whirling dervishes

There is something fascinating about this exotic practice,
in part because it is connected to one of my favorite poets, Rumi...
and some days it is even present among my favorite little munchkins.

Ankara, Turkey
Photograph by Sukri Celil Advan, National Geographic Your Shot

This Month in Photo of the Day: City Pictures

Whirling dervishes perform the ritual dance of the Sufi sect in a showroom in Ankara. Practitioners believe the act of repeatedly spinning allows them to forget their earthly body and move closer to God.The ritual dance of the Sufi sect, a mystical branch of Islam, was created in Konya 700 years ago by the Persian poet Rumi. Practitioners, dubbed "whirling dervishes" by early European travelers, believe the act of repeatedly spinning allows them to forget their earthly body and move closer to God. "Dervish" is an adaptation of darwish, the Arabic word for Sufi.

via {national geographic}