National Concert Hall
In Sufism, sama is a tradition of listening which is a spiritual act in itself, and those who witnessed the liturgy from the Great Ummayed Mosque in Damascus at the NCH on Thursday engaged in what could only be described as a spiritual experience. The ceremony comprises poetry, music and, of course, the Whirling Dervishes, spinning so as to receive energy from God.
Sheikh Hamza Shakkur led the proceedings through song which resonated throughout the hall, accompanied by four musicians, each of whom had a featured solo. Ziad Kadi Amin's limpid and understated melodic lines on the ney (reed pipe) and Mohamad Qudri Dalal's virtuoso solo on the oud (lute) will stay long in the memory.
But it was the whirling dervishes themselves who heightened the sama. During the two-hour ceremony I was completely captivated and at times moved by the expression of faith. The reaction of the audience at the end suggested that many others felt the same way.