Kalenderi, Mevlevi Water Carrier, Bektashi and Rufai Dervishes, 1842

This original antique lithograph, hand colored, is from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). In the upper image, at left, a bearded dervish in a tall white cap and long white robe hung with loops of chain leans on a staff and holds a small bowl, a domed building behind him; at right a bearded man in a tall white felt cap, gray jacket over a red vest and full brown trousers carries a water skin on his back, blue cups and a blue bowl in his hands, a strap across his chest. In the lower image, at left, a young man in a fur cap, blue robe and yellow sleeveless jacket raises a curved horn and carries a hanging bowl; at right a long haired bearded man in a pale fur trimmed coat over a brown robe holds a staff and prayer beads, with yellow boots.

The top margin is lettered "Tom IV", "TURCHIA EUROPEA" and "Tav 123". The upper caption reads "Calendero e Melwewi detto Saca" (Calender, and Mevlevi called Saca). The lower captions read "Bektaschy" (Bektashi) and "Rufay" (Rufai).

The Kalenderi, Mevlevi, Bektashi and Rifai were Sufi brotherhoods of the Ottoman world. The Mevlevi order, founded in Konya after the death of the poet Rumi, is known for its ritual whirling; the Bektashi were closely linked with the Janissaries; the Rifai were known for their loud dhikr. The Turkish word saka means water carrier, and the figure at upper right carries a water skin and cups.

A detailed plate for a collection of Ottoman religious life or Islamic costume.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.