Sama

What it is

Sama takes its name from an Arabic word for hearing. In Sufi practice it is a way of listening with the whole self: to voices, to instruments, to lines of poetry, and to prayer. It belongs inside dhikr, the Sufi discipline of keeping God in mind, and the two are hard to separate. Al-Ghazali discussed it in The Alchemy of Happiness. The aim is reflection on tawhid, the belief that God is one and everywhere present. Sama is not a show staged for an audience. Those who take part come to it as worship, and many Sufi orders, not only the Mevlevi, use it when they gather.

Origins and history

The word may have been in use by the tenth century for a kind of dhikr. Abu Sa'id, born in 967 CE at Mayhana near Sarakhs, is remembered for setting rules of conduct for the khanaqah, the Sufi lodging house, and for bringing music, poetry and dance into group remembrance. The Mevlevi ceremony is credited to Rumi. A story tells of him walking through a marketplace, hearing goldbeaters beat metal in rhythm, catching the words of the dhikr, and stretching out his arms to spin. Rumi's son and a student of his are said to have corrected the rite later. In 2005 UNESCO named Turkey's Mevlevi Sema Ceremony a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity; it joined the Representative List in 2008.

How it is kept

Mevlevi initiates, adults who have joined the order, are the best-known participants; in earlier times only men were admitted. They move as one circle, each turning where they stand. Alevi sema is different: young people, girls and boys together, dance it, and the turning is shared rather than a solo whirl. Its two usual forms are kirklar semahı, the sema of the forty, and turnalar semahı, the crane sema. Many cemevleri, the Alevi meeting houses, keep their own sema troupes, which dance during the yearly festival held in Hacı Bektaş Veli's name. In Egypt the Mevlevi form is called tannoura, and other Sufi orders have taken it up, sometimes as a folk or concert dance.

Music and poetry

Song sits at the centre. Instruments mostly open the ceremony or accompany the voices, and only those judged suitable for worship are played: the tambourine, bells and flute are the common ones. Hymns known as qawl and bayt are sung. Poetry is read as well, since it can carry a listener toward contemplation; any poem may be understood as spoken to God, even a sensual one, provided the heart is clean first. Verses of the Qur'an are never used in this way and never altered, so that they remain sacred. Not every Muslim approves: some call music in worship an innovation, while others, al-Ghazali among them, defend it.

What it means

For those who keep it, sama is a picture of the soul's climb. Mind and love carry the traveller upward; turning toward what is true, the self is set aside and perfection found. The one who returns is meant to be of use to everything created. Wajd, the ecstatic state, marks nearness to God, and fanaa is the passing away of the self. Rumi's words about dancers keeping a Ka'ba in their midst tie the rite to pilgrimage.

How Sama is kept

Mevlevi initiates, adults who have joined the order, are the best-known participants; in earlier times only men were admitted. They move as one circle and each turns where they stand. Alevi sema is danced by young people, girls and boys together, and the turning is shared rather than a solo whirl. Its two usual forms are kirklar semahı and turnalar semahı, the sema of the forty and the crane sema. Many cemevleri run their own sema troupes. Throughout, those taking part stay quiet and still and keep themselves in hand, holding back movement and tears until they can no longer, since a trance that is acted is worthless.

When and where

There is no single date. Sama belongs to the gatherings where a Sufi order meets to remember God, and it is kept wherever those circles form. Alevi sema troupes also dance during the yearly festival held in Hacı Bektaş Veli's name.

It is strongest in Turkey, where the Mevlevi order, the Alevi community and the Bektashi order all keep a form of it. In Egypt the Mevlevi version is called tannoura and other Sufi orders have adopted it. Sufi orders elsewhere, including the Chishti order of the South Asian subcontinent, have used sama too.

What Sama means

For those who keep it, sama is a picture of the soul's climb. Mind and love carry the traveller upward; turning toward the truth, the self is set aside and perfection found. The one who returns is meant to be of use to all created things. Wajd, the ecstatic state, marks nearness to God, and fanaa is the passing away of the self. Rumi's words about dancers keeping a Ka'ba in their midst link the rite to pilgrimage.

Questions people ask about Sama

See also

Holy FireA fire ceremony in Jerusalem each year, kept by Orthodox Christians before EasterBeautiful Festival of the ValleyAn ancient Egyptian festival honouring the dead with river processions across ThebesMother's DayA worldwide annual celebration dedicated to mothers, maternal bonds and family careEid al-FitrThe feast that ends Ramadan, opened with morning prayers, sweets and visits home

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle

• Sama (Sufism) on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.