Fes Festival of Sufi Culture ~ Day Four

Day four of the Fes Festival of Sufi Culture began with a distinctly Turkish flavour - an interesting introduction to Turkish Sufism by Kudsi Erguner. The evening ended with  high-octane Samaà

The Morning Round Table

The morning session featured talks by Roderick Grierson and Kudsi Erguner. While Grierson spoke about the history of Western representations of the Mevlevi, Erguner gave the audience an insider's look at Sufism in Turkey. Festival organiser Abdullah Wasani, and visiting theologian Mestaoui Mohamed Slaheddine from Tunisia, also spoke. The discussions were interrupted by Salah Stetié who was leaving for Paris. He thanked the festival for “shining a light in the night of the world.”

Photo Priam Thomas

It was great to hear Kudsi Erguner speak about his personal experience with Sufism in Turkey. With humour and wit, the master ney player described how in the 20th century Turkey had largely abandoned its Mevlevi traditions in a process of modernisation and westernisation. By the 1950s, Sufi tradition was reduced to a small community where things happened privately. He said at this point there were probably only about 700 active Sufis in Istanbul.

In 1955, American delegates came to Turkey on a humanitarian and cultural mission, and asked about the dervishes. An attempt was made to quickly gather some dervishes together for an enactment of the Samaà. Erguner described a mad dash to sew new outfits, and transport dervishes to Istanbul. Slowly, over the next two decades, Sufi musicians and Semazens began to be invited to France, England and North America to perform. They found more encouragement abroad than in their own country, but they also began to encounter something unexpected: western followers of Sufism.

Kudsi Erguner - Photo Priam Thomas

Erguner talked about his experience travelling and meeting people as a musician. He contrasted different western attitudes towards the Mevlevi, from “Exo-tourisme,” a kind of spectacle of the exotic, to more earnest appreciation. He criticized the trend of people looking to academics and foreign experts to learn about Sufism. Such approaches, he argued, tend to focus on the details of how Samaà is performed, without understanding the spirit and reasons why things are done the way they are. He explained that the Samaà occurs out of religious conviction and joy. Its not a performance for an audience, but rather a ritual for the participants. In the moment of ecstasy, worldly attachments are stripped away so that performers can focus on God. “It is not a dance to forget things, it is a dance to remind us . . . a reminder of truth,” he said.

Afternoon Round Table
"Rumi and the Mevlevi - ecstatic poetry" was the focus of the 4pm session at the Batha Museum.

The music of samaà's like a window
That lends access to your garden.
The lovers lay their ear and heart
Upon its sill to hear one not.
The window is - alas - one grand veil,
Although this veil's all sweet delight
- go, my noble friend and keep silent.

The afternoon session was in English which meant that headphones and translations where not needed for a majority of the audience.

Leonard Lewisohn

Leonard Lewisohn from the University of Exeter said that speaking about Sufism is less important than listening to the music. The true experience is a "mystical bacchanalia" in which God is symbolised by wine on which the devotee gets drunk in order to enter an existence of rapture.

Whoever's not intoxicated by the Sufi concert
Is just a recreant although he may profess belief.
But one who knows the taste and lore of wine,
Call him intelligent - don't say he's just a barman.

Evening Concert

Samaà with the Tariqa Charqawiyya of Jazuliyya-Shadhiliyya - Undulating a capella harmonies

The Charqawiyya are a branch of the Shadhiliyya, a North African order out of which many of the present day Moroccan Sufi brotherhoods have sprung. The Charqawiyya are in actuality an offshoot of a prior order annexed from the Shadhiliyya, namely the Jazuliyya, and take their name from Muhammad al-Sharqi (d.1601), a descendent of the 2nd caliph, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab. Sometimes the Charqawiyya are known by the full name: Charqawiyya Jazuliyya-Shadhiliyya.

Based historically in Boujad, a Moroccan town bordering the Atlas mountains, they are known for their political activism, beginning in the 17th Century with their support for Sultan Moulay al-Rashid (d.1672), the founder of the ‘Alaouite dynasty of Moroccan kings, which still rules to this day.

