This recording marks the 800th birthday of the great Sufi saint, Rumi. In March 2007, the Gulizar Turkish Music Ensemble gathered in Ankara to pay homage to this legendary saint and poet.

From the opening naat-i sherif, a eulogy of the Prophet Muhammad, sung by Hafiz Fatih Koca through the various taqsim to the closing ilahi, this recording is a fitting tribute to the great sage, Mevlana Jalauddin Rumi.

In the Ayin, the act of praising God by the Whirling Dervishes, the sema, or the whirling dance, features the turning on the stationary left foot, representing the shariah as a foundation while the right foot moves through a motion that reflects the word Allah.

Rumi considered the sema to be the "nourishment of the lovers of God" and a "symbol of the joy of being with God." True to the essence of Sufism, the connection with God is found in the experience itself.

The recording features a beautiful texture of voice, the spiritually uplifting ney, the kanun, tambur, kemence, violoncello, bendir, mazhar, and kudum. It is lead by kanun artist and musical director Tahir Aydogdu.

The quality of the recording is top notch and worthy of the event captured. The musicianship is reflective of the combined experience of the members who are from the Turkish Radio and Television and Ministry of Culture State Classical Turkish Music Ensembles. And the voice sings with a sound that reflect the devotion.

ARC Music has released yet another great recording of Sufi music to join their fantastic catalogue. The insert features extensive notes on Mevlana Rumi, the sema ritual, and the musical terms.