Meet Sufis and Dervishes!

Working my new Dervish connections ; ) I was able to attend a male Sufi-Dervish ceremony while in Kurdistan. The Sufis are a mystical side of Islam, which, in a nutshell, focus on Love and God as One. Several great poets were Sufis/Dervishes, and in general, there is more interest in this in the west as it is seemingly mystical and Love-based; something many of us find attractive and useful. Persia is the birthplace of Sufism though most people now associate it with the touristy whirling Dervishes seen at big shows in Turkey. The form of Sufiism in Iran is, I would say, distinct from this and much more “pure” not being at all touristy and in fact, pretty closed to outsiders. I was told that I should dress as man-like as possible since women are not normally allowed at these ceremonies as it can inhibit men from being able to reach ecstasy. When I first heard this I wondered: can they not reach ecstasy because us “lowly” women are around?, or can they not reach ecstasy because as women we are so tantalizing that no man could possibly focus on God in our presence? I realized the second reason is why (since in fact that is why we cover here- men cannot be responsible to focus or behave around our womanliness; ) so I and my female translator friend tried to look as boyish for the ceremony. Before we arrived, I imagined us huddled in the corner, heads lowered, prayer beads in hand- sort of looking like weary old men. When we arrived they welcomed us, told us they were waiting for us, and then we were quickly shown to the kitchen where we were offered a seat on the floor. All the men entered a different door to the ceremony hall after washing their feet, hands and faces. The door between the ceremony hall and the kitchen was propped open half way for us by our friend, the master of the ceremony, who was the star singer and daft (a sort of big drum) player of the evening. We would not be allowed to enter the room. First the men said prayers which were a lot of “Allah Allah Allah”’s of various speeds and variations; my favorite being one meaning “God is One.” While seated, men rocked back and forth rhythmically, which I assume lets them reach a trance-like state. Once in a while a random man would scream out in ecstasy (but sometimes sounding like they were in pain), sometimes standing up while screaming (in terror?), moving around the room. Our master of the ceremony friend asked if I was scared, but I let him know I had seen some stuff in India and evangelical churches in America so nothing shocks me anymore. In the kitchen a man was preparing huge vats of tea for all the men in the hall (about 100?) so it was pretty hot. It forced us to come to terms with the fact that that us dressing like boys was unnecessary, but worse: HOT. A few men could see us through the propped open door. Most looked curiously and then got over it. Maybe one or two gave us dirty looks; they were the minority. After the prayer the real action happened: About 20 daft drums were brought out and men limed the parameter of the hall. Our friend being the star drummer, who we then learned had an evil co-leader, who looked more like a computer programmer than any Allah-loving long haired Dervish man. He was young, short-haired, light skinned, western geeky looking. His facial expressions showed that he was obviously disgusted by our presence. He slammed shut the door which was propped open. Within 30 seconds it became that much hotter in the kitchen. What was worse was that then the most amazing sound of drums and chanting came from the hallway but we could no longer see it : ( Our friend came back to open the door- in the minute that the door was open I could see the evil computer programmer boy whirling around, beads of sweat on his forehead, head thrust up to the heavens, eyes shut; as if he had truly reached ecstasy. His eyes cracked open a hair as he turned; his eyes turned red as he caught a glimpse of th eopen door. He then stormed towards the kitchen, slamming the door shut while screaming what I can only imagine was “effing bitches” (j/k!). Our friend then came in asking me for my video camera- he then gave it to a little boy to film the ceremony for us, which was not normally allowed but I think it was their consolation prize to us. This bit of the ceremony went on for about 45 minutes. Even though we could not see it sounded and felt incredible! Towards the end our friend again burst the door open, like he was freeing us from prison- cooling down the kitchen (relatively speaking) and letting us to have a glimpse into one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Across form the daft players was about 15 men who had their hair down, some of their hair reaching their bum, others simply shoulder length. Rythmicaly, while chanting, they bent their head and torso forwards and then back up right like a 80s head-banger would. Another man ran around the room hopping and flailing his head every which way. We still could not see much, but later on the video that was taken for us, we saw everything which was extremely fascinating. I will do my best to download what I can here, because you just have to see it to understand it. Once they were done with that bit of the ceremony we were ushered out and back onto the street- I insisted on saying goodbye to our singer friend. He came out but now would not shake my hand. I assume he was too close to God at that point to color it by some handshake with a woman. So, just a simple Khodahafez (good-bye) & we were off… My translator friend & I both agreed it was one of the most fascinating experiences we have ever had.

By Michelle May

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization will award the World Heritage Certificate to Bisotun on July 1, 2008, UN Information Center said on Monday.

“On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Iran’s membership to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, the World Heritage Certificate Awarding ceremony for Bisotun cultural heritage property will take place in the Kermanshah Province on 1 July 2008,” it said.

The event is being organized by the Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Organization, the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, the provincial and municipal authorities of Kermanshah and Bisotun as well as UNESCO.

This ceremony is the first of eight ceremonies to award certificates to the eight Iranian World Heritage properties.

The next ceremony will take place on July 7, 2008 for Bam and its Cultural Landscape World Heritage property.

Before December 2008, six other certificates will be handed over to Esfahan, Sultanieh, Takt-e-Suleiman, Chogha Zanbil, Persepolis, and Pasargard, UNIC said.

