Evaluation of the Mevlevi sema ceremonies in Istanbul in the context of cultural economics

The Mevlevi sema ceremony was registered in the UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and attained world heritage inscription in 2008. As a UNESCO registered world heritage, it is performed both in mevlevihanes, which are their own cultural venues, and outside these venues. In addition to these performances, there are representation areas in various sectors as an intangible cultural heritage element of ceremonies. This indicates the cultural and economic dimension of the ceremonies. In this study, the Mevlevi sema ceremonies in Istanbul are examined with the approach of intangible cultural heritage. After the ceremonies were banned in Turkey in the Republican Period, they started to be performed again in the 1950s. It is among the aims of this study to reveal the changes and transformations of the ceremonies in the process from that period to the current situation in the cultural and economic context. Within this framework, the representations of the ceremonies reflecting the cultural and economic aspect were evaluated in the context of the sectoral dimension of culture and their functions were revealed. In addition, the threats to which the Mevlevi sema ceremonies are exposed as intangible cultural heritage, the representation areas in the cultural and economic sectors, the levels of value they have and the interaction of all these with each other have been examined and evaluated with a holistic approach in the light of field research data and various examples. The evaluations made were on the basis of field research data and some statistical data. Various suggestions have been made within the scope of protection and sustainability by evaluating the multifaceted nature and functions of the ceremonies in their current situation.