
Whirling dervishes of the Mevlevi order perform during a Sheb-i Arus ceremony in Konya, central Turkey.

Every December the Anatolian city hosts a series of the spectacular events.

The festival is held to commemorate the death of 13th century Islamic scholar, poet and Sufi mystic Jalaladdin Rumi.

Thousands travel to the city, where the main events in a week-long festival are the Sheb-i Arus, or "night of union" ceremonies.

After prayers and verses from the Quran, the dervishes perform the spinning dance that takes them into a trance-like state.

The dervishes' long hats symbolise tombstones.

Their long white robes symbolise shrouds.

Their spinning induces a trance-like state which the dervishes believe brings them closer to God.

The ceremony ends, like it began, with prayer.
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Name: The Concept
Founders: Yadhushan Mahendran, Maria Sobh and Muhammad Rijal
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School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”