The Mevlana Cultural Centre is the modern auditorium on the eastern edge of the city where the sema ceremony — the whirling dervish ritual — is performed weekly for visitors. The hall is purpose-built around a circular performance floor, with the audience ranged in rising tiers; the acoustics are good, the lighting subdued, and photography is permitted only at the very beginning and end.
The ceremony lasts about an hour and follows the traditional sequence: chanted Quranic recitation, the rhythmic music of the ney (reed flute) and kudüm (drums), and four cycles of slow rotation by the white-skirted dervishes around the master. It is not a dance performance in the casual sense — the rotation is a form of prayer, and the audience is expected to keep silent throughout.
Performances take place every Saturday evening; the schedule is denser during the Şeb-i Arus festival in mid-December, marking the anniversary of Rumi's death. Booking ahead is wise outside the very hot summer months. Modest dress is required.