(peaceful music)
- [Man] I am Cyrus, king of kings.
Powerful king.
King of Babylon.
King of Sumer and Akkad.
King of four countries.
I command all people be free
in worshiping their own god,
and atheists not harm them.
- [Narrator] Iran.
A land known for thousands of
years as the Persian Empire.
A land where 2500 years
ago, and under the reign
of Cyrus the Great the first declaration
of human rights and
freedom faith was born.
Carved on a simple
cylinder, it was discovered
in the city of Babylon
many centuries later.
From the ancient rites of Zarathustra
to the pre-years of Islam
and the realm of mystic dervishes
it's a land rich in spirit.
Through invasion of people and tyranny,
the culture and the
spirit survives because
at the heart of its nation
lies a central belief.
A belief in spiritual
transformation and freedom of faith.
The legacy of Cyrus the Great passed down
for hundreds of years.
(cars honking)
I am a woman of two
cultures, East and West.
For more than two decades
I have lived in the West.
My pilgrimage today takes me east.
Back to Iran.
Land of my birth and back to Persia,
land of many beliefs.
(gentle music)
In quest of the spiritual
roots and rituals of this
ancient land that have
survived the centuries.
My journey begins in Tehran.
Tehran the capital of Iran
is a city like any modern
city the world over.
(light music)
A city with ancient
roots, Tehran has adopted
a cosmopolitan way of life.
But like many other
cities in the Middle East,
Tehran has developed its
own unique public laws.
In response to one of the
more controversial laws,
a dress code requiring
women be covered head to toe
in public, I saw the younger
generation adopting a new
East West fashion statement.
Despite numerous public
and private restrictions,
many Iranians have reached
new heights of achievement.
And women as well as men have found a path
to creative expression.
As filmmakers,
poets, and writers.
From the hidden cafes and
galleries where artists
and intellectuals gather,
to open air parks filled
with the vibrant energy
of the younger generation.
I saw people redefining their
role in the modern world.
From the children of comfort
to children who work and never play,
I found Tehran a city of paradox.
A place where lives are
lived in a constant struggle
between Western taste and desires
and Eastern rules and laws.
But my journey was to take me far beyond,
away from the city.
Away from the familiar.
Into the heart of an ancient land.
(peaceful music)
As we rode into the Dasht-e Kavir Desert,
we passed by abandoned and crumbling walls
that once gave shelter
from the sun and sand
to caravans that carried
the gifts of the Orient
along the Silk Road.
Connecting East and West.
Now I traveled that same route in search
of people, places, and
the spiritual traditions
long hidden in remote regions.
Echoes from a distant past.
A golden dome and turquoise
minarets shone from
the distant horizon inviting us toward
the Shrine of Hazrat
Masoumeh, a Muslim saint
in the city of Qom.
(chanting)
When the teachings of
Islam reached this region
in the late 13th century,
Persia was monotheistic,
inhabited by the followers of
Zarathustra, Moses, and Jesus.
And like his predecessors,
Prophet Mohammad believed
in one supreme god.
Allah.
(water trickling)
At the shrine we joined
thousands of pilgrims
from across Islamic world who
had come to ask forgiveness
and receive a blessing from
the spirit of the young
female saint buried in
the inner sanctuary.
For centuries people have
believed in the healing power
of the saints to cure the sick
in body, mind, and spirit.
Along with my male crew
I waited for days under
the burning sun for
permission to film the shrine.
I was not allowed to
enter the men's chamber,
segregated from women under Islamic law.
Unexpectedly we were given
five minutes to film inside
the women's chamber.
To my knowledge, we were
the first film crew allowed
into the sanctuary.
(singing in foreign language)
Outside the women kiss and
touch the gilded doorways,
a sign of respect offered
to the spirit of the saint.
Inside, a pavilion of light explodes
into a seemingly infinite array of images
as colorful tiles dance
off a multitude of mirrors.
Wall to wall hundreds of women
wrapped in the black chador
gather to pray.
Some read from the Quran,
seeking wisdom from the words.
Some whisper the name of god.
Others sit in silent meditation.
Surprisingly no one pays
attention or objects
to the presence of
camera or the male crew.
Most quietly cover their faces
and continue their prayers.
Deep within the shrine is
the gold and silver case
enclosing the body of Hazrat Masoumeh.
The young woman saint who
d*ed here of an illness
in the late 8th century.
We are caught in the crowd
as hundreds of women press
forward to kiss and touch her mausoleum.
Some make offerings to the saint,
hoping to find relief from sufferings,
illness, and misfortune.
