ISTANBUL, Turkey — With his right hand open to the heavens and his left directed to the earth, a young Mevlevi Dervish spins to the beat of the drum and melody of a reed flute, his gaze piercing beyond this material world into another realm.

For 830 years, the beauty and mysticism of the "whirling Dervishes" has enthralled many around the world with their dancelike form of meditation.

Standing outside the only Dervish lodge left in Istanbul, Metin Kazas warmly greets his fellow members of the Mevlevi brotherhood with a smile, a hug and kiss on both cheeks. It is a brotherhood bond that has endured since the Middle Ages. Now, however, tourists gather to see this ancient tradition in motion.

"If Islam is the main body of the tree, we are the flower on that tree," said Kazas.

Kazas said the Mevlevi way is about exploring the boundless potential of love, for God and for humanity.

Dervishes are just one form of a mystical branch of Islam known as Sufism. They are followers of the classic poet and writer Jalaluddin Rumi, who is credited with profoundly shaping the arts, music and literature of the Muslim world.

Rumi was born into a family of learned theologians in 1207 in what is now present-day Afghanistan. His family would later travel to the Arab lands after the Mongol invasions and settle in the Anatolia region in what is now modern Turkey.

During Rumi's life, his writings gained a strong following, espousing the exploration of love and closeness to God.

Yet it was the loss of a close friend, according to historic accounts, that prompted Rumi to explore the spiritual subjects of yearning and separation. It is written that after his friend's death Rumi spent his days "in the whirling dance" reciting his poetry and music. It was in this dance that Rumi was said to have found spiritual unification with his friend and God.

To this day, among the rich, flowery Dervish musical compositions, the lone reed flute plays a solo. "The reed is singing, yearning to go back to (the marsh) where it came from," Kazas said.

By the time Rumi died in 1273, his works had influenced literature and music from Turkey to Iran, India and other parts of the Muslim world.

Yet for most followers of Islam the performance of music, dance and creation of certain forms of art is frowned upon as things of excess. The Sufi way seems to contradict this interpretation of Islam.

"Music and pictures are often forbidden in Islam," Kazas said. "But there are various ways. Sufism believes everything is a different shape of God," including God's highest creation: man. Music, dance and art are but man's celebration of God, he said.