Konya is also known as the home of the Mevlevi order, the Sufi sect that follows the teachings of Rumi, often called whirling dervishes, due to their distinctive spinning prayer known as Sema.

as the Whirling Dervishes are officially known, is a Sufi movement founded in the 13th century after the death of poet and philosopher Mevlana Rumi. Their spiritual home is Konya, in the central ...

Fasting is half the prayer, the other half is patience,” said Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (1238–1325), the revered Sufi saint.

Rumi conceived of music, poetry and dancing as a way to get closer to God. It was from these ideas he founded the order of the Mevlevi, the "whirling" dervishes, and created the Sema, their sacred ...