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.

africa allah ceremony chanting devotion dhikr ecstasy event faith african descent follower hamad al nil hamed al nil islam islamic omdurman religion ritual sudan sufi sufism tradition zikr praying outdoors night crowd rear view adult men only bowing outdoors day color image horizontal geocultcollection