The undulating a capella harmonies of the thirteen in the Tariqa Charqawiyya were, like old friends returning, warmly welcomed on yet another gloriously balmy evening in Fez. The slightly below capacity crowd were treated to an exuberant taste of joy and high energy Sufi music that was as infectious as it was uplifting.

The display of contagious enthusiasm had the audience captivated and engaged. To their delight the Tariqa started up tempo and never let up. It was almost impossible not to be carried along by the tsunami of sound.

The Charqawiyya were aided by a single percussionist who drove the music along with a simple box drum. The only other accompaniment to the pulsing a cappella was the clapping of hands, first by the ensemble, and then as the audience joined in.

Feeling the Baraka - Photo Priam Thomas

The high voltage energy was such that the crowd rose to their feet and moved forward onto the carpeted area in front of the stage. It was a credit to the Head of Security, Ashraf, that the scene was controlled by his simple hand gestures. He obviously knew from past experience, that it hard to keep a Moroccan audience from immersing themselves in the ecstasy and so instead of holding it back he facilitated it in a friendly manner.

The audience were slightly diverted at one stage by the arrival of an individual dressed as some ancient oriental potentate  (pictured above). He came through the crowd, paused to be photographed and was then escorted on his way.

A little blessing - a little rose water

The overwhelmingly Moroccan audience, knew the songs, knew the lyrics and applauded the Tariqa for delivering what they had come to hear. It was an evening of shared joy.

Photos and text: Priam Thomas and Sandy McCutcheon

Tomorrow's Programme at the Batha Museum:
10am  Round Table The religion of love
4pm    Round Table Focus on Rabiaa.
8.30pm Concert of samaà by the Tariqa Rissouniyya

Wednesday's weather: Sunny. Top temperature 25 Celsius. Minimum 13.

See other Festival reports

Sufi Festival  ~ Day One
Sufi Festival - Day Two
Sufi Festival ~ Day Three
Sufi Festival ~ Day Four
Sufi Festival ~ Day Five
Sufi Festival ~ Day Six
Sufi Festival ~ Day Seven
Sufi Festival ~ Day Eight

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Turkish Whirling Dervishes ~ Tariqa Khalwatiyya at Fez Sufi Festival

The Tariqa Khalwatiyya

Allah, Allah, Allah

Allah ya Mawlana

Allah, Allah, Allah

Bifadlika Kuli

The Tariqa Khalwatiyya is an Islamic Sufi brotherhood that, along with the Naqshbandi, Qadiri and Shadhili orders,is among the most famous Sufi orders. The order takes its name from the Arabic word khalwa, meaning “method of withdrawal or isolation from the world for mystical purposes". The Khalwati order is known for its strict ritual training of its dervishes and its emphasis on individualism.

The Khalwatiyya are based in Turkey. However, though Moroccan, and more generally North African, Sufism is characterised by the devolution of multiple brotherhoods over time from a small group of orders who brought Sufism to North Africa, principally the Qadiriyya, the Shadhiliyya and the Khalwatiyya themselves, there exist a great number of similar annexes in Turkey, including orders descended from all three of those just mentioned. Rather than shedding light on some fundamental historical difference between Moroccan and Turkish Sufism, therefore, the “originality” of the Khalwatiyya, in contrast to their Moroccan counterparts, appears largely coincidental. Their origin will be seen to have played a part in the uniqueness of their rituals in comparison to the other brotherhoods.

Having said all this, it should be reiterated that the Khalwatiyya have a very strong presence in North Africa, principally through the Tijaniyya annex, which is the largest tariqa in West Africa and whose founder, Ahmed al-Tijani (d.1815), lived and was buried in Fez. Indeed it was al-Tijani who was responsible for propagating the Khalwatiyya order, which he had encountered in Cairo on his way to Mecca to perform the Hajj, in the Maghreb.

In a further example of the inter-connectedness of the brotherhoods’ histories, Tijani had also been an initiate of the Wazzaniyya and the Qadiriyya. This reflects the widespread diffusion of the oldest Sufi orders throughout the lands of Islam, and demonstrates how no order should be considered indigenously “Moroccan”, their origins stretching back to the medieval Middle-East and Central Asia. Similarly, whilst we may talk of the “Turkish Khalwatiyya”, the fact is that they originated in Tabriz, in what is present-day Iran, their master the Persian speaking ‘Umar al-Khalwati (d.1398).

