Discover the Magic of Dervish Dances and Rumi’s Poetry in Istanbul’s Communal Spirit

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Yesterday I was clever, I wanted to change the world. Today I’m wiser, so I’m changing myself. – Rumi

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The steep roads of old town Sultanahmet-Sirkeci in Istanbul, Turkey, might look like a strange place for spiritual surrender. But, that’s where you arrive at Ankara Caddesi (A street named Ankara) where Turkish people walking the streets are busy taking selfies behind dozens of store front windows that are beautifully decorated with Baklavas and Turkish delights dipping in honey.

As you walk along Ankara Caddesi, in central Istanbul, you’re facing the waters that will eventually merge into the Black Sea. While peeling your eyes away from this beautiful wall of blue, take a right into one of the side streets and ask anyone you see for “Dervishes?” And every one of the street vendors, pedestrians, shop owners will stop what they’re doing to point you at a small door somewhere behind you. Walk those few steps to enter what was a 550 year old Turkish hammam (bath) from the Ottoman times and you’re now inside the HodjaPasha Culture Center of Istanbul.

Read more HERE.

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