Considered a mystic sect by fellow Muslims in Kosovo and Albania, dozens of Sufi Dervishes from the Kadiri order celebrated the centuries-old traditions of the spring equinox, known to them as Sultan Nevruz on March 22.
Kosovo Dervishes Welcome Spring With Centuries-Old Mystical Practices
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Sheikh Ruzhdi Shehu leads the ceremony marking the Norouz spring festival in a prayer room in the town of Gjakova, late on March 21 into the early morning hours.
Sufi dervishes from the Kadiri order celebrated the centuries-old traditions of the spring equinox, known to them as Sultan Nevruz.
Sufi dervishes from the Kadiri order celebrated the centuries-old traditions of the spring equinox, known to them as Sultan Nevruz.
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The annual ritual celebrates the birth of Ali ibn Abi Talib. Ali is one of the most revered figures in Islam. The ceremony is held inside a 'tekke,' a small religious house of worship that bears no resemblance to a traditional mosque.
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Dervishes chant and sway as they sing songs in Albanian, Turkish, and Arabic to the hypnotic rhythm of prayer until they reach a trance-like state.
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A dervish swirls a needle known as a zarf as he dances in the center of the room during the ceremony.
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After they reach a trance-like state, men will then have parts of their bodies pierced, such as this man's neck, as the others continue to chant.
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A dervish appears to be in no pain as the zarf protrudes from his face while the congregation continues its rhythmic chanting.
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Another dervish who was pierced during the ceremony.
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For those who were unable to attend in person, a broadcast could be watched in a prayer room at the tekke.
An estimated 95 percent of Kosovo's 1.66 million people are Muslims, but only a tiny fraction -- a few thousand -- are dervishes.
An estimated 95 percent of Kosovo's 1.66 million people are Muslims, but only a tiny fraction -- a few thousand -- are dervishes.
