The end of the Şeb-i Arus ceremony at the Mevlana Kültür Merkezi in Karatay, Konya, Turkey, a venue that holds up to 3,000 people, is heralded by a recitation from the Koran. After their whirling dance, the dervishes are once again cloaked in their black robes. A dervish kneels with his hands folded before his face on the red carpet, while a master of ceremony stands beside him and the applauding audience is visible in the background. Şeb-i Arus is the annual festival marking the death anniversary (17 December) of the mystic poet Rumi (Jalāl ad-Dīn ar-Rūmī, 1207–1273), founder of the Mevlevi o