Others lift their children high to contact
the healing energy of the
spirit within the chamber.
Believing the saint's power
transcends even death.
But most have come simply
for comfort, strength,
and the hope to carry on.
(gentle music)
In search of rites and rituals
dating to an earlier time,
we travel deeper into central Iran.
As we journeyed, I saw
layers of past civilizations
long-hidden within the desert cities.
In an earlier time Islam
forbade representation
of deities and living beings
in paintings and sculptures.
Artists were compelled to
express their creativity
in other ways and an
architectural Renaissance arose.
(singing in foreign language)
The city of Kashan, jewel of the desert,
bears witness to this artistic awakening.
From the narrow alleys and shapely domes
to ceilings filled with rays of light.
Even in the arched bazaars.
Everywhere I saw signs
of a higher creativity
and boundless beauty.
Like many seekers who had come before us,
we entered the land of the
ancient messenger, Zarathustra.
(dramatic music)
4,000 years ago, Zarathustra
was born in the northernmost
area of Persia.
In an epoch of darkness
and nonbelief, he spoke
of an intelligent force.
An unseen energy.
The god of light.
Deep in the womb of the Karkas Mountains
we reached the sanctuary of
(speaking foreign language).
Hidden for centuries.
A holy place for Zoroastrians,
it is another shrine
dedicated to a female saint.
It is believed that she
escaped to the high mountains
to preserve the esoteric
teachings of Zarathustra
during a time of religious persecution.
(peaceful music)
According to legend, an
actual miracle took place
when the walls of the
cave literally opened,
giving her protection from her enemies.
Every day women, men, and
children colorfully dressed
in traditional clothing gather
in the hidden sanctuary.
(singing in foreign language)
They come to read songs
from the holy book Avesta
and to celebrate their lives on earth.
An ancient layer beneath the Islam,
the teachings of Zarathustra
predates Jesus and even Moses.
(singing in foreign language)
(peaceful music)
Zarathustra proclaimed god
the omnipotent Ahura Mazda
the creator of the universe
and that the human soul
was created in the image of god.
Through his discoveries of the human soul
and mysteries of the
universe, he came to believe
that two forces controlled the world.
Spenta Mainyu, the
positive force of goodness
manifesting in the world as light
and Ahriman, the negative
destructive force of evil
manifesting as darkness.
The dark force he believed
was not an independent entity
but existed solely within the human mind.
Zarathustra proclaimed
the only path to happiness
was to purify one's own thoughts
so that from the seeds of good thoughts
good words and good deeds would bloom.
As followers of this ancient
messenger offer their prayers
to Ahura Mazda, they burn incense
and light candles to purify their spirits.
Zoroastrians built temples
in the high mountains
where they still come to
perform rituals around the fire.
This fire has been kept
alive for thousands of years,
a symbolic reminder of
the divine illumination
within the human soul.
The legacy of this most
ancient messenger remains
one of joy and love.
(upbeat music)
I've heard the stories
of the incredible men
known as dervishes living in
the rugged distant mountains
of Kordestan.
We came at last to the
remote village of Najjar
inhabited by farmers
living a simple lifestyle.
Throughout history, the
Kurdish people have practiced
mysticism as a way of
life, even while continuing
their long fight for independence.
(singing in foreign language)
Inside the Sufi center we
were welcomed by Sheik Nadur,
one of the spiritual leaders of the
(speaking foreign language) path.
The dervishes come from many
different walks of life.
Young or old, educated or simple farmers,
they share a common belief.
All are equal here as
they come before God.
(percussive music)
(singing in foreign language)
The Western world knows
about the dervishes and
their whirling dance of Sama
through the 13th century Persian mystic
Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi.
Rumi, a poet and a scholar,
reached a state of enlightenment
under the guidance of a wandering dervish
and practicing Sufi
known as Shams-e Tabrizi.
Rumi expressed his
enlightened state in his poems
and through them has
been a messenger of love
and consciousness for over 700 years.
Though it is believed to
have branched out of Islam,
the mystical apparition of dervishes
also has roots in the older
Christian and Zoroastrian
teachings and rituals.
Dervishes are often depicted as wanderers,
pilgrims on a spiritual
quest in search of mysteries
of the universe.
In their long journey in
search of esoteric knowledge,
they carry a ball
symbolizing their willingness
to receive that which comes from God.
Dervishes believe in the
existence of two worlds.
The physical and the virtual.
The seen and the unseen.
In order to travel to the unseen world,
they believe it necessary
to reach the state of enlightenment
and from that state the chosen ones
will hear the voice of the universe.
