Day 104 – Belly Dancing and Turkish Delight

Istanbul - Orient International Hostel

After walking across the Galata Bridge we caught the funicular to the bottom end of Istiklal Caddesi, to find the Mevlevi Whilring Dervish hall (Galata Mevlevihanesi). We were hoping to book in to see a whirling dervish performance, but of course when we arrived there was a sign saying it was closed for restoration, not reopening until 2012!

So, some quick internet surfing to find another option, and we found that there was an evening of Turkish dance at the Hodjapasha Cultural Centre, which had some good reviews. The place was a little hard to find but we managed to eventually purchase our tickets for that evening’s performance.

The show was in a converted Turkish bath, and our seats were in a great position. There was a great belly dancer with some interesting moves, a number of very energetic dances by the whole troupe, and even some knife throwing. There were also free drinks and turkish delight during intermission, so overall we had a very enjoyable evening.