Difficulty of Access to the Chapel of the Howling
Dervishes—Invitation to Visit their Harem—The Chapel—Sects
and Trades—Entrance of the Dervishes—Costume—The
Prayer—Turning Dervishes—Fanatical Suffering—Groans and
Howls—Difficulty of Description—Sectarian Ceremony—Music
versus Madness—Tekiè of the Turning Dervishes.
Of all the religious ceremonies of the East, those of the different
sects of Dervishes are the most extraordinary, and, generally speaking,
the most difficult of access. The Turning Dervishes alone freely admit
foreigners, and even provide a latticed gallery for the use of the
women: while their chapels are usually so situated as to enable the
passer-by to witness all that is going on within. The more stern and
bigoted sects, on the contrary, permit none but Mussulmauns to intrude
upon their mysteries, and build their chapels in obscure places, in
order to prevent the intrusion of Christians.
I had heard much of the Howling Dervishes, and had made many
unsuccessful attempts at Constantinople to penetrate into their Tekiè;
but they are so jealous of strangers that I was unwillingly compelled
to give up all idea of accomplishing my object, when, on arriving at
Broussa, and finding how comparatively easy it was to gain admittance to
the mosques, I resolved to renew my endeavours. But I found that even
here many difficulties were to be overcome; difficulties which, of
myself, I never could have surmounted; when, having fortunately made the
acquaintance of a gentleman who was known to the High Priest, and who
had already witnessed their service, I prevailed on him to exert his
influence for me, in which he fortunately succeeded.
On arriving at the Tekiè, we found that the service had not yet
commenced, and we accordingly seated ourselves on a stone bench in the
little outer court, to await the gathering of the fraternity. While we
remained there, one of the principal Dervishes approached us, and
offered, should I desire it, to admit me into the interior of the harem
to visit the women; but, as the ceremonies were shortly to commence in
the chapel, and I was already suffering extremely from the heat, I
declined to profit by the indulgence.
The chapel, which was up stairs, was approached by an open entrance,
having on the left hand a small apartment whose latticed windows looked
into this place of mystery; and into this room we were admitted, after
having taken off our shoes; while a couple of youths were stationed
within the gallery of the chapel itself, in order to prevent the crowd
from impeding our view.
A large square apartment surrounded by a low gallery, and ornamented
like the mosques, with written passages from the Koràn; upon whose walls
were suspended battle-axes, tambourines, and half a dozen small Arabian
drums; and whose arched recess was shaded by three banners of the sacred
green, and overlaid with a rich crimson rug, formed the chapel of the
Howling Dervishes. Within the niche, framed and glazed, were suspended
the names of the Prophets, a huge chaplet, and a green scarf; and on
each side a small portion of the gallery was railed off for the
convenience of a few individuals of rank. One of these was already
occupied by a solemn-looking Turk, in a frock-coat and _fèz_,
doubtlessly one of the sect, who had withdrawn from the public exercise
of his religion.
I know not whether I have elsewhere noticed that every Musselmaun,
however high his rank, has a trade and a peculiar faith—thus the Sultan
is a Turning Dervish and a Tooth-pick maker—and I have consequently no
doubt but the Turk in question had an individual interest in the
ceremonial. He was accompanied by a child of about six years of age,
dressed precisely like himself, and attended by a black slave. I was
more confirmed in my opinion relative to the father by watching the
gestures of the son, who imitated every motion of the Dervishes during
the service with the most perfect exactness, and who was accommodated
with a rug near the seat of the High Priest.
The throng which pressed into the chapel was immense, and the heat most
oppressive; while the youths who guarded our windows were kept in
constant action by the strenuous efforts made by the crowd to occupy the
vacant space. I never saw a finer set of men—such bright black eyes,
fine foreheads, and sparkling teeth.
At length a low chanting commenced in the court, and a train of
Dervishes, headed by the High Priest, slowly ascended to the chapel.
