Whirling Dervishes.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVII, Issue 20, 15 May 1912, Page 37

Whirling Dervishes.

Th? ’ whirling” of the Darweeshes (Dervishes) of Damascus is vividly described by T. C. Fowle in the “Cornhill Magazine.” The “ball” opened very slowly (he writes), the darweeshes walking staidly round in a circle, counter-clockwise. In the meantime music had begun to play slowly, the instruments consisting of a drum, a fiddle, and a pair of cymbals. The music now stopped, the darweeshes stood still in their positions, and the sheikh stepped forward, and uttered a short prayer of exhortation. Again the music began, this time to a faster beat. The darweeshes again began their slow procession round, but as each reached the sheikh, who now stood still at his prayer mat. a change occurred. The sheikh bent forward and kissed the cap of each daiweesh, which was inclined for his salute, and no sooner was this done than, as if moved by some sudden and invisible machinery, the dar-

weesh himself spun away, whirling gi ldily around. While whirling, the darweeshes did not all adopt the same method of holding their arms. nor. indeed, did any one of them keep to the same method the whole way through. S ( »me held their arms at right aijgles to their bodies, others placed them on their hips, others crossed them on their breasts. (hie whom I noticed particularly rested

his head and long cap along his right arm. held at an angle of about 45 degrees up from his shoulder, his left arm being at right angles from his body. During the whirling a little old Imam walked in an I out among the darweeshes, exercising a considerable amount of ingenuity in avoiding their swinging arms. After about ten minutes the music •.eased, the darweeshes ceased spinning, coming to a standstill with their hands on their shoulders, their arms crossed before them: and the sheikh, coming oik into the centre of the circle (he had not as yet taken part in their whirling), bowed gravely to them. The darweeshes returned his salutation, and took rest for a -hort while. Again the music commenced, again tin* darweeshes whirled in the same man ner. and after almost the same space of time stopped, when once more the sheikh bowed and was bowed to. The third and last bout of whirling was lemarkable for the favt that the sheikh took part in it himself —that is. in a modified manner. He did not divest himself of his blue cloak, nor did he twi I on both feet, nor did he extend li.s arms fan- wise. His movements were more dignified, as befitting bis exalted rank. He merely twirled slowly on one foot, holding the lappet of his cloak with his right hand, and letting his left hang loosely by his side. This la>t whirling must have listed fully fifteen minute*. and conclude I as the two others had doin’, with low bows on the part of the sheikh and darweeshes

to each other. Ihe final act was that by which the darwee<hes ki-sed each other’s hands, running up and down the semicircle of their companions bv turns.