Spin, spin, spin. Istanbul, Turkey. November 2012.
One of the highlights of Istanbul was watching dervishes whirl during the Mevlevi Sema at Galata Mevlevihanesi, the city's oldest "tekke". The men spun for about an hour+ to musicians playing from an elevated terrace. It was what I expected, graceful, spiritual, and mesmerizing. I did not understand the ceremony (and still don't!), however I could appreciate the difficulty in endlessly spinning. As a skater, I know what it feels like to spin, but could not imagine doing it for hours on end.