Mower County transcript., 1869-12-23
Late United States Consul il
H0WLlNG DERyISHES.,
Their Appearance and Actions.


HOWLlNa DERyISHES. = ID:
Their Appearance and Actions.
Constantnople Cor. of the N. Y. Tribune.
IN my Wauderlngs among the mosques
OF this city Of Turks, have witnessed with
all the amused bewilderment which such a
scene gives to the mind of stranger, the
spectacle Of the dancing dervishes. Let
me describe it to you. The center Of the
mosque is rallied in, and the floor remarka-
bly, smooth. After prostrating themselves
many times, while one sings or chants,
they all, clothed in brown garment, ad.'
vance toward the singer, bend the upper
part OF the body until it is horizontal, then
knee and finally place their foreheads on
the ground. Then they rise, facing the
altar; and, after alterations of singing and
prostrations, music is commenced on q
kind of dageolet, the outer brown garment
is thrown aside, and the dervishes stand
ready, in short white trowsers aud white
skirt, fastened at the waist, extending to
the knee, to commence the dance, with
their bare feet on the smooth floor,
whirling Of the given signal. The first
movement is to turn the right foot over the
left, toes inward as if elub-footed, raising
at the same time the left heel, having pre-
viously given an impetus to the left when
raising the right foot. This is the entire
motion, continued successive,y about ev-
cry two turns they make while revolving
slowly, and also advancing successfully in
their orbit toward the altar. Afterward,
as their zeal increases, perhaps one such
club-foot movement impels them three or
four times around. They consider this as
symbollzing eternity, and the vicissitudes
of life, while the right hand extended
palm up, implores gifts from Heaven,
while the left hand, turned downward, is
supposed to be distributing to fellow-mor-
tails, retaining few Of the temporal gifts
for themselves. The whole scene is SOL
emn, and when they stop whirling, at a
signal, and march around, bowing to their
leader. without turning their back on him,
they are often graceful, and always meek
and earnest.
| OF the bowling dervishes, I had no pre-
vious adequate conception, and it is diff
cult to do the scene anything like justice,
although, after relieving ourselves of our
boots. we were led to gallery and comfor.
tably seated, Turk fashion, on sheep skins,
where we had full opportunity to hear
and see. Each worshlpper, after advanc.
ing TO make salutation before the altar as
he came in, seated himself in Oriental
fashion, Oh sheep-skins in O semi circle be.
fore their chief Priest. They came in oil
sorts of dresses, several being soldiers, and
If late ut once fell into the motions and the
chant OF the others. The women here, as
well as at the other dervish worship seem
ed to occupy gallery enclosed with lattic'
work, somewhat reminding one Of the gal
lery for ladies in the British Parliament
The peculiar chunts nnd howls, I VIII en-
deavor to represent in English photography
without pretending to say what was mean
except when the VOID Allah or bismillaf
occurred. 1t was somewhat thus: While
seated on the floor, and bending the body
diagonally forward, first to the right anl
then to the left, and having the head pla,
as it hung on wires, in unison with the vo
citerations, they commenced, moderately q
first, afterward more energetically, and q
last furiously, alternately chanting, shout
ing, and bowling throug h the gamur, some
times diatonically, words like ''wur q leeze
burlemek," at least fifty times. Then they
would hold up their hands on each side o
the face and bring them down, striking heat
and breast. Then raising their bodies tt
the knee and striking their foreheads OF
the ground, they would assume tho squat
ting position again, and, swaying thu
body, give series Of energetic sounds lk.
"hump," while one kept up . prolonged
howl, like the drone of the bagpipes thro
the variations OF the chant proper. Sud
denly, at signal, the chorus ceased, and
weak nasal solo gave an obligato; then thu
chorus struck in pianissimo, with every few
seconds the favorite staccato grunt, which
sounded somewhat like short bark. Thi.
the Words stDi rha darip d. Allah" Whe1
this had continued nearly an hour. the,
then rose, and ranging themselves aeains
the wall (after some receiving, caps ani
white scarfs), and placing the feet apart st
as to brace themselves, and swaying thu
body as before, they continued in all per
haps three-quarters of an hour or more
But there were sundry variations in thu
grunts, and these were now accompanied
by all turning their heads to the righ
and barking ut their right hand neigh
bo-s, then te the left, and so on un
til apparently some were quite ex
hausted. Then one, who seemed to be g
kind of choir leader, and also soldier,
would stamp his feet to give new life te
the choir. Then the "hump" and stamp ol
feet, and crack of hands replaces, for a
time, the voices, except the obligato howl,
while the bobbing of the head works with
breakneck rapidity. Now the obligato
gives renewed stamps with right foot, and
their tagging spirits were again urged to q
tremendous series Of vociferous staccato
grunts until it seems as if some members
of the choir must drop. Meantime whirl-
ing dervish, appa: emily excited by the
scene, stands in. the center and performs
his gyrations with white skirt fly.
ing out to circle, exceeding hoop
skirt dimenfions. Even some children
l n$ osobf nv tor, s,,~ kho;~
stand up and try to initiate the movements
and sounds of the bowling chorus. Dar-
ing part of this scene, the High Priest, or,
as some say he is called, the Schah, was
blessing infants by rubbing his foot owe,
their backs rs they lay on the ground.
When the older ones came, and grown men,
he stood with his right foot on their limbs
and rubbed his left over their back, and
sometimes aftcrWard over their breasts.
They then rose. kissed his hand, and he
blessed them. When sick, he blessed a cur
of some liquid and gave it them to drink.
If their eyes were inaamed, he placed his
hands on their temples and rubbed his
thumbs repeatedly over the eye-lids.-
From even these singular proceedings
from under our gallery my attention wae
now irresistibly drawn by the increased
energy of the bowling chorus. At the
risk Of being expelled from their mosque,
took down the proceedings rapidly. thus
Chorus men turn to right and left, with
continued grunt and prolongedhoTl. Now,
side by side, sustaining each other from
falling when exhausted, they, orchestra.
like, bring on the grand crash towards the
Inst. With an asthMatic wheeze, a diminu-
endo and then crescendo howl, varied by
tho staccato grunt, almost fuga pursuit
Of each other, they bob like supplejacks,
perspiring ut every pore, until, with a
chorus Of twangs, and shrieks, and grunts,
and q last fearful howl, q stamp of the foot
brings death like silence, and the ex-
hausted band glide, like ghosts, through
Il rawhide door, and he service is closed.