Yunus Emre Institute London presents the Ottoman Sufi Music & Culture | Lecture & Concert that will take place at the West Road Concert Hall, University of Cambridge on the 25th of April at 2:30 PM.

This unique lecture & concert event that is organised by Yunus Emre Institute London in collaboration with the University of Cambridge Faculty of Music, will be delivered by Istanbul Sufi Ceremonies Ensemble and will feature an insightful talk by the Head of the Dervishes, Mehmed Fatih Çıtlak, who is also an accomplished Islamic scholar, Sufi shaykh, and author.

The event will be inaugurated by Dr Jacob Olley, followed by a talk by Mehmed Fatih Çıtlak about the Ottoman Sufi culture and the rich symbolic meanings, rules, and characteristics attached to this centuries old tradition. He will talk about the universal validity (relevance) and unifying meanings of the Sufi tradition in the Ottoman & Turkish context. Further in his talk, Çıtlak will also elaborate on the meşk method, the musical education system that was developed by Ottoman / Turkish musicians and has been performed in palaces, magnificent mansions, mosques and lodges throughout history in Turkish music.

The lecture will be joined by an ensemble of excellent musicians fusing the traditional ney (reed flute), Turkish tanbur, Turkish kanun, Turkish oud, classical kemençe and rhythm. The ensemble will perform traditional pieces from Ottoman Sufi music. Beautiful examples of traditional Ottoman Sufi hymns will be played and sung during the concert and the audience will have the opportunity to participate in the singing.

The concert will be performed by the spectacular İstanbul Tasavvuf İrfan ve Meydan Meşkleri Topluluğu (Istanbul Sufi Ceremonies Ensemble), a specialized ensemble officially established in 2018 under the Republic of Türkiye's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, representing master vocal and instrumental artists and an ensemble of senior Semazens (Whirling Dervishes). Bringing together two musical traditions, the spectacular ensemble will provide the audience with a unique experience of Ottoman & Turkish music throughout the concert.

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Join us for a breath-taking evening of symbolic and spiritual Whirling Dervish performance accompanied by traditional Turkish Sufi music by master musicians!

The Mevlevi Sema Ceremony, which was proclaimed a Masterpiece in 2005 in UNESCO's Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Program, was registered on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.

The Whirling Dervishes Mevlevi Sema Ceremony & Devran Dhikr will be presented and performed by İstanbul Tasavvuf İrfan ve Meydan Meşkleri Topluluğu (Istanbul Sufi Ceremonies Ensemble), a specialised ensemble officially established in 2018 under the Republic of Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism and represents master vocal and instrumental artists and ensemble of senior Semazens (Whirling Dervishes).

For more information on the event, please visit Yunus Emre Institute London’s Website: https://yeelondon.org.uk/ or email us at londra@yee.org.tr