Sheik Fatih Nurallah

The Concert

The Tariqa gave Fez a night of dhikr wa Samāa, or prayer and contemplation, and much more besides.

The evening began with the brotherhood chanting in a semi-circle, and progressed to one of the most spectacular and beautiful of Sufi practices - the whirling dervishes. To watch them is to have a sense of suspension, as though they are almost levitating.

The Tariqa re-grouped and began their deep, drum-like chant, over-toned by a singer on stage. Then they rose and moved into a tight circle, rotating as the chanting intensified. They opened out, and three dancers ran into the centre, leaping, turning and tossing their hair in a wild and joyous display.

The circle formed again, and more acolytes came to join, as the audience rose to add their voices to the experience.

As a finale, individual roses were thrown into the audience; a fitting token for a moving and exciting event.

Festival Director Faouzi Skali embraces Sheik Fatih Nurallah

Coming Up

Tariqa Wazzaniyya

Friday at 9pm at the Batha Museum: Ali Keeler and the Al Firdaus Ensemble followed by samaa with the Tariqa Wazzaniyya - Harraqiyya

Words and photos: Suzanna Clarke. Additional material: Fitzroy Morrissey

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A Musical Journey from Constantinople to Istanbul

Istanbul The Golden Gate -  A musical journey from Constantinople to Istanbul

En Chordais Ensemble - Artistic direction - Kyriakos Kalaitzidis
Byzantine Orthodox Choir of St Jean de Damas

Mevlevi whirling dervishes directed by Necip Gulses
Halil Necipoglu - voice
Fahrettin Yarkin - percussion
Volkan Yilmaz - ney flute

Over the years the audiences at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music have enjoyed splendid performances by Turkish whirling dervishes. In 2008 it was the Al Kindi Dervishes, in 2009 the Mevlevi/Konya Sufi Brotherhood were superb as was the contemporary take by Ziya Azazi, with computer sampling and a series of variations on the dervish whirling. More recently the Khalwatiyya brotherhood who had visited in 2011, whirled, swayed and rocked to the rhythm of their trance-inducing chanting at the 2013 Festival of Sufi Culture.

These musicians, singers and dancers (Semazens) represent one of the most interesting aspects of the mystical culture of Turkey. The Sema - the whirling dance - and the Zikr - the hymns sung by the sacred choir - are connected to each other, a spiritual ambience that leads the Dervish enter a mystical universe.

We have fallen into the place
where everything is music.
The strumming and the flute notes
rise into the atmosphere,
and if the whole world's harp
should burn up,
there will still be hidden instruments
playing, playing
This singing art
is sea foam.
The graceful movements
come from a pearl
somewhere
on the ocean floor. ~ Djalal al din Rûmi

The Concert

Tonight's Concert at Bab Al Makina was again held in cold, windy conditions - although not as chill as the previous night. The crowd was smaller and, without the intense security and formality of the opening night, more relaxed.

The concert, billed as a musical journey from Constantinople to Instanbul, began in earnest with the arrival on stage of black clad singers and musicians who struck up a sedate, hypnotic beat.

These were the combined musicians from the Mevlevi dervishes and the En Chordais Ensemble. Behind them, on a raised dias, were the five singers from the Byzantine Orthodox Choir of St Jean de Damas. All were dressed in black.

Byzantine Orthodox Choir of St Jean de Damas

Despite the dress code, right from the start there was a pleasant informality about the concert. 'The correct concert in the correct place: la Porte d'or. Voila!' joked artistic director Kyriakos Kalaitzidis, gesturing to the arch lit gold behind him.

The first section of the evening was the slow and somewhat sombre offering from the Byzantine Orthodox Choir of St Jean de Damas. While the singing was of a high quality, the performance lacked vitality.

However, the contribution from En Chordais Ensemble, and the musicians from the Mevlevi dervishes, which included some fine oud and violin playing, was well received.

After forty minutes the singers and the Ensemble members left the stage. The remaining musicians; singer Halil Necipoglu, percussionist Fahrettin Yarkin and Volkan Yilmaz on ney (flute) prepared the way for the moment many in the audience had come to see - the arrival of the Mevlevi whirling dervishes.

