Turkey Tourism brings culture to centre stage

Turkey Tourism and the Turkish Consulate General in Toronto hosted one of the country’s most renowned cultural displays, welcoming the whirling dervishes of the Mevlevi Order of Sufi Islam.

Performed before a captivated audience, the Sema ceremony is perhaps the best known aspect of the order, in which adherents whirl toward the divine amidst music and prayer, in a ritual practiced since its 14th Century founding in the Turkish city of Konya.

The ceremony was declared by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2008 and Derya Serbetci of the Turkish Consulate General in Toronto told PAX that with the Sufi culture’s long history in the country, it has become synonymous with Turkish culture as a whole.

For travellers looking to witness the ceremony firsthand, Serbetci said that Istanbul’s Galata Dervishes House hosts such events, while each December, travellers descend on Konya to witness the Rumi Commemoration Ceremony (or Seb-i Arus), a longer and more comprehensive version of the ritual celebrating the memory of the Mevlevi Order’s founder.

While Turkey’s culture was the focus of the evening, Serbetci told PAX that there’s plenty of tourism draws to appeal to travellers of all tastes. For those looking to explore history, Turkey’s numerous sites from the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires provide countless opportunities to travel back in time, while its “figurative and physical position as a bridge between Eastern and Western cultures” has allowed for an historically unique blend of culture, arts, and gastronomy which continues to this day.

The country’s landscape also provides ample opportunity for relaxation, adventure, and unique travel experiences, Serbetci said. Beach escapes abound along the shores of the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas, while active travellers can take part in golf, skiing, yachting and ballooning. Unique to Turkey, travellers can also witness the crystal terraces of Pamukkale and the famed Fairy Chimneys and Underground City in Cappadocia.

More information is available at www.tourismturkey.org.