They had no peculiar costume, save the chief himself, who wore a
magnificent green turban with a white crown, and a cloak of
olive-coloured cloth. He was a pale, delicate-looking man of about one
or two-and-twenty, whose father had been dead a couple of years; when,
as the dignity is hereditary throughout all the sects of the Dervishes,
he had succeeded to the painful honours of the crimson rug. There was
something melancholy in seeing this sickly youth lead the nine fanatics
who followed him to the upper end of the chapel, to commence their
agonizing rites; and as he stepped upon the rug, with the palms of his
hands turned upwards, and the attendant Dervishes cast themselves on the
earth, and laid their foreheads in the dust, I felt a thrill of pity for
the ill-judged zeal and blind delusion which was rapidly wearing him to
the grave.
One of the causes adduced by this sect of their disinclination to admit
Christians to their worship is the frequent recurrence of the name of
Allah in their orizons, which should never be uttered in an atmosphere
polluted by the breath of a Giaour. I presume that, in our case, their
consciences were quieted by the intervention of the wooden lattices, and
the reflection that we were not actually within the chapel.
The prayer was long and solemn; not a sound was audible, save the low
monotonous chant of the High Priest, and the deep responses of his
followers, who, ere it ended, had increased in number to about fifty. At
its close, the whole of the Dervishes formed a ring round the chapel,
and one of the elders, of whom there were four, spread in the recess a
fine tiger skin, upon which the High Priest took his place; and then,
turning his face towards Mecca, and murmuring a low prayer, to which the
rest replied by stifled groans, he invested himself with the green scarf
which I have already mentioned, and, resuming his seat upon the rug,
commenced a species of chant, which was echoed by the whole fraternity:
every individual swinging himself slowly to and fro, as he sat with his
feet doubled under him upon the floor. Every moment added to their
numbers, and each on his arrival cast off his slippers at the entrance,
and advanced barefooted to the place of the High Priest; where, after
praying silently for a moment with outstretched palms, he stroked down
his beard, and, bending on one knee, pressed the hand of his leader to
his lips and forehead, and then took up a position in the ring; which
ultimately became so thronged that the individuals who composed it
pressed closely upon each other, and, as they swung slowly to and fro,
appeared to move in one dense mass.
The ceremony was at this point, when the Chief of the Turning Dervishes,
accompanied by his two principal Priests, arrived to assist at the
service of his fellow-Dervish. The chant ceased as they entered the
chapel; the youthful leader of the Howling Dervishes bent down in his
turn, and pressed the hand of his visitor to his lips, while the stately
guest kissed the cheek of the pale stripling who passed forward to greet
his companions, and after conducting them to the place of honour, seated
himself beside them.
The chanting was then resumed, and after a time increased in quickness;
while at intervals, as the name of Allah was pronounced, some solitary
individual uttered a howl, which I can compare to nothing but the cry of
a wild beast.
Things had progressed thus far, when suddenly a strong voice shouted,
“Allah Il Allah!” and a powerful man sprang from the floor, as though he
had been struck in the heart, fell forward upon his head, and by a
violent spasm rolled over, and lay flat upon his back, with his arms
crossed on his breast, and his whole frame as rigid as though he had
stiffened into death. His turban had fallen off, and the one long lock
of hair pendent from the centre of his head was scattered over the
floor—his mouth was slightly open, and his eyes fixed—in short, the
convulsion was a terrific one; and it was not before the lapse of
several minutes that two of the fraternity, who hastened to his
assistance, succeeded in unclasping his hands, and changing his
position. Having ultimately raised him from the floor, still in a state
of insensibility, they carried him to the crimson rug, and laid him at
the feet of the High Priest, who stroked down his beard, and laid his
right hand upon his breast; they then continued to use all their efforts
to produce re-animation; and having ultimately succeeded, they seated
him once more in his place, and left him to recover himself as he might.
The howling still continued at intervals, and as the chanting and the
motion increased in violence, these miserable fanatics appeared to
become maddened by their exertions; when, at a certain point of the
ceremony, four of the fraternity, who had green scarfs flung over their
left shoulders, advanced, one by one, to the seat of the High Priest,
and there slowly, and with much parade, transferred them first to their
necks, and afterwards to their waists, and ultimately took their stand,
two on each side of the _mihrab_, or recess.
