Sama I

The dance of Sama has four stages. The ceremony begins in the First Selam, as the dervish sheds the black Kherghe (cloak) to reveal the white Tennure, signaling a soul’s awakening from earthly ego. In the Second Selam, the hands shift to become a bridge—the right turned toward the sky to receive grace and the left toward the earth to bestow it. The Third Selam is the peak of rapture, where both hands are often raised in total surrender as the self dissolves into the divine. Finally, the Fourth Selam marks the return; the dervish completes the rotation and returns to their station, carrying the peace and geometry of the heavens back into the world of form.

The Alchemy of Wood & Spirit

The dark walnut represents the Kherghe, the black cloak of the dervish symbolizing the heavy, earthly world and the ego. The maple star at the center represents the transition into the white Tennure, the radiant robe that signifies clarity found at the heart of the spiritual dance.

The Gereh’s Lineage

Both patterns in this series originate from a single design found in the Tomb of Majlesi in Isfahan. In traditional geometry, a design’s name often reveals its underlying structure. This specific motif is known as Davazdah-o-Hasht-e-Gardoon, which translates to "Twelve and Rotating Eight."

The unique form of this bowl, with three sides sweeping upward and one side reaching down, captures the second stage of the Sama. In this moment, the dervish becomes a bridge between realms. With one hand turned toward the earth to bestow grace and the other reaching for the sky, the wood itself mimics the physical shift from the material to the spiritual. It is a snapshot of the seeker in mid-rotation, balanced between their earthly roots and their celestial aspirations.