It’s been a busy week with the Summer Solstice, Kadir Gecesi and the end of Ramazan tomorrow. Today we’re bringing you an update on what’s happened this week and what’s to come.
Summer Solstice and Kadir Gecesi
This year, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan coincides with the summer solstice. (Ramadan’s dates vary each year, but in 2017 it runs from May 26 to June 24.)
Sunrise over Stonehenge
On the longest day of the northern hemisphere’s year, hundreds of revellers gathered at Stonehenge in Wiltshire to watch the sun rise. Stonehenge is an ancient prehistoric site which has been a place of worship and celebration at the time of Summer Solstice for thousands of years. It is seen by many as a sacred site.
Sunset over Fethiye
Whilst the sun set on the summer solstice, the longest day, Muslims around the world were getting ready to celebrate a very special night in Islam.
27th night of Ramadan – Kadir Gecesi (Qadr)
The 27th night of Ramadan is called Kadir Gecesi, the Night of Power.
It’s the night on which the first verses of the Koran are believed to have been revealed to Prophet Muhammed in Mecca in the year 610 AD.
The anniversary of that night or the birthday of the Koran, became the holiest moment in the Muslim calendar (Kadir Gecesi).
Click here to read more about Kadir Gecesi
Celebrating Kadir Gecesi in Fethiye
Erasta AVM plays host to Ramazan entertainment every year and, once again, shoppers stopped to watch the performances.
Whirling Dervishes
We wrote in detail about the Order of the Mevlevi (Whirling Dervishes) last year. Click here to read the full article.
Too good to miss
We went along to take some photographs, enjoy the atmosphere and watch the performance of the mesmerising Sema.
Whirling Dervishes at Erasta Shopping Centre in Fethiye from fethiyetimes on Vimeo.
You really have to see it to experience the surreal feeling of the age old sema being performed in this modern shopping centre.
- They glide effortlessly in circles, their white robes rising and falling, thinking all the while of their act as a bridge from God to earth.