After the lapse of a short interval the High Priest rose and advanced
into the centre of the ring, where he took possession of a carpet that
had been spread for him, having immediately behind him two of the
assistant priests; and they then commenced a prayer, the effect of which
was thrilling. The young chief delivered a sentence in a clear,
melodious voice, and paused; when the whole fraternity responded by a
long groan: again and again this was repeated, only interrupted from
time to time by some wild, fiendish howl, the individual who uttered it
tossing back his head, and flinging his arms into the air with the
gesture of a maniac.
To this prayer succeeded another low sustained wail, during whose
continuance the priests collected the turbans, pelisses, cloaks,
pistols, and yataghans of the Dervishes, who, springing to their feet,
stood in a circle about their chief; and then commenced the painful
portion of their service. The measure of the chant was regulated by the
High Priest, who clapped his hands from time to time to increase its
speed: himself and his four green-girdled assistants uttering the words
of the prayer, while the fraternity, rocking themselves to and fro, kept
up one continual groan, rising and falling with the voices of the choir.
Howl succeeded to howl, as the exhaustion consequent on this violent
bodily exertion began to produce its effect; until at length strong men
fell on the earth on all sides like children, shrieking and groaning in
their agony—some struggling to free themselves from the grasp of those
who endeavoured to restrain them, and others trembling in all their
limbs, and sobbing out their anguish like infants.
I never witnessed such a scene; nor should I have conceived it possible
for human beings to have gratuitously subjected themselves to the agony
which these misguided wretches visibly endured. The chanting ceased
suddenly at given intervals, but not so the groans; for the speed with
which they were uttered, and the violence of motion by which they were
accompanied, became finally so great, that several seconds frequently
elapsed before the miserable beings could check either the one or the
other, and many of them fell into convulsions with the effort.
The more I write on the subject of this extraordinary and disgusting
exhibition, the more I feel the utter impossibility of conveying by
words a correct idea of it; from a long sustained groan, and a slow,
heaving, wave-like motion, it grew into a hoarse sobbing, and a quick
jerk, which I can compare to nothing that it more resembles than the
rapid action of a pair of bellows; the cheeks and foreheads of the
actors became pale, their eyes dim, and white foam gathered about their
mouths—in short, the scene resembled rather the orgies of a band of
demons than an offering of worship to a GOD of peace and love!
At this period of the ceremony, the muffled flutes used by the Turning
Dervishes were heard, accompanied by the low sound of the small Arabian
drums; and a majestic-looking man, clad entirely in white, with a black
girdle, rose, at a signal from his chief, and commenced his evolutions.
His example was speedily followed by two more of the fraternity; the
chanting ceased, but the circle of Howling Dervishes continued their
short groans to the accompaniment of the music, and the spectacle thus
produced was most extraordinary. Such an occurrence had not taken place
for an immense time, and arose from the anxiety of each sect to impress
our party in their favour, which they were desirous of doing when they
had once been induced to admit us.
To this exhibition succeeded one as striking of its kind; the
tambourines and drums were divided among the fraternity; the latter were
all beat by youths, who formed a second, or inner circle, and in the
midst of whom stood the High Priest, striking a pair of cymbals. Groans,
howls, and yells, such as may haunt the ear of the midnight traveller in
the wilderness, filled up the diapason; while the struggles of the
convulsion-smitten, and their wild shrieks, completed the horror of the
scene. It was impossible to bear it longer; and we hurried from the
latticed apartment just as three more tottering wretches were falling to
the earth, howling out the sacred name of Allah, in tones better suited
to a Satanic invocation!
On the morrow we visited the elegant chapel of the Turning Dervishes,
where a carpet was politely spread for us by order of the High Priest;
and we once more witnessed their service, which was far more picturesque
at Broussa than at Pera, owing to the beauty of the building and the
numbers of the fraternity. However extraordinary and unmeaning their
ceremonies may appear to strangers, they have this great advantage over
the other sect, that they are neither ridiculous nor disgusting. The
most perfect order, the most touching solemnity, and the most beautiful
cleanliness, are their leading characteristics; and it is impossible for
any unprejudiced person to quit their Tekiè, without feeling at least as
much respect as pity for the Turning Dervishes.