I left my shoes at the entrance; and on gaining the interior of the edifice, found the service had commenced. As each dervish entered, he saluted the chief priest; besides whom, there were five other priests, seated in various situations close to the railing. One, on the right of the entrance, held a book, from which he chanted certain verses in a monotonous voice; while the others sat silent and motionless, with their eyes fixed on the ground. When he stopped, a slow and solemn air was played upon the flutes, accompanied by the drum, which had an effect by no means unpleasing; but in a few moments the other instruments commenced a species of tune between a waltz and march, and all the dervishes jumping up, the whole assembly followed each other slowly round the enclosed space, led by the high priest. On arriving opposite the seat of their leader, they bowed thrice to the ground, with their arms crossed upon the breast, and on passing close to it, they stepped by, with a stride and a whirl, and then resumed their march. After the third performance of these absurdities, the high priest sat down, and the music, which had hitherto continued playing the march, presently struck into an air resembling a sauteuse, accompanied by the chanting of several voices. The dervishes, having thrown off their cloaks, again folded their arms across their breasts, and bowing three times, re-commenced walking before the high priest, bending low as they passed his seat, and kissing his hands, which were joined together. The whirling at length began in reality: at first with folded arms, then with one arm extended, the other slightly bent, and held so as to form an obtuse angle at the elbow. Thus, with closed eyes and erect body, these singular people whirled round and round on one leg, making a _pirouette_ with the other, and proceeding by degrees round every part of the enclosure, accelerating or retarding their movements as the music and the chant became more or less animated. By looking at a stop watch, I ascertained that on an average they turned sixty-four times in a minute. After spinning round for about five minutes, at a signal from the high priest, both music and dancers suddenly stopped, but re-commenced in a few seconds, bowing as before. The third time, they kept it up for nine minutes and three quarters; my brain was swimming too, so much so, that I could hardly count their evolutions; and it is extraordinary their heads should escape being affected in the same manner. I noticed one little fellow who went round at an amazing pace. The fourth and last time they whirled for five minutes and three quarters, thus making in all