Whirling Dervish Shows in Istanbul

Galata Mevlevi House Museum Entrance Fee & Opening Hours

Naturally, Konya (Iconium) is the first place that comes to mind when you think about watching a whirling dervish show in Turkey. Konya is the homeland of Islamic mysticism that dates back to 13^th century. During the time of Seljuk Turks.

However, you can watch the famous whirling dervish show in Istanbul too. Don’t forget that Istanbul is the cultural center of Turkey and you can find all sorts of cultural activities in this amazing city.

No matter how famous whirling dervish show can be, most people still don’t have enough knowledge about the philosophy behind it. Therefore, I will try to explain in this post what whirling dervish performance really means.

Whirling Derwishes Show at Hodjapasha Cultural Center

What’s Mawlavi Ritual? What does Whirling Dervish Mean?

Mawlawi dervishes receive their names from Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi. Mevlana is a philosopher, poet and an opinion leader who lived between 1207-1273 in Konya. Sufis (Mawlawi dervishes) tried to strengthen their belief by prayers, Sufi music and whirling dervish performance.

Whirling Dervish Performance is the ritual style of Mawlavi Dervishes and it can be watched as a show today. Although it is performed at a theatre hall, if you focus on its thousands of years of holy meaning, you can enjoy it even more.

Where Can You Watch a Whirling Dervish Show?

• Galata Mevlevihanesi Whirling Derwishes Performance Hall

Galata Mawlavi House is undoubtedly the most famous Mawlavi center in Istanbul. It’s located on the ramp from Galata Tower to Tunnel Square and Istiklal Avenue (Named as Galip Dede Street).

Whirling dervish shows are performed at 17:00 every Sunday.

The hall where the show is performed can hold up to 150 spectators. Therefore, you are suggested to buy your tickets earlier in the day. During the times when the interest is high, it might be hard to find a ticket around the starting time of the show.

The ticket price per person at Galata Mawlavi House is 100 Turkish Liras.

Whirling Derwishes Show at Galata Mevlevi House Museum

• Hodjapasha Cultural Center Whirling Dervishes and Dance Activities

Hodjapasha Cultural Center was founded where an old Ottoman hamam used to be. It boasts a nice hall and an experienced group of whirling dervishes. It’s located at Cagaloglu Yokusu, nearby Sirkeci Tram Station, and Marmaray Sirkeci Station.

Hodjapasha attracts the attention of tourists as well as locals thanks to being one of the best places to watch traditional folk dances and whirling dervish shows.

Whirling dervish shows are performed a few days in a week at Hodjapasha Cultural Center and ticket price per person is 110 Turkish Liras. You can purchase the ticket from this link.

Galata Mevlevi House Museum during the Ottoman Empire

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Galata Mevlevi House Museum Entrance Fee 2019

Galata Mevlevi House Museum admission fee is 14 Turkish Liras per person. Visitors under 18 and above 65 are allowed to enter the museum for free and Istanbul Museum Pass is also valid at Galata Mevlevi Museum.

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Galata Mevlevi Museum Opening Hours 2019

There are two different visiting schedule (winter and summer season) at Galata Mevlevi Museum.

Visiting Hours in Summer Season

It’s open from 09:00 to 19:00 between 15 April – 2 October

Visiting Hours in Winter Season

It opens from 09:00 to 17:00 between October 3 – April 14

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Galata Mevlevi House Museum Entrance Fee Blog Article by Serhat Engul

Galata Mevlevi House Museum Entrance Fee, Opening Hours 2019