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The maturity of love is the union of the lover and the loved one. Come close. Mix with each other like a slurry that consists of mixing oil and flour to such an extent that they cannot be separated again.” Divan-ı Kebir 3- Couplet 2131.

HUU SOMATA SALAAA

Mevlana is one of the lofty peaks of Turkish-Islamic culture. Mevlana, whose philosophy of life is

‘I was raw, cooked and then burned’, explains some of his thoughts on the way to reach Allah with food symbols. The kitchen was sacred in Mevleviyeh. Coming to the dervish lodge to become a dervish meant that he accepted an education that would last a thousand and one days. This training started from the kitchen. The spirit of the Mevlevi lodges beat in the kitchen. Novice Mevlevi would undress themselves in the kitchen, abandon their selfishness completely, throw their immaturity here, cook to a certain consistency. It was a long and difficult process.

Mevleviyeh and Education

Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi is one of the main sources of the common thought in Anatolia. Mevlevi tradition is very important in terms of art, literature and cultural history as well as its impact on social history with its activities since its establishment. Mevlevi is a school of education and training. Mevlevi, whose aim is to make people mature in terms of matter and meaning, is a school of education that aims to raise people in an ideal sense, starting with mysticism.

First Step to Matbah and Somat

Mevlevis used the expression “matbah” for the kitchen and “somat” for the food. Matbah was the place of nourishment both materially and spiritually. Matbah-ı Şerif is in the southeast corner of the Meydan-ı Şerif section of the Mevlana Lodge. The Matbah is the most valuable section, which is of great importance for the dervish lodge and the Mevleviyeh.The spirit of the Mevlevi lodges beat in the kitchen. Novice Mevlevi would purify themselves in the kitchen, move away from selfishness and learn the way-method in the kitchen. In order for the food to be cooked, a certain transformation had to be made, just as the raw food had to be cooked on the stove and reached a certain consistency, the Sufis had to undergo a transformation. This job was an education that started from the heart and covered every aspect of life. Novice dervishes who were raw had to be cooked in the Mevlevi lodge and reached a certain consistency.

A Friend of the Heart Raised in the Kitchen; Atesbaz-I Veli

Besides many of his disciples who took their place with Mevlana, accompanied and supported him, there are exceptional dervishes whom he added to their hearts. One of these valuable dervishes is Ateşbaz-ı Veli, one of the important architects of the Mevlevi order. Ateşbaz-ı Veli was the first cook of the Mevlevi lodges and was responsible for the training of the dervish candidates who came to the lodge. Apart from being a place where the kitchen is cooked and the table is set, it is also the application area of the education school.

1001 Days of ‘Ordeal’ in the Kitchen

The candidate, who started the ordeal, was first told to sit on the goldfinch skin on the left side of the kitchen door. For three days the candidate stood on his knees as an observer, observing the service of others who had suffered before him. In a way, it was a period of carefully observing what was going on in that place. During this period, he would not get up from his place and talk to anyone except for essential needs. After the three days were completed, he was brought in front of Kazancı Dede, he was asked again, if he insisted on continuing the ordeal, he would begin the ordeal that would continue for a thousand and one days, and he would first serve as a footman, which lasted for eighteen days. Later, he was shown other services he would do. During the ordeal that lasted for one thousand and one days, dervish served separately in eighteen branches of service. He gains a qualification in an art branch, cooks and matures in conversation, semah, dhikr and contemplation during the service, and at the end he is adorned with the love of God, love, people and nature, would become a man of heart, a lamp of love, a blessed grandfather who radiates light and illuminates his surroundings.