Technical Details
- The program lasts for 8 weeks.
- It will take place between November 3 – December 22, 2025.
- Mondays, 14:00 – 16:00
- Program fee: 2,905 TL
- Fee for International Participants: 60.00 EURO
***The program will be conducted face-to-face, and it will also be possible to follow it online.
***The classes are recorded simultaneously and uploaded to the system. Participants will have access to the course videos for 6 months.
Participants who complete the payment process are kindly requested to send their payment information to tasavvuf@uskudar.edu.tr.
Scope
Erzurumlu İbrahim Hakkı said, “Music is a science related to wisdom; to those who know and to those who do not, it is enlightening.”
Since the contribution of Sufi music to the spiritual training of a person is well known by Sufis, music has been one of the most important tools used in the spiritual training process in dervish lodges. The earliest Sufi music began with the compositions made for the wisdom-poems of Ahmed Yesevî, and the sacred hymns (nutk-ı şerif) of Anatolian saints have been composed and recited by lovers of the Truth up to the present day.
The effect of saints’ hymns on the soul through melodies is much stronger than reading the same words from a book or hearing them in spoken form. These sacred verses—each a pearl of magical wisdom—become increasingly influential as they are repeated. Over time, one’s understanding and comprehension deepen.
Anyone who loves music and wishes to learn—even partially—about our ancient culture from the perspectives of literature, Sufism, and traditional music, or at least wishes to become a good listener, may join this program. The course will include meşk (traditional oral-transmission) studies with examples from the hymns of Sufi poets such as Yunus Emre, Niyazî-i Mısrî, Eşrefoğlu Rûmî, Aziz Mahmud Hüdâyî, Alvarlı Efe, and Ken’ân Rifâî—poets whose works have been widely composed. Pieces such as “Dağlar ile taşlar ile çağırayım Mevlâm seni,” “Sevgi baht olmuş ezelden bize,” “Hak şerleri hayreyler,” “Ey âşık-ı dildâde,” “Erler demine destur alalım,” and many others will be studied.
We hope that individuals who are interested in Sufism but have not previously had the opportunity to engage with this beautiful, ancient musical tradition will become acquainted with it through this program.
Course Structure: Classes will be accompanied by musical instruments. Depending on the situation, these may include ney, oud, classical kemençe, qanun, tanbur, kudüm, or bendir. The lessons will be conducted using the traditional meşk method. Before each class, the lyrics of the new pieces will be distributed and practiced through repetition. New works will be added each week to enrich the repertoire. Participants do not need to know musical notation; having an ear for music is sufficient.
Who is Elif Ömürlü Uyar?
She was born in Istanbul and graduated from ITU Department of Management Engineering. She began her first musical training in middle school at Kubbealtı Music Society under the instruction of her father, Yusuf Ömürlü. She later shared the musical knowledge she received from her father with students at Kubbealtı. During her university years, she joined the Istanbul University Choir under the direction of Süheylâ Altmışdört. For many years, she received inspiration from the musical gatherings held at the home of the oud composer Câhit Gözkân, attended by esteemed artists. Through her performances in the TV program “Journey to Love with Cemalnur Sargut,” she contributed to the promotion of Classical Turkish Music and Sufi Music. She led the Kubbealtı Music Community and music studies at the Kubbealtı Academy Culture and Art Foundation for five years, having inherited the responsibility from her father Yusuf Ömürlü in 2010.
Since 2016, she has been directing the “Istanbul Turkish Hearth Ömürlü Music Ensemble,” and since 2019, she has also been conducting Sufi Music training on the Anatolian side. She teaches theory, solfège, repertoire, and rhythmic cycles. She completed her master’s degree at the Üsküdar University Institute for Sufi Studies in January 2025 with her thesis titled “Music in the Works of Sâmiha Ayverdi.”
Albums: Erler Demine (2022), Yusuf Ömürlü Besteleri (2021), Gönül Bahçemden (2020), Kimi Dost’a Varır (2015), İlâhiyât-ı Ken’ân (2012).
Agenda
