Shems Friedlander ist ein Künstler und Schriftsteller, dessen Werk sich mit den Tiefen des Sufismus und der islamischen Kultur auseinandersetzt. Als preisgekrönter Grafikdesigner und Fotograf schafft Friedlander visuell fesselnde Bilder, insbesondere durch seine Porträts türkischer Derwische, die zu Dokumentarklassikern geworden sind. Sein Schreiben, das sich auf Persönlichkeiten wie Mevlana konzentriert, bietet Einblicke in spirituelle Traditionen und deren künstlerischen Ausdruck. Friedlanders Werk verbindet auf einzigartige Weise bildende Kunst und spirituelle Kontemplation und vermittelt Lesern und Betrachtern eine besondere Perspektive.
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The book explores the sacred music and dance, known as "sema," of the Mevlevi Dervishes, featuring previously unpublished material.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.