Mawlawi Sama Ritual from the Perspective of Sufi Symbolism

Although it is mostly known for Mawlana and Mawlawiyya, Sama is a sufi tradition that has been practiced centuries before Rumi and even from the earliest times of the history of sufism. With the institutionalization of Mawlawi order, sama has reached a ritual form and gained an intense metaphorical meaning over time. As a matter of fact, each of the spiritual ways that aim to get closer to Allah as a good servant recommends that people train themselves by going through various stages. The sama ritual, on the other hand, expresses both the main goal and the process of this education with some actual and material symbols. The article deals with the symbolic meanings of the actual and material elements in the Mawlawi sama ritual. The aim of the study is to determine the background and origin of the meanings of the aforementioned symbols in the Turkish sufi tradition and thus to reveal the archeology of the symbols in sama in the light of sufi culture. It has been seen that the symbolic meanings of the sama are shaped by the influence of the traditional sufi culture and especially the Anatolian spiritual traditions, as well as the Mawlawi methods. In this context, the sources based on the study are the classical works of the history of sufism, the etiquette books and modern studies written by the Mawlawi sheiks who have shaped the sama throughout history.