Shems Friedlander est un artiste et écrivain dont l'œuvre explore les profondeurs du soufisme et de la culture islamique. Graphiste et photographe primé, Friedlander capture des images visuellement captivantes, notamment à travers ses portraits de derviches turcs devenus des classiques documentaires. Son écriture, axée sur des figures telles que Mevlana, offre un aperçu des traditions spirituelles et de leur expression artistique. L'œuvre de Friedlander fait le lien de manière unique entre l'art visuel et la contemplation spirituelle, offrant aux lecteurs et aux spectateurs une perspective distincte.
Presents ancient Sufi teaching stories rooted in the Islamic tradition. This work addresses questions and problems of modern life. Through the re-telling of stories and the author's commentary, it unfolds a pattern that helps to distinguish knowledge from information, reality from imagination, and makes what seems to lie beyond our perception.
This account of the Sufi order of Mevlevi dervishes and its founder, the poet and mystic Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, presents the esoteric wisdom of the Sufis as it has been handed down from the great teachers of the past without alienating the modern reader. In addition to Rumi's life story, accounts of dervishes past and present are included. Featured are excerpts from Rumi's poetry, teachings of other Sufi masters, descriptions of the dervish lodges and the symbolism of the dervish ceremony, and an overview of the music that accompanies the Mevlevis' dances. Haunting, evocative pictures of the order's dancers clad in traditional dress provide a glimpse of ceremonies usually closed to the public.
The book explores the sacred music and dance, known as "sema," of the Mevlevi Dervishes, featuring previously unpublished material. It highlights the significance and symbolism behind the dress and movements of the dance, enriched by extraordinary photography that captures the essence of performances held in the Hall of Celestial Sounds. This insightful work delves into the cultural and spiritual dimensions of this unique tradition.