Throughout history, many
dervishes have been persecuted,
accused of blasphemy, and
even k*lled for openly
revealing esoteric knowledge.
Forced underground, they kept
a path open to devoted seekers
in order to hand down
the mystic knowledge.
Their secret meetings take
place in centers known
as Hanaga.
Many are still closed every day.
As Rumi said, Jesus
reached the crucifixion
because of his message of love.
(percussive music)
(singing in foreign language)
Men from areas throughout
Kordestan gather to perform
their sacred ritual known as Sama.
Sama means to hear or to listen
and it is during the ritual
of Sama that the dervish
opens himself to hearing God.
It is traditionally
taboo for women to enter
the men's circle, but out of
respect for our long pilgrimage
Sheik Nadur allowed me
to watch from a window.
Islam forbids music and
dance in secular life,
but inside the Hanaga,
the ritual of Sama begins
with the rhythm of the daf,
an ancient instrument
like the shaman's drum,
the daf is sacred to these mystic men.
Like yogis, dervishes
keep their hair long,
wrapping it beneath the turban.
As they start the ritual, the
men let their long hair flow,
whipping back and forth with
the rhythm of the dance.
(percussive music)
(singing in foreign language)
As the b*at of the drum speeds up,
they enter a state of trance.
Some meditate, some levitate,
some whirl, some chant.
All in a state of ecstasy.
As the mystic poet Rumi
described the Sama,
"Dancing is not rising
to your feet painlessly
"like a speck of dust blown in the wind.
"Dancing is when you
rise above both worlds,
"tearing your heart to pieces
"and giving up your soul."
(singing and chanting in foreign language)
The ritual lasted for hours.
But at last they returned to
a normal state of awareness.
I saw men leave with a look of inner peace
and a certain smile on their face.
(upbeat music)
(percussive music)
(singing in foreign language)
While in the village
of Najjar I discovered
the presence of women dervishes.
They'd gather to offer
prayers to the spirit
of dervish saint Vaisa Kharan,
buried within the mausoleum.
Khalifa Saneh, the spiritual
leader of the group, is a woman
of modern wisdom and gave us
permission to film the Sama
during their pilgrimage
through this remote region.
(percussive music)
(singing in foreign language)
Though women have been
practicing the mystic knowledge
for centuries, their
existence has been hidden
from public view.
It is forbidden for women
to dance and sing in public,
but once again, the ritual of Sama begins
with the sound of the
daf as the women whirl
and chant the name of Allah.
(chanting)
Dervishes practice Sama
as a way to see further
beyond ordinary senses.
Beyond the material world.
To reach a higher state of consciousness.
Some have visions,
other chase away bad spirits.
But all experience the presence
of God within their heart.
(percussive music)
The role of a spiritual
leader guiding the Sama
is to watch over the dervishes
while in the mystical realm.
Induced by the movement and sound,
their hypnotic trance state deepens,
and Khalifa Saneh helps the women back
to a normal state of consciousness.
(singing and chanting in foreign language)
Inside the mausoleum, all sit
for a moment of joyful tears.
Whispering the name of the beloved god.
(speaking foreign language)
(singing in foreign language)
(peaceful music)
- [Narrator] A dervish gives
the secret of the universe
in every breath for free.
Not the one who begs his daily bread,
but the one who flows
with life as charity.
At lunch we join the women dervishes
as they sat beneath walnut
trees to sup in the sun
and enjoy the company
of family and friends.
Khalifa Saneh explained
that to be a dervish
means to live a simple life.
Away from material attachments,
away from worldly desires
and in the presence of god
at all times.
Fascinated by these dervish
women, their spiritual state,
and their simple lifestyle,
mountain to mountain
and village to village we followed them,
becoming wandering dervishes ourselves.
In the next village, we saw
women dervishes preparing food
for the traveling pilgrims
and the day's rituals.
(fire crackling)
(pounding)
We found Dervish Mehru
among the group of women
baking bread in a primitive cavern.
Like many others, Mahru
refuses to communicate
in front of the camera.
(women laughing)
(singing in foreign language)
When a woman begins to
sing, this every day scene
suddenly transforms into a surreal moment.
As her companions keep
working, Mahru begins to chant,
lament, and cry.
She is in another world.
In a personal trance state,
she begins to rub her hand
on a burning piece of wood.
(chanting)
It is believed that in a state of trance
dervishes can transcend
the physical senses,
achieving control of mind over the body.
(chanting)
As her trance intensifies,
Dervish Mahru grabs a piece
of wood from the stove
and swallows the fire
just as a woman crosses
in front of the camera.
