According to historians, the Mevlevi Hane is the only dervish monastery of its kind preserved in Bulgaria, with its meditation hall partially intact. It is believed to have once belonged to a Persian religious community of the "Mevlevi" order—the whirling dervishes. The order originated in Konya (modern-day Turkey) in the 13th century and established itself in Plovdiv in the 17th century, when the city was an important cultural and commercial center of the Ottoman Empire. The community’s founder was Mohammed Jalaluddin—Rumi.
The monastery was located within the inner part of the fortress, in a district called Saruhanlı Mahala. According to records, it was built in the 16th century by Arif Dede during the migration of Mevlevi dervishes from Budapest and Pécs, after Hungary gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. Before 1400, a temple or chapel stood there.
The former complex included a prayer house (mosque), a hall for the ritual dances of the dervishes, and residential buildings. By the end of the 19th century, the monastery was abandoned. Today, only the hall where the dervishes performed their symbolic dance “sema” has survived. Through spinning, the dervishes sought spiritual perfection and union with the divine. Descriptions say the center of the ceiling was decorated with a carved wooden sun.
The main building had an approximately square shape, measuring 14 by 16 meters. Inside was a hall formed by eight oak columns supporting a paneled wooden ceiling. Historians say there was a recessed area with a plastered “holkel”, painted with garlands and eight medallions containing Quranic quotes. It can be said that the tekke (dervish lodge) of the whirling dervishes is well preserved.
In a special study on the hane conducted by Aydın Yumerov from the Higher Islamic Institute in Sofia, it was claimed that beneath the well in the backyard, remains from earlier historical periods were discovered, suggesting that a Roman fortress and temple once stood on the site.
The underground hall beneath the main salon has preserved walls from the Roman fortress, which were incorporated into the Ottoman construction, according to Yumerov’s research. The researcher states that an image has been preserved showing the god of wine offering wine and an egg to a pregnant woman—a symbol of fertility.
In the courtyard, there was an “imaret”— a kitchen for the needy. It was separate from the kitchen of the Mevlevi hane. These monastery lodges had such kitchens for all in need, regardless of their religion or ethnicity. According to the historian, nothing of this kitchen remains today.
In another corner of the courtyard, there was a small hamam (bathhouse). Next to the building stood a mosque with a minaret, which was destroyed in a fire in 1870, leaving only the minaret standing until 1940. After the Liberation, the Mevlevi hane was abandoned.
After the dissolution of the order in the early 20th century, the place gradually lost its religious function. It was later restored and repurposed for various uses, the most recent being the Puldin restaurant.
In 2021, the property changed ownership, and unfortunately, it is currently not in operation.
