There are several places to see whirling dervish shows, but Monica read about a place to attend an actual Medlevi service. So, we went.
For more than an hour we listened to the group's "spiritual leader," Hassan Dede talk. (Unfortunately, the talk was entirely in Turkish.) Hassan was dressed like a regular fellow, grey slacks and a dark blue polyester shirt. He, and his congregants sat on the floor -- women on one side and men on the other. There were moments of humor. Nothing that looked terribly serious. There were no major variations in tone or pace or volume. And although the only thing that happened for more than an hour was the talk, no one seemed to lose interest.
This picture gives an idea of the simplicity of the building and the decoration. Up front are portraits of Ataturk, Rumi (Mevlana), and Ali. Rumi is considered the founder of the order. The decoration on the sides were quotes from Rumi and perhaps some others -- not in calligraphy, just in a simple typeface.