The World Heritage certificate has been signed by UNESCO Director-General, Mr. Koichiro Matsuura.

Such certificates are handed over by UNESCO to the Government responsible for the protection of a successfully nominated World Heritage property.

Bisotun was inscribed on the World Heritage List by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 2006 pursuant to a nomination submitted by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

UNESCO recognized the following outstanding universal values of the property which justified World Heritage status of the site:

The monument created by Darius I The Great in Bisotun in 521 BC is an outstanding testimony to the important interchange of human values on the development monumental art and writing.

The symbolic representation of the Achaemenid king in relation to his enemy reflects traditions in monumental bas-reliefs that date from ancient Egypt and the Middle East, and which were subsequently further developed during the Achaemenid and later empires.

The site of Bisotun is located along one of the main routes linking Persia with Mesopotamia and associated with the sacred Bisotun mountain.

There is archaeological evidence of human settlements that date from the prehistoric times, while the most significant period was from 6th century B.C. to AD 6th century.

The Bisotun inscription is unique being the only known monumental text of the Achaemenids to document a specific historic event, that of the re-establishment of the Empire by Darius I The Great. It was the first cuneiform writing to be deciphered in the 19th century.

The primary responsible authority for the conservation of the World Heritage values of Bisotun is the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The 1 July 2008 ceremony takes place simultaneous to the launching of the National Board of Trustees of Bisotun World Heritage property, established to ensure long term conservation and sustainable development of the property.

The ancient Persian capital of Persepolis, in a vast and arid plain 40 miles from Shiraz in southern Iran, is the greatest ancient site between the Holy Land and India. This is a rare place that actually exceeded my high expectations.

My main regret in traveling through Iran on my first visit (back in 1978) was not trekking south to Persepolis. Now, visiting with my public television film crew 30 years later, I’ve finally experienced it.

We arrived after a long day of driving — just in time for that “magic hour” before the sun sets. The light was glorious, the stones glowed rosy, and all the visitors seemed to be enjoying a special “sightseeing high.” Iranians were savoring this reminder that their nation was a huge and mighty empire 2,500 years ago.

Iranians visit this grand ceremonial headquarters of the Persian Empire with a great sense of pride. For an American, it would be like having Monticello, Cape Canaveral and Mount Rushmore all rolled into one magnificent sight. The soul of Iran is Persia, which predates the introduction of Islam here by a thousand years.

Persepolis was the capital of the Persian Empire back when it reached from Greece to India. For nearly 200 years, from 518 B.C. to 333 B.C., this was the dazzling home of the “King of Kings.”

Built by Darius and his son Xerxes the Great around 500 B.C., it’s a complex of palaces of the greatest kings of the day. They were so strong no fortifications were needed. Still, 10,000 guards were permanently posted here. Walking through the mighty “Nations’ Gate,” you can imagine dignitaries from the 28 nations subjugated by Persia also entering — “we’re not worthy”-style — to pay their taxes and humble respect to the emperor.

Like the message future superpowers would sell their subjects, ancient cuneiform inscriptions above the gate say the same thing in three languages. Roughly: The king is empowered by God. Submit totally to him for the good of Persia. All nations can live in peace if you are compliant.

Grand royal tombs, the scale of Egyptian pharaohs — or Mount Rushmore, are cut into the adjacent mountainside. The awe-inspiring tombs of Darius and Xerxes come with huge carved reliefs featuring ferocious lions: Even in death, they’re reminding us of their great power.

But no empire lasts forever. In 333 B.C. Persepolis was sacked and burned by Alexander the Great, the Macedonian Greek who turned the tide against Persia. Ending Persian dominance, he spread his Greek culture all the way to India. Persepolis has been in ruins ever since.

The temperature dropped dramatically (as it does in the desert when the sun goes down). I pressed my body against the massive stone walls to feel the warmth stored in the stones. (The next morning, under a blistering sun, I hugged the same wall to catch the cool of the night that it still possessed.)

I was impressed that the approach to this awe-inspiring site was marred by a vast and ugly tarmac with 1970s-era light poles. This is left from a party the Shah threw celebrating the 2,500th-year anniversary of the Persian Empire and designed to remind the world that he ruled Persia as a modern-day Xerxes or Darius. The Shah flew in dignitaries from all over the world, along with dinner from the finest restaurants in Europe. Iranian historians consider this arrogant display of imperial wealth and Western decadence the beginning of the end for the Shah. Within a year, he was gone and Khomeini was in. I think the ugly parking lot and light poles are left here so visiting locals can remember who their revolution overthrew.

I saw more Western tourists visiting Persepolis than any other single sight in Iran. (In comparison to the elegant way Iranian women wear their required scarves, the female tourists looked gawky in scarves, though none looked as silly as me, wearing my script as a sun hat.) The Western tourists were from all over Europe and Australia — all with local guides, most with the Lonely Planet guidebook to Iran, and everyone marveling at how Iran has great tourism potential.

Persepolis has the majesty of Giza or Luxor in Egypt. And I was most struck not by the international tourists, but by the local people who travel here to connect with their Persian heritage. Wandering the sight, you feel the omnipotence of the Persian Empire and get a strong appreciation for the enduring strength of this culture and its people.

By Rick Steves