M. Mithat Özçakıl

Born in Konya in 1990, M. Mithat Özçakıl was raised in the heart of Mevlevi tradition, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, both of whom were semazens (whirling dervishes). Although he began practicing sema with his father during primary school, his first official public performance was during the 2005 Şeb-i Arûs ceremonies in Konya. After completing high school, he pursued language studies abroad for a time and later graduated from Selçuk University with a degree in English Language and Literature in 2014. He then earned his master's degree at the Selçuk University Mevlânâ Research Institute with a thesis titled “Veled Çelebi'nin 'Hayru'l-Kelâm' adlı eseri (İnceleme-Metin)”. In 2010, Özçakıl began serving as a "Contracted Guest Artist – Semazen" at the Konya Turkish Sufi Music Ensemble. He has performed the Sema Ceremony in more than thirty countries and has worked to introduce and explain the life, teachings, and spiritual legacy of Mavlana Jalaluddin Rumi. He has appeared in interviews on international television networks, participated in live radio broadcasts, and delivered public lectures, playing a role in the cultural diplomacy of Türkiye. He also served for a period at the Konya Center for the Study of Civilizational Wisdom (İrfan Medeniyeti). In 2020, he passed the competitive examination held by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s Istanbul State Turkish Music Research and Practice Ensemble, and officially joined what is now the Istanbul Sufi Ceremonies Ensemble as a semazen. Upon the ensemble's reorganization as an independent unit, he was appointed as its Director. M. Mithat Özçakıl, who is married with two children, continues to engage in research related to Mevlevi culture.