In Leilat El-Tagali El-Mawlawy (The Night of Mevlevi Transfiguration), Hussein Soliman, head of the Egyptian Mevlevi Order, creates a sacred atmosphere. He invites everyone to explore their inner selves and renounce worldly concerns to reconnect with God.
This is not quite a Sufi dance performance, but a divine journey — an invitation to spiritual elevation and the purification of the soul.
“I am a servant of God. I do not seek to be recognized as a Sufi dancer or as a practitioner of a traditional ritual. In reality, my work is about introducing the concept and doctrine of the Mevlevi Sufi tradition (followers of the Sufi order founded by the mystical poet Jalal al-Din Rumi),” Hussein Soliman explains.
The ceremony presented by Soliman is preceded by the recitation of Quranic verses, followed by a session of chanting the names of God and praising the Prophet, along with several religious hymns. Finally, the Mevlevi dervish ceremony begins.
“It is a gradual journey, a collective work involving singers and musicians. The audience is also engaged in the ceremony and repeats the chants with us. I lead the audience, step by step, toward a state of communion with God. It is a purely spiritual session. The proceeds from the evening are always donated to the charitable work of my NGO, which bears the same name, Leilat El-Tagali El-Mawlawy,” he notes.
Hussein Soliman has practiced Sufi dance for 15 years. At the beginning, he was familiar with neither Sufism nor the tradition of Samaa.
“While I was still in high school, I came across a photo of two Turkish dancers wearing traditional costumes during a folkloric evening I attended. Someone explained to me that they belonged to the Mevlevi Order. Unconsciously, I said out loud: one day, I will wear this outfit and be like him.” The dervish thus chose his path at a very early age.
He then delved into archives and libraries to better understand the rules and doctrine of this Sufi order. He even attended a Sufi dance workshop led by the Turkish çelebi (man of God) Sami.
“I was deeply in love with the Mevlevi Order, fascinated by its fundamental precepts as taught by Jalal El-Din El-Rumi. That workshop was a major revelation for me.”
Following in the footsteps of this Turkish mentor, Hussein Soliman opened himself to other Turkish dancers and dervishes. He took online courses, practiced regularly, recorded his movements on video, and conducted extensive research on Sufism and Jalal El-Din El-Rumi.
He also began participating in Sufi trance evenings with one of the Sufi troupes, without pay. He was content to be present and experience a state of elevation toward the divine.
Reviving the Sufi ritual
Having studied under several masters of the Mevlevi Order, Hussein Soliman was recognized in 2015 as the leader of the order in Egypt, succeeding Mohamed Ghaleb Dorra, the former head of the brotherhood, who died in 1915 and is buried in their dervish lodge in Old Cairo.
Since his consecration at the head of the Sufi order, Soliman has committed himself to reviving Mevlevi rites through evenings that involve the public more deeply in this practice of divine illumination.
“I first had to introduce myself as a whirling dervish, to appear on stage and be recognized as such,” he notes.
To achieve this, he began combining sacred chanting and dance in evenings he titled Sufi Night. For a year, his programme consisted of presenting different forms of Sufi rituals to attract a wider audience.
“The Sufi nights were a huge success. After that, it became necessary to embody the unique journey of the Mevlevi dervishes. That is why I launched the Night of Illumination in its current form.”
The first night in this lineage took place at the Jesuit Cultural Centre in March 2023. The set design, the arrangement of musicians, singers, and choir, the lighting, the costumes — everything was carefully crafted to ensure a sacred and exalted atmosphere.
Hussein Soliman studied oriental music and its various maqams, not to compose his own works, but to make subtle adjustments to the music of his ceremonies. He draws the lyrics of his songs from the writings of Jalal El-Din El-Rumi, Shams Tabrizi, Ibn Arabi, Al-Hallaj, and other Sufi figures.
He founded his own event agency, enabling him to organize his evenings from start to finish.
“It is my way of preserving the concept of sacred nights,” he concludes, noting that during Ramadan, he has planned 12 nights of divine journey in Cairo and Alexandria.
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The events take place every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8.30pm at the El-Rabaa Cultural Centre, Al-Moez Street, Gamaliya.
And on 16 March at 8.30pm at Saqiet Gwana, 128 Abdel-Hamid Badawi Street, Alexandria.
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This article was first published in Al-Ahram Hebdo (French) on 25 February 2026. Translation into English: Ahram Online.
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