Of all the evening options in the old city, Hodjapasha is the one that stays with people. The venue is a fifteenth-century hamam, its dome intact, with the audience seated around an open floor rather than facing a stage.
The sema ceremony is the reason most people come. Six dervishes turn for close to forty minutes, accompanied by ney and drum, and the ritual is performed straight — no commentary, no lighting effects. On other nights there is a folk dance programme, livelier and more varied.
Performances run about an hour, usually starting in the early evening. Book a day ahead in season. From Romance Istanbul Hotel it is barely a three-minute walk.
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Entertainment