The name Omdurman literally translates as "Mother of Durmān” and is the most populated city in Sudan with almost 2 million inhabitans.
Each Friday afternoon at the Hamid El-Nil Mosque around 16.00, local Sufis gather to dance and pray, attracting large crowds of observers. The al-Qadiriya Sufi order in Omdurman was founded by Sheikh Hamid al-Nil, and he is buried in the tomb nearby.
Sufism, known as tasawwuf in the Arabic-speaking world, is a form of Islamic mysticis. Sufi practice focuses on the renunciation of worldly things, purification of the soul and the mystical contemplation of God’s nature. Followers try to get closer to God by seeking spiritual learning known as tariqa.
The vast majority of Sufis are Sunni, though some are Shiit. Many modern day Sufis cherish tolerance and pluralism. While some Muslims view Sufis as eccentric, some fundamentalists and extremists see Sufism as a threat, and its followers as heretics or apostates.
Sufi whirling is a form of physically active meditation which originated among certain Sufi groups, and which is still practiced by the Sufi Dervishes of the Mevlevi order. The order was created in 1273 after the death of the great poet and Sufi; Rumi. They whirl by crossing their legs and spinning, over and over, and they claim they don't get dizzy. Careful footwork and deep concentration is said to be the key.
Rumi was known as a “drunken Sufi” because he found ecstacy in dancing, poetry and music. It’s believed that Rumi would turn round and round while reciting his poetry, and it is this dance which formed the basis for the Mevlevi Order, or Whirling Dervishes, after his death. Dervish means doorway, and the dance is believed to be a mystical portal between the earthly and cosmic worlds.
A whirling dervish ritual begins with prayers and meditation in which each dervish, one after the other, receives a blessing from a superior. Then flutes play an introductory melody which symbolizes man's desire for mystic union, and the dance begins.
Each dance consists of three stages: the first is the knowledge of God; the second is the seeing of God; and the third is the union with God. Their whirling symbolizes the rotation of the universe in the presence of God.
Sudan’s Sufis make up the largest national Sufi community in the world. But the various orders operate independently. The attendance seems to agree that onlooking tourists is okay. “They come to visit other sights in Sudan. For them seeing the way we are dressed and the drumming, they see it as an African folklore. And all are welcome, so it’s not just a show for us.”