The evocative power of Sufi music and the majesty of the rotating vortex of the Mevlevi dervishes in the heart of Rome.

The Turkish music group Sufi and Sema – Ensemble of the Metropolitan Municipality of Konya – performed in the evocative setting of the Temple of Venus and Rome, inside the Colosseum Archaeological Park of a unique performance, an authentic and deeply evocative representation of Mevlevi culture, in a place that exalts the dialogue between spirituality and beauty.

The event, promoted by the Ministry of Culture (MIC), the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey and the Colosseum Archaeological Park, was an authentic and deeply evocative representation of Mevlevi culture, in a place that exalts the dialogue between spirituality and beauty.

The ceremony is also held in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Rome, the Yunus Emre Institute, and the Metropolitan Municipality of Konya. The Konya Sufi Music Group and Sema Ensemble represent the living legacy of the spiritual capital of Sufism.

Founded to preserve and faithfully transmit the traditions of Turkish music—both religious and non-religious—the Konya Ensemble comprises 30 artists, 14 instrumentalists and singers and 16 whirling dervishes, custodians of an internationally recognised cultural heritage.

The beating heart of the evening was the Sema Ceremony, an ancient spiritual practice of the Mevlevi brotherhood inspired by the teachings of the great Sufi poet and mystic Mevlana Jalal-ud-Din Rumi. This rite, made of music, singing and whirling movements, represents a symbolic path of spiritual ascent through love, inner purification and union with the divine.

The dervishes, wrapped in white robes and conical felt headdresses called sikke, perform circular movements that embody the search for harmony between body, spirit, and cosmos. In 2005, UNESCO proclaimed the Sema Ceremony a ‘Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’, and in 2008, it was officially inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

The mystical current of Sufism maintains that one can approach God not only in the afterlife, but also in this life, through inner peace, love and devotion. In this path, Sufi music plays a fundamental role: not only does it accompany meditation, but it itself becomes prayer, elevation, abandonment of the ego.

Konya, one of the oldest cities in Turkey, is Mevlana’s spiritual homeland. Even today, the city preserves sacred places such as the Mausoleum of Mevlana, the dervish lodges (dargah), and the Mevlana Museum, which houses manuscripts, musical instruments, and precious relics.

 

 

By Mario Masciullo

 

 

BIO:

My career in civil aviation took flight in 1960, beginning with British European Airways (BEA). In 1971, I joined East African Airways (EAA), and shortly thereafter, I was honoured to be selected as one of the qualified candidates for the managerial role at Malaysia & Singapore Airlines (MAS).

In 1972, following the decision by the Malaysian and Singaporean governments to separate the airline into two national carriers, I continued my professional journey with Singapore Airlines. I proudly served as the Marketing Manager for Italy, Greece, and Malta until 1987.

With a journalist’s license I had previously acquired, I decided to transition fully into journalism. My debut was with the Milan-based press agency Milanopress, and I have continued to write and collaborate with both Italian and international press ever since.

I remain active in the field and am a proud member of the Foreign Press Club in Italy, headquartered in Rome.

 

 

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