The ceremony of whirling dervishes dates back very old times and it was founded by Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi in 13th century. The Mevlevi order includes tolerance, forgiveness, enlightment. Indeed, the ceremony is perfomed as sacred ritual by Muslim prayers and the perfomance is generally known as "Sema" that is the inspiration of Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi and also part of the Turkish culture, belief and history in Konya. Contemporary science definitely confirms that the fundamental condition of our existence is to revolve. There is no object, no being which does not revolve. Every thing whirls and man, a whirling dervish, carries on his life, his very existence by means of the revolution in the atoms, structural elements in his body, by the circulation of his blood, by his coming from the Earth and return to it, by his revolving with the Earth itself. The ceremony of whirling dervishes represents a mystical journey to the man's spiritual ascent through love, finding the truth and arriving to the "Perfection". Then he returns from this spiritual journeys as a man who reached maturity and a greater perfection, so as to love and to be of service to the whole creation, to all creatures without discriminating in regard to belief, class, or race. 
During the whirling ceremony his arms are open and his right hand directed to the sky is ready to receive God's beneficence, gazing his left hand turned toward the earth for giving what he received to poor, he turns from right to left. Revolving around the heart, from right to left, he embraces all of humankind, all the creation with affection and love. Indeed, The whirling Dervish ceremony played an important role in the Ottoman's time.

Whoever you may be, come
Even though you may be
An infidel, a pagan or a fire worshipper
Our brotherhood is not one of despair
Even though you may have broken
Your vows of repetance a hundred times, come
 

* Adapted from Rumi