devri veledi (the cycle of the Sultan Veled). The musicians continue to play while the dervishes are walking around the hall. If the pashraw ends before the completion of the tour, they start over again to play it.
At the third tour the semazen who is last in the row salutes without waiting the Seyh and goes on to march. As soon as he gets the last spot in the row, the Seyh takes his place on the post. In the meantime, the chief kudum player strikes strongly a few times with the sticks on the double drum so as to give signal for the termination of the pashraw and then a very short ney improvisation orienting the mode ensues. Abdulbaki Golpinarli claims that as the Seyh approaches the post at the end of the cycle of Veled, the pashraw ends and one of the instruments makes improvisation until the Seyh sits on the post. But we have not found any information to this effect in other sources. Besides, the sema is performed today in the same way as we have so far stated, which has also been narrated by Tugrul Inancer. (The mutual salutation of the dervisjes at the Sultan Veled cycle takes place, in the Konya Asitane, not in front of the post, but before the sarcophagus of the Venerable Mevlana.) During the cycle of Veled every one in the hall repeatedly and quietly remembers and chants the name of God.
The ayin reciters at the platform of the musicians begin to sing the ayin, right after the completion of the ney improvisation, in the company of the instruments. Except for the Seyh on the post and the head of the semazens who monitors the sema, all the semazens take off their cloaks from their shoulders and leave them on the places where they are seated and take on the appropriate position (niyaz) for the sema. The Seyh then advances three steps from the post and salutes with his head. The rest also salute together with him. As the Seyh is holding his right had over his left hand, the chief semazen approaches him and kisses his open hand and the Seyh in turn bends and kisses the semazen’s sikke (conical-shaped hat). According to the signal given by the chief semazen, depending on the forward or backward movement of his right foot, the next semazen, after saluting the Seyh exactly the same way as the chief semazen has done, takes three steps forward and begins to perform the sema (ritual whirling). The dervishes let their hands down slowly from their shoulders and contact them with their bodies and sikkes and raise them upward from the level of shoulder and turn the palm of the right hands up and that of their left hands down. In this way, they perform the sema. Also, the semazen bends his head slightly down on the right side and turns his face slightly to the left, while narrowing his eyes and looking at the thumb of of his left hand. When the last semazen starts performing the sema in the same manner, the chief semazen first salutes the Seyh by bowing his head down and then goes around in order to monitor the sema. As for the Seyh, he moves back and goes behind the post and watches the sema while standing.
In parallel to the saying of Mevlana, “our left foot remains stationed on the Shari ‘ah, whereas our right foot travels through [the countries of ] seventy-two nations,” the semazen’s left foot is called the direk (rod) and his right foot wheel in accordance with the course, harmony and performance of the sema. Since the rod is fixed in the religious roots (the Shari‘ah), it is never cut off from the ground and nor bent. The wheel, inclining towards right (the heart), turns around the rod, which in turn goes on circling until it returns to its pristine position. Hence the body’s one full rotation around itself is also called ‘wheel’ (cark or carh). Spinning the rod without dragging it on the floor is named direk tutmak (the dervish’s keeping his position as fixed and stationary. The semazen, in his every rotation, recites in his heart the Name of the Majesty (Allah). The sema goes on in this form until the end of the selam.
The ending of the first selam of the ayin and the beginning of its second selam is understood from the change of the rhythmic pattern of the composition. The moment the semazens discern this change, they stop with their faces turned towards the center of the sema hall, called Kutuphane (Library) and salute in the appropriate posture and lean one another, from shoulder to shoulder, within the groups of either two by two or three by three. When the Seyh advances forward from the post and salutes with his head, again the rest salute too. The Seyh first reads the supplication pertinent to the selam in question and moves back and takes his place behind the post. Then all of them give their salutation once again. The chief semazen and the other semazens proceed to perform the sema as they have done in the first selam, except that they this time, unlike the first selam, do no kiss hand and sikke. The second selam continues in the same way and again with the change of the rhythmic pattern in the composition the semazens enter the third selam. The same procedure is repeated as well during the entry into the fourth selam.
