Did you know that Tripoli used to host a Soufi congregation?

Did you know that on the banks of Abou Ali river in Tripoli lay the Mawlawiyyeh, the old quarters of the Mawlawi Soufis, also known as the Whirling Dervishes? It’s the white building in this photo, and it has just been restored.

Whirling dervishes are one of the various orders of Sufism, an Islamic mystic doctrine aimed at understanding the religion, which started in the 8th century. Their name comes from “Souf” (wool in Arabic), as the first ascetics of Islam used to wear a white wool robe. The Mawlawi Order itself was founded a bit later, in 1207, in what is current Turkey, by famous poet Al Rumi. They expanded throughout the region in monastic buildings, and developed specific rituals to go into a trance: hence the name whirling dervishes.

Travelers from the 18th and 19th century talk about the Tripoli Mawlawiyyeh in their diaries: at that time, it was surrounded by orange and lemon trees.

Source: Tripoli à travers les ages, Nina Jidejian.