The Last Dervish
The Last Dervish
The ability to know "the language of the wind and the birds", to see and to converse with the spirits of ancestors and the holy people, has in Central Asia always been regarded as the sign of a true dervish and master. For the Sufi masters, the "language of the birds" is the language of the sacred, expressing intricate meanings without the need to resort to the use of words.
How does one write about an event :hat has no rational explanation? No scientific proof? No logic? Witnessing something nconceivable is not easy, as I know from personal experience. It can sometimes be eerie, sometimes frightening. We all fear something; we are skeptical. And yet we are n search of something, reaching towards the ive energy of spiritual tradition.
Jngurtas is a well-known place in Kazakhstan. The hill Aydarly Aydakhar Ata Ayman Sholpan s famed for the hundreds of pilgrims who visit it. As recently as eight years ago, however, it .vas just an ordinary hill where sheep grazed. Remarkably it has become an aulie or shrine since then all because of one woman, the dervish Bifatima-apa. Eight years ago she came here from the south, built herself a :emporary hut and began receiving people. Some of the locals, her neighbors, did not oelieve her assertion that the hill would heal oeople and help those with good intentions. They thought she was either insane or a liar. But day by day the number of people coming from nearby and far away increased. On the hill some of the pilgrims built a house where people could stay free of charge; they set up direction signs, and built steps and paths... What attracted these people? Was it the woman? The place? Two years ago I and some friends decided to see for ourselves.
We were on a filming expedition to the south of Kazakhstan to explore Asian healing traditions. The destination list was long: Kazakhstan's Academy of Sciences had helped. Ungurtas is not far from Almaty -only 80 kilometers by the Bishkek Highway - so we decided to go there first. We h ad been told that Bifatima was not very fond of journalists and documentary filmmakers, but we thought it was worth trying...
Ара met us calmly. She did not allow us to film that evening, in fact she hardly looked at us and only asked, 'Why do you do this?' Tor people,' I replied frankly. 'All right,' she said, 'stay for the night. We'll see tomorrow morning.' We were told that she acted like this when she wanted to 'see' you - your future, past, and something else only she could understand; when you sleep, it is easier for her to 'see' it. Such night time 'diagnoses' at Bifatima's are common. On the soft floor of a large room in the house there are sometimes more than a dozen people sleeping on hides and felt mats; and the next morning Bifatima can answer all their questions, or she gives them assignments to 'heal' them, to improve their lives. Next morning Bifatima allowed us to film.
Life in her house is regulated by traditional Sufi rules. For me it was about the method of imparting knowledge. If you want to change your life, you should work, listen to yourself and to other people, and act. If we wanted to tell people about Ungurtas, it was necessary to 'experience' this place, to be inside it. Having met this requirement, I got the right to carry out my documentary project about the dervish Bifatima. It was not easy for me, but on the first night I had stayed there she had realized that I would pass the test, and she told me, 'You will come here many times and live here. You can understand only in this way. Don't be afraid, you will make it. Do your job.' Since then I have been to Ungurtas eight more times. I stayed there for many months and entered the tradition. It happened to me almost independently of myself, as if Bifatima had seen something she could work on that first night. And I now see my future a little with her eyes too.
The dervish's interaction with the pilgrims is based on traditional values. One of these is the family, the ancestors. Before being admitted to the Hill, a newcomer is invited to join the dastarkhan or 'table with meals'. He or she can either have some tea or dine at the table. This is considered a ritual; it is where the dead are remembered and asked for blessings. Then everybody goes to the river to bathe or wash with flowing water. Only after the cold mountain river has washed off the urban energy, the worries and chores of everyday life, after it has cleansed all the vanity and helped you to concentrate, will you be taken to the underground mosque, and then to the Hill.