With every utterance of Allah and
(speaking foreign language),
smoke comes out of her mouth.
According to the dervish women,
the fire eating was not
something we were meant
to see or film.
Some believe the inner fire
experienced during trance
is so intense it drives mystic
to reach for the outer fire
to quench the burning within.
(drumming)
(singing in foreign language)
As Mahru moves deeper
into a state of ecstasy,
she approaches the fire once more.
This time she begins to
dance on the burning embers.
The women try to stop her, but
only because of the camera.
Mahru told us later that
it is customary for both
male and female dervishes,
like yogis, to eat fire,
or cut their body and remain unharmed.
While it may appear to the
outside viewer as a spectacle,
the goal of this practice is
to weigh their mystic power
and will and to strengthen their faith.
The situation is getting out
of hand and Dervish Mehru
is helped out of the cavern by her friends
and carried away to finish
the cycle of Sama in privacy.
(birds chirping)
Everywhere the murmur of departure.
The stars like candles
thrust at us from behind blue veils
and, as if to make the invisible plain,
a wondrous people have come forth.
(drumming)
(singing in foreign language)
Back in their home in
the city of Sanandaj,
the women gather with Khalifa Saneh
for their weekly ritual.
Dervishes believe the heart is
the seat of cosmic knowledge
and the meditation,
chanting, prayers, and Sama
are the means to open the heart.
(chanting)
All through meditation they
chant a mystical mantra.
It is believed that the
chanting of the words
clears the mind.
The sound of the music purifies the soul.
And the motion of the body
ignites the state of bliss.
In the mystical world,
this brings forth love.
(percussive music)
(singing in foreign language)
It is common for dervish
women to grow their hair
down to their knees.
Like the men, it flows freely
during the ritual of Sama.
But because of the filming
they covered themselves.
Though the mature women are
restricted by their efforts
to keep their scarves on,
with the rhythm of the music
they begin to forget our
presence as they immerse
themselves in the dance.
A young dervish loses her scarf.
Freed in her movements, she
enters fully into the trance
state with ease.
The cycle of Sama allows
the dervish to transcend
the everyday self by transforming
her state of awareness
through the power of the ritual.
Again the words of Rumi.
"If you could get rid of yourself once,
"the secret of secrets would open to you.
"The face of the unknown,
hidden beyond the universe,
"would appear in the
mirror of your perception."
They say love is the end of
silence, the beginning is chaos,
but the end is tranquility.
(speaking foreign language)
(peaceful music)
- [Narrator] Modern man
explores the universe
from the outside.
The mystic explores the
universe from inside.
Both in search of God.
Nearing the end of our journey,
we join hundreds of women
in the remote desert village
of Varsaneh.
Side by side, echoing a
tradition of years of discipline,
they pray.
They pray with the belief that
the sound of their prayers
offered with one voice
transcends the material world
and moves onward to God.
And then they sit in silent meditation,
listening, waiting, knowing
that God will answer in time.
A mystic's way to converse with God.
(gentle music)
Later we follow the women to the cemetery.
Every Friday the holy day
of the week they gather
to pray the spirits of their loved ones.
Dressed in ghostly white
chadors, they adorn the graves
with joyful colors,
offering rosewater, flowers,
and sweets to the spirits.
These women view life
on Earth as a caravan.
Moving across the celestial horizon,
passing through life, the soul
settles briefly for the night
and at dawn it disappears into
the infinite distance beyond.
Made of the earth, the
human body returns to earth,
but the soul rises above
the material world,
transcending all.
In the end, the soul is married
once more to the beloved
God from whence it came.
Only love and freedom, the
gifts of the spirit, remain.
(uplifting music)
My spiritual journey had
taken me from the land
of Ahura Mazda to the realm of Allah.
I came to believe there is only one god.
The god of light and goodness and joy.
A god who abides not on the
mountains or in the oceans,
nor the cities or the sanctuaries,
but in the human souls who worship them.
From the heart of the desert
to the distant mountains
I searched for the
incredible men and women
of legend and lore.
They showed me the secret
of life that is goodness
radiating from the human heart
that holds the universe in harmony.
From the teachings of sages and wise men,
I discovered that the roots
of hatred and destruction
emanate from the human
mind and not from God.
Looking back on the long history
of the people of this land,
I understood now that
with the power of faith,
no force or tyrant can
stop people from claiming
the freedom to follow their own hearts.
(peaceful music)
The legacy of Cyrus
the Great will continue
to resonate here for generations to come.
Echoes from the past will live on.
(singing in foreign language)
Mystic Iran: The Unseen World (2002)
Moderator: Maskath3