Whirling dervishes perform their physical act of meditation. The whirling dervishes trace their origin to the 13th-century Ottoman Empire. The dervishes, also known as the Mevlevi Order, are Sufis, a spiritual offshoot of Islam. The ceremony represents a mystical journey of man’s spiritual ascent through mind and love. The city of Konya is the birthplace of Sufism and the whirling dervishes. Turks come from all over Turkey to see the performance and the museum and mosque.