The Facts and History of Mevleviyeh

It is a sect that was attached to the name of Mevlana, but whose founder was not Mevlana, but his son Sultan Veled. It means a way or a route. Now, although this word has been vilified, the sects of the ancients were the houses of knowledge and wisdom. Moreover, in most of the sects, not only religious education but also scientific education was given.

Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi told his eldest son Sultan Veled that he did not intend to become a sheikh during his lifetime, and in this respect, after the death of Şems, he obeyed first Selahattin Zerkub and then Hüsamettin Çelebi. After his death, his son Sultan Veled and Veled's son Mevlana's grandson Ulu Arif Çelebi compiled the Mevlevi sect.

Sectarian Movements

Mevlana did not perform any ceremony or dhikr for those who were attached to him while he was alive. In the time of Mevlana, neither he nor those who were attached to him had a special clothing. He would wear the so-called ferecî, which was worn by the ulema at that time, wrap the traditional turban and additionally wear a Belh cone. Only after the bereavement of Shams did he change his white turban to a dark purple – but a dark purple close to black – in mourning. In fact, Mevlana said that clothing and wisdom would not be revealed, and he compared the sheikhs of their sects, who had a dress code, to marketers who opened shops. He used to dress his dervishes, who were only attached to him and given a "cerag", with an open-front garment. Destegül, tennûre, used in Mevlevihanes is not related with Mevlâna.

Abdülbaki Gölpınarlı uttered the following lines on this subject:

“In short, (obviously) Mevlana is not only compatible with not accepting clothing and ceremonies, but also not accepting spiritual attachment to a sect, basically obeying the shari'a, accepting love and attraction (remembering Allah and being ecstatic with his name). He was a man of Melâmet and wisdom from his way. He accepted the samah for love and attraction.”

After Mevlana's death, Sultan Veled initiated the construction of a tomb for him and ensured that those who were loyal to Mevlana did not disperse. Although Hüsamettin Çelebi started the first sect activities, Sultan Veled, who took his place after his death, made the Mevlevi order as today with a great organization. Sultan Veled established good relations and cooperated with both the Anatolian Seljuks, the Mongols who occupied Anatolia at that time, and the Turkmen lords in order to spread the views of his father, to increase the income of the foundation he founded on behalf of his father, to establish new foundations and to get back what they lost in a period of political and internal troubles in Anatolia.