During the World is Sound sessions in Turkey, we met with our dear friend Sinan Erdemsel, a Sufi musician and teacher living in the old Fatih neighborhood in Istanbul.
Sinan’s family has been living in the same house in for over 450 years upholding ancient Turkish Sufi practices and traditions there on the property. This generations old family home serves as a cultural center where the music, arts and ceremonies of the Turkish Sufi traditions have been taught for hundreds of years.
Sinan gave us a tour of the dervish lodge (called tekke) where Zikr or Semma ceremonies are held. These incredible beautiful musical/ religious ceremonies involve musicians and singers accompanying dervishes whirling for hours in the ceremonial hall.
The family ancestors are also entombed and buried on the property, which gives a deep sense of history and weight to the environment there. We saw the tombs and the graveyard as the call to prayer was sounding in the distance.
As part of our day on the property, Sinan also put together a private concert of his student ensemble for a performance of traditional Sufi music. It was amazing to see and hear this deep ancient music.
We felt very honored to be able to witness and share this ancient mystical order for this episode. We are excited to share it with you and the world.
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