The Mevlevīḫāne of Salonica

Abstract

Abstract Although there is quite a rich bibliography on the history of the Mevlevīḫāne of Salonica, which holds a prominent place among the Mevlevi lodges in Ottoman Europe, the visual sources that could illuminate its architectural features were limited until today to some exterior photographs from the early twentieth century. The building itself no longer exists, save for a few scant traces. I decided to write this article when, at an auction in 2019, I came across some personal items and official documents belonging to Salahaddin Efendi, the last postnişīn (sheikh of a dervish lodge) of this mevlevihane, as well as photographs of its courtyard, kitchen, türbe (mausoleum) and cemetery, and, most importantly, the plan of the main building, which houses the semāʿḫāne (hall in which the semāʿ [the Mevlevi ceremony of prayer, song, and dance] is performed) and the türbe. I hope this essay will be of interest to those who work on Ottoman Sufi architecture and the history of the Mevlevi order in Rumelia.