The word Sufi often conjures up images of Turkish whirling dervishes, turning gracefully round themselves in a mystical ceremony. But outside the world of Islamic mysticism, not much is known of the beliefs and practices in which such ceremonies are rooted, or about the communities that embrace them.

This display will explore Sufi life and art through a selection of objects that represent Sufi communities in the Middle East, North and Sub-Saharan Africa, and northern India. This mystical movement, which first appeared in the Islamic world during the eighth century AD, has been defined as a pathway to a personal experience with God.

Among the British Museum objects on display will be Islamic artefacts imbued with Sufi connotations. Some, such as alms bowls, are linked overtly to dervishes, while others have a more subtle connection, such as calligraphic works, miniature paintings and wall tiles. Sufis come from all walks of life, crossing the boundaries of class, ethnicity and regionality. The display will explore such themes as mystical love, poverty and asceticism, as well as Sufi influence upon the wider societies they belong to.

Until 26 July 2026

Highlights

Ceramic tile, Iznik, Türkiye, Ottoman dynasty, about 1700. Length: 25.70 cm; Width: 25.50 cm. Bequeathed by Edith Godman, G.187 © The Trustees of British Museum, London.

The inscription Allah, Ya Hu (God, O' He) on the right-hand side of this tile is mirrored on the left. Allah is God's name in Arabic. Hu means he or him. In a Sufi context Ya Hu is a call to God, recited repetitively in prayers, meditation and remembrance ceremonies known as dhikr. This type of tile would have decorated the walls of a Sufi place of worship – a tekke, khanaqah or zawiya. These buildings are lodges for Sufi brotherhoods, with prayer and assembly rooms, accommodation for members and sometimes burial chambers for their leaders.

Glazed pottery bowl, Ottoman Turkey, about 1510. Diameter: cm (foot) Diameter: cl (rim) Height: cm. Bequeathed by Edith Godman, G.2 © The Trustees of British Museum, London.

The Arabic inscription on this bowl reads: 'Hearts are cured by meeting the beloved'. In Sufi mysticism the beloved is God, and the hearts are those of the believers, who are sick with yearning for divine union. The heart is the centre of an individual, where the emotional and spiritual dimensions of the self reside.

Reed ney (flute), Egypt, about 1927. Bamboo. Height: 3 cm Width: 43 cm Depth: 3 cm. Donated by the Trustees of the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, Af1981,14.78 © The Trustees of British Museum, London.

The ney, an end-blown reed flute, is intimately connected with Sufism. For Sufis it sounds like the groans of humans yearning to be reunited with God. Traditional mystical music performed at dhikr (remembrance) ceremonies often includes the ney.

Painting from an illustrated manuscript of the Haft awrang (Seven thrones) of Jami, Iran, Safavid dynasty, about 1470–1506. Ink, colours and gilding on paper. Height: 15.70 cm (Image including borders) Height: 14 cm (Image within borders) Height: 22 cm (Sheet) Width: 8.80 cm (Image including borders) Width: 6.80 cm (Image within borders) Width: 13.30 cm (Sheet). Purchased, 1914,0407,0.7 © The Trustees of British Museum, London.

In the Islamic tradition Potiphar's Wife is Zulaikha and Joseph is the Prophet Yousuf. Here Joseph attends to Zulaikha's guests. Distracted by his beauty, they cut themselves with their fruit knives. In the Sufi tradition, besotted Zulaikha becomes a symbol of love and yearning for the divine. Joseph's beauty becomes a manifestation of divine beauty, and his trials lead to spiritual accomplishments.

Painting in album depicting Ibrahim Bin Adham visited by angels, India, about 1800. Transferred from British Library, 1920,0917,0.183 © The Trustees of British Museum, London.

Ibrahim Bin Adham (AD 718–782) gave up the throne of Balkh in Afghanistan to seek a personal experience of God. His Sufi journey and principled ascetic life were recognised in his lifetime. God sent him angels bearing gifts of food as a reward for his perseverance. This allegory became popular in Indian art. 

Painting from album of 96 gouache paintings depicting Islamic saints and devotees with Persian inscriptions, India, 1796. Height: 38.30 cm (album page) Width: 21.60 cm (album page). © The Trustees of British Museum, London (1936,0411,0.31.1-96)

These are leading Sufi masters of the Indian Subcontinent. Five are associated with the Chishti Sufi order and one is believed to be the posthumous founder of the Qadiri Sufi order. From top left anticlockwise, the Chishti sheikhs are Mu'in al-Din Chishti (1143–1236), Qutb al-Din (1173–1235), Farid Ganj Shukur (1175–1265), Nidham al-Din Awlia (1238–1325), Shah Sharaf (1209–1324) and Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (1077–1165). 

Folios from a copy of Dala'il al-Khairat wa Shawariq al-Anwar fi Dhikr al-Salat 'ala al-Nabi al-Mukhtar (Waymarks of Benefits and the Brilliant Burst of Lights in the Remembrance of Blessings on the Chosen Prophet) by Muhammad bin Sulaiman al-Jazuli, 1453–57, ink on paper, North Africa, 1700s. Height: 19.30 cm Width: 13.70 cm © The Trustees of British Museum, London (1992,1216,0.1.a-b)

Al-Jazuli (d. 1465) was a scholar and Sufi master of the Shadhiliyya Sufi order in Morocco. He wrote this compendium of prayers upon Prophet Muhammad and organised it into seven sections for daily recitation. Widely spread across the Islamic world, it became a model for subsequent works of prayer that are chanted or sung.

Brass begging bowl, Iran, Safavid dynasty, 1700s. Width: 24.13 cm. Purchased, 1956,0726.17 © The Trustees of British Museum, London 

The kashkul (begging bowl) is the iconic symbol of the wandering Sufi ascetic, also known as a dervish. Sufis carry the bowls, which are made in a variety of materials, as a symbol of their voluntary poverty. They use them to collect money or food given as alms. Dervishes, in turn, are expected to share these offerings with anyone, Sufi and non-Sufi, who is in need.

Painting of a Dervish with a begging bowl, Iran, Safavid dynasty, about 1626. Ink, opaque watercolour and gold on coloured paper, 14.30 x 8.50 cm (image); 23.50 x 15.20 cm (sheet). Purchased, 1930,0607,0.15 © The Trustees of British Museum, London 

Some Sufi ascetics take to the road with a vow of poverty. They carry few possessions and depend on others for sustenance. Begging is primarily a way of overcoming their pride and achieving the humility that is necessary to experience God. This wandering dervish (a Sufi who takes to the road seeking fellowship and masters) belongs to the widely spread Naqshbandiyya Sufi brotherhood.

Kamal Boullata (1942–2019), Ana al-Haqq (I am The Truth). Silkscreen on paper, 1983. Purchased, 1997,0716,0.2 © The Trustees of British Museum, London 

The Palestinian artist Kamal Boullata (1942–2019) created this calligraphic work using the fateful words of the Sufi master al-Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj (AD 857–922), 'Ana al-Haqq' ('I am the truth'). Hallaj had reached levels of consciousness of God that made him feel his own self had become empty of its own 'I', allowing his heart to be filled with God's presence. The 'truth' in this statement is one of God's attributes. But Hallaj's aspiration that all believers should experience God's presence in their hearts led to accusations of heresy by his enemies and cost him his life.