Bifatima says that the Hill is a point through which a 'channel' runs that connects the Earth
The sacrifice of an animal (in this case, a sheep), the ritual of washing oneself with the blood of the animal, and the use of the hide for healing purposes symbolise the abandonment of one's old life and old ways - and also freedom from the sins and errors committed by the person's ancestors - rebirth, and the commencement of a newjourney. In Sufi poetry, the image of the lamb usually signifies submission to the will of the Shepherd, that is, to the will of God.
and the cosmos; like one of the Earth's main arteries. There are several points like this on our planet, and they are very important On top of the Hill stand two special stones -j one red one black. The black one, tapering towards the bottom, marks the point where the energy from the cosmos comes to the Earth. This stream of information, of idee; is cold and clean energy. It purifies, corrects mistakes. They recommend that you stay at this point for not longer than 30 minutes, ore will begin 'sucking you in'. Before reaching the top, however, pilgrims visit all the caves and stones on the Hill; each of them has its own significance. It usually takes about an hour, and pilgrims are always accompanied by a person Bifatima trusts to 'lead' people.
The first stone to visit stands for fame reunion and forgiveness of ancestors" mistakes. Pilgrims also ask for healthy children on this stone. Then it is the 'doorl stone, where they ask for the way to opened and for blessing upon the undertaking. In the Angels' Cave you make a wish. It is required that you choose only one wish; you should feel it coming right from your heart; such a wish wil certainly come true. The next stop is the Dragon's Wing where you again turn to your ancestors. At this point pilgrims ask for forgiveness of the sins of the dead and pray for freedom from the fears and stereotypes that come from the past. It is a very special practice. Under the Dragon's Wing many pilgrims spend hours, praying, meditating on their destinies and our world. Near the Dragon's Wing is another important stone, the Girl's Face. At this stone an unmarriec pilgrim asks for a spouse from 'clean' ancestra line, who will bring well-being to him or her. The next practice takes place at the stone that once was a human. According to legend, there once lived a very kind man in this area, and God loved him. But people did not understanc him; they laughed at him, and did not believe he was a saint, which made them fall ill and die. The saint did not know how to help them and once asked God to turn him into a stone so that the people would not be misled by his human body, and would heal themselves and improve by touching him. God granted the saint's request. His stone is still on the Hill. Next to it is a deep cave. The pilgrims must get intc it all together and say a prayer of their choice 40 times. In the prayer they ask for forgiveness of the evil they have ever wished other people and for purification from the evil other people wished them. Further up the Hill are the stones that clean eyesight and hearing, and open ways to senses and feelings. There is also e rock where pilgrims ask for earthly blessings, The stones and practices on the Hill are arranged in a pattern that makes people tuned to a harmonious, well adjusted, simple and at the same time complex system of values.
When you reach the top of the Hill, you have :; you are more focused and open, seen it many times, and I always ! Bifatima's wisdom and guru's skills.
d to believe but miraculous healings lo occur at the Hill. With my two education diplomas, I could hardly that these facts were not illusions. ;ntly asked people who came to the fhy they had come, and in reply I nany stories about healed relatives, neighbors. This is what makes the jular. Word has already spread far Kazakhstan. I met people from Ukraine, Belarus.... Most visitors hoping to improve their health, are healers who want to unlock new ; or strengthen their existing ones, eople stay at Bifatima's for months. :them has his own specific story, and :them has a special relationship with
Bitafima often calls herself 'the last patron'. She says, There is nobody after me.' What does it mean? A little known tradition is coming to an end? I heard many other healers and clairvoyants say that Bifatima is unique, that she is the master and the last dervish in the region. That is why many of these healers bring their grown-up children to her so that she would help them to 'open the way', to 'receive the gift'.
The nature of a dervish's aulie space is quite different from European standards I am used to. But to be inside it is a powerful experience; it takes you back to the very center of your personality, to the foundations of yourself. And that is a very strange feeling, and sometimes not an easy one.
The project details are at ww.kazakhdervish.com. You can watch photographs and some video here. If anybody wants to contribute to the project, our contact details are there too.
Ungurtas is a live legend, a modern fairytale. And it is open for anybody who wants to enter it.
