Mevlevi regiment deployed to the Syrian front.Mavi Boncuk |
During WW1 in Syria and Palastine Front a Mevlevi Regiment served under the command of 4th Army. A batallion of 800 strong dervishes was formed December 1914 in Konya and was sent to Damascus. Another batallion of regular recruits was added at the end of August 1916 and formed the Mevlevi Regiment.
This unit did not fight until the end of the Philistine campaign and was disbanded at the end of September 1918 in [1].
Mustafa Kemal March 1923 with members of the Mevlana order before its institutional expression become illegal and their dervish lodge into Mevlana Museum. The Mevlevi order managed to transform itself into a nonpolitical organization which still exits.
[1] Soldiers of the prophet By C. C. R. Murphy
Hi... If you are interested in the role of Mevlevi Lodges during the WWI and the Turkish War Of Independence (and also more), I can recommend you this book: Vatan Savunmasında Mevlevihaneler (Balkan Savaşlarından Milli Mücadeleye)
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