The 8 Best Whirling Dervishes Ceremonies in Istanbul

1.Hodjapasha Whirling Dervishes Show & Exhibition

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 4,790 reviews · 1 hour · from $32Our pick

Watch Istanbul's Mevlevi Sema at HodjaPasha in a restored Ottoman bath. Classic music, whirling dervishes, and a calm hour.

“This experience is amazing. I wont call it a SHOW, the people involved are deeply spiritual & are almost in a trance during the experience. The 5 Dervish spun for over 35 minutes during the course of the different levels & sections of this experience. It takes alot of dedication & existential concentration to be able to do that. After each level of spinning. They just stop in a dime. I would fall over & beauty very sick after spinning this way. Its a double fulkrum spin. Each person spins & is rotating in around a circle with a diameter of around 50 feet. As they are spinning themselves. its…”

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2.Whirling Dervishes Ceremony and Mevlevi Sema

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 1,694 reviews · 1 hour · from $23

Watch the Mevlevi Sema at Hoca Rüstem Medrese in Istanbul, with live music, whirling dervishes, tea, and an English audio guide for context.

“A mesmerising experience from start to finish. The music and whirling dervishes had us all captivated. A short introduction to the experience would have been beneficial, so we had a greater understanding of the ceremony. Very talented musicians and something not to miss whilst in Istanbul.”

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3.Whirling Dervish Ceremony next to Hagia Sophia

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 906 reviews · 55 min · from $17Best value

See the UNESCO Sema whirling dervish ceremony near Hagia Sophia, with live Turkish music, a guided intro, and tea or sherbet.

“It was very nice with lots of explanations of what we were seeing”

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4.Istanbul Hodjapasha Whirling Dervishes Show & Exhibition

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 503 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $32

Prebook admission for Hodjapasha’s whirling dervishes ceremony plus exhibition in Istanbul. One hour, English, intimate and educational.

“It was so-so. The dancing/whirling didn't start until it was half over. A mysticism of Islam and how it progressed in understanding God's ways. Interesting, but only somewhat.”

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5.Istanbul Traditional Turkish Dinner and Dervish Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 490 reviews · 3 hours to 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $106Top rated

Istanbul whirling dervishes dinner: street food, an up close 800 year Sufi ceremony, then unlimited kebabs, meze, tea, and dessert, plus hotel drop off.

“Such a wonderful experience! The food, the dervishes, the transportation - all of it! Sule, was very warm and kind, sent the group clear instructions via WhatsApp on where to meet and what to expect. She picked the best restaurant and explained the menu, and gave us all kinds of recommendations. She even made us bags to take with us to remember the tour. Don’t get me started on the dervishes - such a mesmerizing and fascinating ceremony. She was a wealth of information about the meaning of the cycles they perform and what to take away from it.”

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6.Whirling Dervish Ceremony: Go on a Spiritual Journey

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 177 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $120

Istanbul’s Hodjapasha Sema ceremony brings Mevleviye whirling dervishes and live Sufi music inside a 15th-century hammam.

“Otherworldly, interesting, and not too long. Anyone with an interest in spirituality would like it. Kids too.”

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7.Traditional Turkish Dinner and Dervish Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 109 reviews · 3.5 hours · from $79

Whirling Dervish ceremony by Byzantine walls, then a 140-year-old family dinner in Istanbul with kebabs, meze, and künefe.

“Our guide shu shu don’t remember the exact name was the best we ever had, very attentive, knowledgeable, and friendly. Will definitely highly recommend. The Food part was the best!! We loved it!! Thanks shu shu for making this experience the cherry on our trip!!”

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8.Whirling Dervish Ceremony

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 45 min · from $34

See Istanbul's 45-minute Sema Whirling Dervish ceremony with skip-the-line entry, bottled water, and a multilingual booklet in Fatih.

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