Saturday 7 July 2007

Event: Afternoon Workshop:
A Thousand Years of Turkish Mystic Culture: Music, Philosophy, Poetry and History.
Venue: Columcille Centre, 2 Newbattle Terrace, Edinburgh.
Time: Registration: 11.30am-12. Workshop: 12-4pm.
Event Description: In this workshop, we'll review the development of Sufi mysticism within the religion of Islam starting from the time of Prophet Mohammed and after. These developments will be taken from historical, religious and artistic dimensions. In addition to the history and philosophy of Sufism, we'll concentrate on the artistic expressions of the Sufi mystics for the past 1000 years, especially from the Turkish perspective. We'll have a journey from the steppes of the Central Asia into Anatolia. We'll trace the mystical nature of the pre-Islamic nomadic Turkish people, their nature worshiping, Shamanistic beliefs and their effects on the later Sufi Mysticism that was developed among these nomadic people. We'll review the poetry of Yunus Emre, Rumi, Nesimi and many other Bektashi poets. We'll work on the songs of these wandering dervishes from the 12th century on. You can expect to go home with a good understanding of the Turkish mysticism in the past 1000 years after this workshop. If you stay for the evening music event following the workshop,
you can immerse yourself in the poetry and music of these dervishes.
Cost: £10/£7 (Concessions). For a Registration Form:
Contact: Neill Walker, contact@eicws.org, 0131 331 4469, www.eicws.org


Event: Healing Sounds of the Wandering Dervishes of Turkey:
Turkish Mystic Sufi Music and Poetry with Latif Bolat.
Venue: Columcille Centre, 2 Newbattle Terrace, Edinburgh.
Time: Doors open from 7pm. Music: 7.30pm-9.30pm.
Event Description: Turkish Mystic Sufi musician, singer and composer Latif Bolat will present music, poetry, Sufi mystic stories and images of the Wandering Dervishes from the ancient land of Turkey. Traveling from the Mediterranean city of Mersin in Turkey, Latif Bolat plays Turkish Folk ballads and ecstatic devotional Sufi songs. These are the ritualistic music and poetry of the Anatolian mystics since the 12th Century. From the horrifying years of the Crusaders and Genghis Khan's destruction in the Middle East to the present days, people found great comfort in this Sufi culture. Throughout the program, Latif Bolat will also recite devotional poetry from 13th Century Sufi poets Yunus Emre, Rumi and other ancient poets.

One of the most well-known Turkish musicians in the US, his mesmerizing performances draw on ancient texts and employ traditional instrumentation such as the Saz (long necked lute.) Now residing in Istanbul, Turkey, Latif Bolat has presented his music all across America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore, Bulgaria, Spain, Turkey, Philippines and the UK. In addition to the concerts and lectures around the world, he has recorded 4 very successful CDs, made many TV and radio appearances and composed music for the PBS Documentary Muhammed: Legacy of a Prophet and George Lucas's TV series Young Indiana Jones. With poet Jennifer Ferraro, he translated a compilation of ancient Turkish Sufi poets entitled Quarreling with God: Mystic Rebel Poems of the Dervishes of Turkey which is published by White Cloud Press in Oregon, USA.
Cost: £8, on the door, on the night.
Contact: Neill Walker, contact@eicws.org, 0131 331 4469, www.eicws.org