Historic site · Hobyar Mahallesi, Sirkeci (Ankara Caddesi, Hocapaşa Hamamı Sok. No:3.B), Fatih, İstanbul
Hocapaşa Kültür Merkezi · Hoca Paşa Hamamı
A privately run performance venue inside a converted 15th-century double hamam in Sirkeci, Fatih, where the operator stages a Whirling Dervishes (Mevlevi Sema) ceremony and exhibition most evenings, and a folk and belly-dance show, "Rhythm of the Dance", several nights a week.
Where it is
41.0141, 28.9756
Hodjapasha Culture Center occupies the Hoca Paşa Hamamı, a large 15th-century double hamam (separate men's and women's sections) associated with Hoca Sinan Paşa, tutor and vizier to Mehmed the Conqueror, at Hocapaşa Hamamı Sokak No:3.B in Sirkeci. According to the operator's own site, read 2026-09-22, it currently runs two distinct programmes: a Whirling Dervishes Show & Exhibition, and "Rhythm of the Dance", a louder programme of Ottoman harem and regional folk dances, belly dance, fire and visual effects. The Whirling Dervishes programme is built around the Mevlevi Sema ceremony, a practice on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (a designation of the practice itself, not of this venue); the operator describes its version as a 60-minute sitting of a 5-minute introduction video, a 10-minute Sufi music concert and a 45-minute Sema ceremony, alongside a foyer exhibition of dervish clothing, instruments and interactive Rumi-poem and Sufi-music displays. The operator is explicit that the Sema is a spiritual ceremony requiring a silent, tranquil atmosphere with no photography, and steers visitors who want "an entertaining and moving show" toward Rhythm of the Dance instead. This record covers the venue itself, not the separate Kızlarağa(sı) Medresesi dervish ceremony roughly 630 m south (a different building and organiser), Hocapaşa Mosque, or the Galata Mevlevihanesi Museum.
According to the operator's site, read 2026-09-22, two Whirling Dervishes sittings and a separate dance show are currently on sale, each booked and priced separately: a 19:00 sitting offered daily, a cheaper 17:00 "happy hour" sitting offered Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and "Rhythm of the Dance" at 20:30 on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. These are the operator's current listings as read today, not a fixed weekly programme guaranteed to continue unchanged; check hodjapasha.com before booking. The operator asks guests to arrive 30 minutes before the show for check-in; latecomers are admitted only in the first 10 minutes, after which the seat is treated as a no-show with no refund. Photography is not allowed during the Sema ceremony. Seats are allocated first-booked, first-served.
The operator states on its own ticket pages, read 2026-09-22, that "our theater is not suitable for wheelchairs." Stroller routing, toilets and the building's steps are not described on the pages read; given the wheelchair statement, assume steps are involved and ask the operator directly if step-free access matters to you.
Getting here
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Road last checked 2026-09-22.
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Guided tour · skygate
Hodjapasha Rhythm of the Dance Show - Admission
Admission to the Rhythm of the Dance show at the Hodjapasha Culture Center, a cultural performance blending traditional Turkish dance styles inside a converted 16th-century Ottoman-era hamam. Check current dates and seating on SkyGate.
Guided tour · skygate
Hodjapasha Whirling Dervishes Show and Exhibition
Admission to the Whirling Dervishes ceremony and its accompanying Sufism exhibition at the Hodjapasha Culture Center, inside a converted 16th-century Ottoman-era hamam. Check current times, dates and pricing on SkyGate. On SkyGate, choose the 5:00 PM Happy Hour or 7:00 PM seating — both are valid selections on this listing.
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1 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Hodjapasha is a fifteenth-century hamam in Sirkeci that now stages two very different evenings: a Mevlevi sema ceremony with an exhibition, and a dance show with fire and visual effects. This guide explains what each one is, who may attend, how the building affects access, and how a separate ceremony listing at Kızlarağası Medresesi differs.
Ways to visit
Bookable experiences that include it.
Admission to the Rhythm of the Dance show at the Hodjapasha Culture Center, a cultural performance blending traditional Turkish dance styles inside a converted 16th-century Ottoman-era hamam. Check current dates and seating on SkyGate.
Admission to the Whirling Dervishes ceremony and its accompanying Sufism exhibition at the Hodjapasha Culture Center, inside a converted 16th-century Ottoman-era hamam. Check current times, dates and pricing on SkyGate. On SkyGate, choose the 5:00 PM Happy Hour or 7:00 PM seating — both are valid selections on this listing.