The Mevlevi Order or Mawlawiyya (Turkish: Mevlevilik; Persian: طریقت مولویه) is a Sufi order that originated in Konya, Turkey (formerly capital of the Sultanate of Rum) and which was founded by the followers of Jalaluddin Muhammad Balkhi Rumi, a 13th-century Persian poet, Sufi mystic, and theologian.

Dervish is a common term for an initiate of the Sufi path; whirling is part of the formal sema ceremony and the participants are properly known as semazens.

[4] Naat-i Sharif – The naat marks the beginning of the ceremony in which a solo singer offers a eulogy to the Prophet Muhammad.

According to Celalettin Celebi and Shaikh Kabir Helminski, "The first selam represents the human being's birth to Truth through knowledge, and through his awareness and submission to God.

Lyrics he wrote are often sung during the sema ceremony itself,[12] and both he and Husameddin Chelebi are honoured within the order as accomplished Sufi mystics in their own right.

Their personal efforts to establish the order were continued by Sultan Veled's son Ulu Arif Chelebi.

[4] During the Ottoman period, the Mevlevi order spread into the Balkans, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Palestine, especially in Jerusalem.

Eventually, there were as many as 114 Sufi lodges, the order becoming well established within the Ottoman Empire when Devlet Hatun, a descendant of Sultan Veled, married Bayezid I.

The head of the order is referred to as Çelebi (Chelebi) which means ‘man of God' or ‘noble, courteous' according to Mevlevi historian Abdülbâki Gölpınarlı.

Rumi's Mathnavi and Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi[9] are considered masterpieces of Persian literature, and throughout the centuries the Mevlevi Order has continued its long-standing association with the arts in Turkey.

[10] The most celebrated Mevlevi poet, after Rumi and Sultan Veled, is Shaykh Ghalib Dede (d. 1799), the author of Hüsn ü Aşk and ‘perhaps the last true master of Turkish classical poetry' according to scholar Annemarie Schimmel.

Mustafa Itri (1640–1712), an Ottoman-Turkish musician, composer, singer and poet, is regarded as the master of Turkish classical music[10] Ismail Dede (1778-1846) is also considered one of Turkey's greatest classical composers and wrote the music for the ceremonial songs (ayins) played during the sema ceremony.

[12] Celebrated female musicians and composers include Dilhayat Khalifa (early 1700s) and Layla Saz (late 1800s – also buried at Galata Mevlevihanesi).

According to the International Mevlana Foundation, preceding the ban 'Atatürk uttered the following words about the Mevlevi Order to Abdulhalim Chalabi, "Makam Chalabi" of Konya, and furthermore the Vice President of the First House of Representatives: "You, the Mevlevis have made a great difference by combating ignorance and religious fundamentalism for centuries, as well as making contributions to science and the arts.

[17] Suleyman Dede made a number of trips to the USA, Canada and Europe in the 1970s, and appointed several Westerners as Mevlevi teachers for the first time, including Reshad Feild, David (Daud) Bellak and Kabir Helminski, and sent his son Jelaleddin Loras to live and teach in America.

[18] David Bellak took Suleyman Dede's teaching to Edinburgh in Scotland where he settled in 1982 and established this strand of Mevlevi practice.

Since the 1990s there have been several tours of the United States, including those led by the first Westerner to be officially initiated as a shaikh in the Mevlevi Order, Kabir Helminski.

[19] Since the 1980s, the Helminskis (Kabir and Camille) have presented their own ideas of Mevlevi principles and practice to Western audiences through books, seminars, retreats, and their organisation Threshold Society.

[20] Camille Helminski explains in her book, Women of Sufism, A Hidden Treasure, how Rumi had a number of noteworthy female students, and how in the early days of the order there were instances of female shaikhs and semazens, such as Destina Khatun (who was appointed shaykha of the Kara Hisar Mevlevi lodge).

The following century saw further patronage, particularly from Mehmed, known as the Conqueror, who not only established the first Mevlevi lodge in Istanbul but also restored the Konya fortress and Rumi’s mausoleum, dedicating endowments to maintain the shrine.

[21] During the reign of Bayezid II, Jalal al-Din Rumi’s mausoleum was renewed, its interior was adorned, and luxurious fabric was provided to cover the tomb.

[21] By the late Ottoman period, the Mevlevi Order held a significant ceremonial role in state affairs.

Sultan Mehmed V Reşâd demonstrated reverence for the Mevlevi tradition by involving the order in his enthronement ritual.

[23] Several Persian biographies of Rumi were commissioned during the Ottoman era, including an official Turkish translation of Aflākī’s 14th-century account, ordered by Sultan Murad III in 1590.

Some of the illustrated manuscripts from this period, featuring miniatures depicting Rumi’s life and teachings, are preserved in collections such as the Topkapi Palace Museum and the Morgan Library.

This site hosted the first international conference dedicated to Sultan Walad in 2011, bringing together scholars from around the world to discuss his contributions.