In a historic first, the ancient Roman Colosseum will host a Mevlevi whirling dervish ceremony as the closing event of the “Musica in Venere” concert series, organized in partnership between Türkiye's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the Italian Ministry of Culture.
The event, scheduled for June 25 at the Colosseum Archaeological Park, will mark the first time that the 2,000-year-old monument welcomes Anatolia’s spiritual heritage, presenting Turkish Sufi music and the universal message of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi.
The Konya Metropolitan Municipality’s Turkish Sufi Music and Whirling Dervish Ensemble will take the stage with a 30-member artist group. The hourlong performance will use music and movement to express Rumi’s teachings of peace, love and tolerance.
This marks the first inclusion of a Sufi ceremony in the “Musica in Venere” series, which features prominent Italian artists, and is expected to be a milestone in cultural diplomacy between the two nations.
The event is being held under a special invitation from the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Colosseum Archaeological Park, one of the most visited historical sites in the world.
The performance follows the success of Türkiye’s recent exhibition, “Göbeklitepe: The Mystery of a Sacred Place,” which also drew international attention during its run in Rome. Turkish officials anticipate that these cultural engagements will contribute to the goal of attracting nearly 1 million Italian visitors to Türkiye this year.
In conjunction with the concert, Rome’s Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) will host a symposium on June 24 titled “Mysticism: A Bridge Between East and West,” exploring the philosophical, literary and aesthetic dimensions of Sufism.
Also opening the same day at the institute is the calligraphy exhibition “Journey to the Secret: The Wisdom of Letters,” featuring 22 works by master calligraphers Abdurrahim Kahya and Seyit Ahmet Depeler.
