Whirling Dervishes at Al-Ghouri

Weekly Sufi tanoura spinning ceremony at the Al-Ghouri complex in Khan el-Khalili

The Mausoleum and Wikala of Al-Ghouri, a 16th-century Mamluk complex in Islamic Cairo, hosts regular performances by Sufi dancers — the whirling dervishes of legend. These take place on Wednesday and Saturday evenings, free of charge, and are among the most atmospheric things to do in Cairo.

The setting is the open courtyard of the wikala (an Ottoman commercial building), surrounded by arched galleries. The dancers wear layered skirts that spread into circles as they spin; they can maintain the rotation for extraordinary lengths of time without apparent dizziness. The accompanying music — a Sufi devotional ensemble — adds to the hypnotic effect.

Check locally for current performance times, as schedules change seasonally. Arrive 30-40 minutes early to get a seat in the galleries.

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A story
The Sufi ceremony known as the Sema — the spinning meditation that outsiders call "whirling dervishes" — is a spiritual practice, not a performance, though in Cairo it has been staged for visitors since the 1980s. The performers at the Al-Ghouri complex are members of a genuine Sufi order who do the ceremony publicly partly as outreach. The spinning, which can last an hour or more, induces a state of spiritual ecstasy (they say) and certainly induces a dizzying kind of wonder in spectators.

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