In the fourth selam, the semazens, instead of moving toward the center, perform the sema by lining up on the side of the hall. The center is left vacant. Following the last semazen’s entry into the sema, all the semazens perform the sema in their own orbit as fixed and without moving around, which is called, as stated above, ‘direk tutmak’. The chief semazen entreats and then sends all the semazens in their respective places. Then he himself takes his place on the left side of the Seyh and halts. The Seyh moves forward from his post and offers his supplication and begins to perform the sema. He takes hold of the right-hand side of his cloak with his left hand from the waist and of the collar with his right hand and by opening slightly his cloak from the front side he performs the sema. He, like the semazens do, inclines his head down the shoulder to the right side while facing it to the left. By whirling over the imaginary line of equator he comes all the way to the center of the semahane. At this particular point he too maintains a fixed and stationary position (direk tutmak). The Seyh’s slow whirling as such is called Post Semai. In like manner, the chief semazen also performs the post semai in his own place.
As soon as the oral part of the ayin in the fourth selam is over, the instrumental players at once begin to play the last pashraw. If the Niyaz litany in the Segah mode is to be played, an instrumental player first makes an improvisation in lieu of the last yuruk semai in the 6/4 rhythmic pattern and thus prepares transition to the mode of Segah. Then is played the litany (ilahi), which is concluded with another instrumental improvisation. During this last improvisation, the Seyh who retains his fixed position in the center start moving back slowly to his post. Once he reaches the post, the improvisation ends. Consequently, a competent person in the platform of the musicians, most likely a Hafiz (one who has committed the whole Qur’an to his memory), start reciting a portion from the Qur’an. Meanwhile, all the semazens kiss the floor and sit there, while their hands are over shoulders and their heads bow down. The semazens who did not participate in whirling in the last selam put the cloaks over the shoulders of the semazens who have performed the sema. They all sit down on their normal positions and listen attentively to the Qur’an. Soon after the recitation of the Qur’an, the Duaci Dede or Duagu Dede (the Dede responsible for offering the supplication), sitting on an appropriate place on the left of the Seyh first utters the words of Takbir (God is Great) and the greetings to the Prophet and calls out all to read Fatiha, which is then recited secretly by all of the participants there. Thereafter, all the semazens stand up together with the Seyh, who reads on his post the special prayer called Gulbank, a prayer which is peculiar to the Mevlevis and which ends with the expression of “Hu diyelim”, let us state hu (He). Thereupon, all the musicians and the semazens in one breath and one voice say collectively and loudly, “HU”. As the Seyh leaves his post and offers his greeting loudly, the chief semazen returns the greeting in a higher voice by extending it with “HU”. The semazens too join in this form of greeting. At this moment, the Seyh walks towards the door at the opposite side of the post. And when he gets the center, he again offers his greeting, which is this time returned by the chief double-drum player and the chief ney-piper. The musicians salute together with the Seyh when he comes to the exit and turns to the post. Following the departure of the Seyh, every body leaves the hall by giving one by one their greetings to the post. (If the sema is performed in a semahane that houses tombs, they all read first the Fatiha when they stand up and then the Gulbank.)
The Mevlevi Mukabele (ritual) ends right after the Dede in charge removes the post from the floor and folds it.
The Mevlevi rituals used to be performed generally after the Friday prayer in the Tekkes outside Istanbul. They were held on certain days in five Mevlevi halls in Istanbul, Fridays and Tuesdays at Galata, Saturdays at Uskudar, Sundays at Kasimpasa, Mondays and Thursdays at Yenikapi, and Wednesdays at Besiktas (later on Eyup Bahariye). In addition, the ayins were held at special nights, known as the nights of revival, and on special occasions, as festivals and blessed nights, as well as on the caliphal ceremonies.