Stage lighting went through a series of luscious, jewel-like tones, one minute washed completely in ruby red, the next dramatically turquoise and amethyst.

From the back of the stage through diaphanous curtains came the dervishes, four in brown hats, one in black and green, stepping slowly holding their black capes close to their bodies as though to conserve heat and energy. Next came an elaborate ritual of kneeling, ground kissing, circling each other and bowing, their tall camel-hair hats, or sikkes, emphasising their movements.

The night, that had started as a performance, now became a ceremony, performed in an almost somnambulistic slow motion with deep contemplation. The drumming faded away, replaced by chanting in a gentle buildup to the moment when they would drop their capes.

At last it happened and they began to whirl. Lined up along the stage with eyes closed, arms extended, hands relaxed and heads tilted their performance was mesmerising. After some minutes they broke, opened their eyes, crossed their arms over their chests, bowed and restarted. Upon finishing, apart from the occasional wobble, they were remarkably composed as they put their capes back on, bowed and dikr (prayers) were chanted.

What happened next could not have been scripted. A gust of wind blew away the music sheets from half of the music stands and the evening turned decidedly and splendidly Greek.

To the delight of the audience the Greeks burst into what could have been a Theodorakis tune. It was a delight, a feeling that the now grinning musicians obviously shared.

A Theodorakis moment

In his seat beside us, Festival Director  Fauzi Skali was also grinning. 'Bravo!" he called.

Then another Greek moment. The principal singer, who had so far performed seated, stood and came down stage where he was joined by the violinist. As he sang he danced cautiously in that traditionally Greek manner, like a man with a back injury, reluctant to exert himself. The music, reminiscent of rembetika, was the perfect vehicle for transporting us from the chilly night air to Greek taverna on a balmy evening.

All of this the audience loved.

'Zorba the Greek,' said Faouzi Skali with a grin. Which, in a funny way, summed up the night. The dervishes were as amazing as usual, but the Greeks gave us something special too. Whoever said, 'beware of Greeks bearing gifts', was wrong.


A little historical background

The Ancient Greeks built Byzantium, that later became a capital of the Roman Empire under the name Constantinople. Nowadays, Istanbul (whose name derives from the Greek ‘eis tein polis’ or city) supremely expresses the idea of a city that encompasses different peoples and religions, lying as it does between the East and the West.

Similarly to Andalusia, this Ottoman city became a place of cohabitation for Orthodox Christian tradition, mystical Persian or Arab Sufism, and for Jewish Ladino culture. Istanbul opens her gates to reveal such musical treasures as the vocal beauty of the Mediterranean Orient of Greece and Turkey, and the Mevlevi tradition of celestial turning.

The Byzantine tradition of sacred music which flourished between the 5th and 16th centuries, originated in the Arabo-Persian civilisation in both secular and classic form. Later, through Ottoman and Greek music, this ancient tradition was prolonged in the Mediterranean area which linked East and West.

Constantinople was founded in 324 by Constantin the Great, on the site of the ancient Greek Byzantium. It was the capital of the Holy Roman Empire in the East, often known by historians as the 'Byzantine Empire'. In 1453, the city fell into the hands of the Ottomans who renamed it Istanbul and made it their capital until 1923.

Throughout its history, Constantinople-Istanbul has always held a strong position from both a cultural and cosmopolitan point of view. It is the bridge between Turkish and Greek tradition, Muslim and Christian. On his death, Petros Peloponnisios, cantor of the ecumenical Patriarchy and very close to Ottoman court musicians, was honoured by the dervishes who placed a ney flute on his coffin as a sign of respect.

Kyriakos Kalaitzidis and the En Chordais Ensemble continue the multicultural traditions of the Mediterranean and are popular experts of this genre.


COMING UP AT THE FES FESTIVAL

Sunday June 9th - Batha Museum 4pm

Coumbane Mint Ely Warakane - Mauritania
The art of the Mauritanian griots

Bab Al Makina 9pm

Paco de Lucía – Spain
The legendary flamenco guitarist

Sufi Nights Dar Tazi

Sunday June 9th: : Tariqa Habibia (Taza)
Taza, in Arabic: تازة) is a city in northern Morocco, which occupies the corridor between the Rif mountains and Middle Atlas mountains, about 120 km east of Fes.

