It is really a must-see show in Cairo – it is Popular traditional whirling dervish dance called Tanoura. Created by the Sufis as a way of physically active spiritual meditation, today it is a mesmerizing tourist attraction.
Dervishes perform this astonishing ecstatic dance during Sufi festivals for more than 750 years. It is believed that the circular motions are imitating the planets revolving around the sun. The position of hands and direction of the spins also have a certain meaning: right-to-left rotations express humanity love, the crossed hands at the beginning of the show testify the unification with God; the right arm always directed to the sky symbolizing the readiness to receive God’s blessings and grace, while the left one passes the blessing to the Earth.
In present-day Egypt the vast majority of Tanoura dancers are entertainers rather than real followers of Sufism, nevertheless their entrancing whirling movements with colorful skirts spinning round and round above their heads will keep you glued to the stage. The performers wear a few heavy multicolored skirts that might weight 5-15 KGs taking them off gradually; this symbolizes the change of the seasons, while each color of the skirt corresponds to each Sufi order. The dance itself can last up to 2 hours without making the dancer dizzy. Undoubtedly, this is a thrilling experience that will add flavor to your Egyptian holidays.
To make it easier for you Mo Swefy & Cairo Trips have designed a Remarkable Day Trip around Cairo that includes a visit to timeless Pyramids of Giza, a dinner in one of the most enjoyable parks in Cairo – “Al Azhar Park” that offers a marvelous view of alabaster Muhammad ‘Ali Mosque and surely a mind-blowing Whirling Dervish dance show. Don’t miss this gorgeous performance, as Tanoura is nowhere else as special as in Egypt!
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