Every Friday dervishes gather an hour before sunset in front of Sheikh Hamed al-Nil tomb in Omdurman, Sudan to perform a ritual called Zikr (Dhikr). The ceremony starts chanting words of gratitude to the Prophet Mohammed. The audience interacts with the chanters, dancing to the rhythms of the percussion instruments. The dervishes start whirling around. The music, the fragrance of burning incense, the endless repetition of religious chants creates a state of ecstasy, a kind of trance in which human soul is believed to communicate directly with God.

affection africa allah ceremony community dervish devotion dhikr event faith follower hamad al nil hamed al nil islam islamic omdurman religion religious rituals sudan sufi sufism tradition whirl zikr four people side view adult women only head and shoulders indoors color image african descent horizontal geocultcollection