The Weather - Sunday will be a cool 22 degrees Celsius (71 Fahrenheit) during the day and down to 9C (48F) at night. The day and evening may have scattered cloud. Take something warm to the evening concert. Monday will be warm and clear with night temperatures a couple of degrees warmer.

Fes Festival program
Fes Festival Medina Map
Fes Festival Food! 
Fes Festival Site


Text:  Stephanie Clifford-Smith,  Sandy McCutcheon, 
Photos: Suzanna Clarke, Sandy McCutcheon

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Casablanca - Istanbul Car Rally

Casablanca and Istanbul recently became ‘Sister Cities’. Mayor Kadir Topbas of Istanbul and the Mayor of Casablanca, Mohammed Sajid, have signed a protocol aimed at the development of mutual cooperation between Istanbul and Casablanca, on 17 December 2009. Now there is a new linkage. Entry is now open for participants from all over the world to take part in a new and exciting sounding car rally.

A committee has put together 2 unique and prestigious 15 days rally events of which the Casablanca - Istanbul Rally will be the first in May 2011. It is to be followed four weeks later by the Istanbul - Casablanca Rally..

Event Director Hanan Miataf (pictured below) and her organizing committee have been working on the Casablanca - Istanbul and the Istanbul - Casablanca Rally projects for the last 12 months to arrange all complex logistics, set out the routes, book the hotels, etc.

Both separate events are the ultimate modern version of the legendary and historic European rallies of the 1950s and 60s. Participants will need no special rally license, only an international driving license is required to fully enjoy the events and no rally experience whatsoever is needed!

Participants can drive in their own pride and joy, either their meticulously restored classic car, exotic sports car or favorite saloon or 4wd. There will be 2 classes, Class ‘A’ is for classic cars built before 1981 and Class ‘B’ for cars built from 1981 to today.

The average driving distance per day is 475 km.

This tour rally concept is specially developed for like-minded car and rally enthusiasts who are looking for a nostalgic and classical rally ambiance on the most spectacular and scenic routes in Morocco, Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Turkey, where participants will experience a lot of carefree and spirited driving pleasure over 3 continents, Africa, Europe and Asia.

Overnight stops are in Marbella, Valencia, Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Rimini, Thessaloniki, Alexandroupolis, Istanbul, Casablanca, Fez en Marrakech in the most luxurious 5 star hotels available where gourmet dinners will be served up to the highest culinary standard.

Exquisite lunches are planned at unique locations in castles, on vineyards and totally unexpected beautiful scenic locations in the countryside along the route.

Crossing the Adriatic Sea from Ancona in Italy to Igoumenitsa in Greece and vice-versa is by overnight ‘Superfast’ ferry in outside luxury cabins.

Above all, these events are a window to the past, when a rally was still a celebrated social event full of remarkable people and their interesting and humorous stories told in the hotel bar and on terraces.

Maximum 100 privileged teams of 2 persons in each event will be accepted for entry and will be directed by a professional rally organization with 15 experienced back-up, support and officials teams from The Netherlands, France and England.

After the rally's participants cars will be shipped back in sea-containers to either Casablanca or Istanbul and the participants themselves will fly back to Casablanca or Istanbul by special charter flights. (Or any other location in the EU or Middle East.)

The View from Fez will bring you more information as it becomes available. In the meantime here are the entry details:

Contact

Prestigious Rally Events B.V., The Netherlands
E-mail: info@casablanca-istanbul-rally.com
info@istanbul-casablanca-rally.com

The official currency of the event is the EURO (€).
The entry fee for participation in the Casablanca - Istanbul Rally 2011 is € 29.500,00 for a team of two and their vehicle, all inclusive.

The entry fee is payable as follows:

* Together with application for entry: € 2.500,00
* Within 14 days upon acceptance of entry: € 7.500,00
* On or before 15 January 2011: € 19.500,00

Options:

* 2 single rooms in all hotels, supplement : € 5.000,00
* Luxury suite in all hotels, supplement: € 14.500,00