Original subtitles

(peaceful music)

- [Man] I am Cyrus, king of kings.

Powerful king.

King of Babylon.

King of Sumer and Akkad.

King of four countries.

I command all people be free in worshiping their own god,

and atheists not harm them.

- [Narrator] Iran.

A land known for thousands of years as the Persian Empire.

A land where 2500 years ago, and under the reign

of Cyrus the Great the first declaration

of human rights and freedom faith was born.

Carved on a simple cylinder, it was discovered

in the city of Babylon many centuries later.

From the ancient rites of Zarathustra

to the pre-years of Islam

and the realm of mystic dervishes

it's a land rich in spirit.

Through invasion of people and tyranny,

the culture and the spirit survives because

at the heart of its nation lies a central belief.

A belief in spiritual transformation and freedom of faith.

The legacy of Cyrus the Great passed down

for hundreds of years.

(cars honking)

I am a woman of two cultures, East and West.

For more than two decades I have lived in the West.

My pilgrimage today takes me east.

Back to Iran.

Land of my birth and back to Persia,

land of many beliefs.

(gentle music)

In quest of the spiritual roots and rituals of this

ancient land that have survived the centuries.

My journey begins in Tehran.

Tehran the capital of Iran is a city like any modern

city the world over.

(light music)

A city with ancient roots, Tehran has adopted

a cosmopolitan way of life.

But like many other cities in the Middle East,

Tehran has developed its own unique public laws.

In response to one of the more controversial laws,

a dress code requiring women be covered head to toe

in public, I saw the younger generation adopting a new

East West fashion statement.

Despite numerous public and private restrictions,

many Iranians have reached new heights of achievement.

And women as well as men have found a path

to creative expression.

As filmmakers,

poets, and writers.

From the hidden cafes and galleries where artists

and intellectuals gather,

to open air parks filled with the vibrant energy

of the younger generation.

I saw people redefining their role in the modern world.

From the children of comfort

to children who work and never play,

I found Tehran a city of paradox.

A place where lives are lived in a constant struggle

between Western taste and desires

and Eastern rules and laws.

But my journey was to take me far beyond,

away from the city.

Away from the familiar.

Into the heart of an ancient land.

(peaceful music)

As we rode into the Dasht-e Kavir Desert,

we passed by abandoned and crumbling walls

that once gave shelter from the sun and sand

to caravans that carried the gifts of the Orient

along the Silk Road.

Connecting East and West.

Now I traveled that same route in search

of people, places, and the spiritual traditions

long hidden in remote regions.

Echoes from a distant past.

A golden dome and turquoise minarets shone from

the distant horizon inviting us toward

the Shrine of Hazrat Masoumeh, a Muslim saint

in the city of Qom.

(chanting)

When the teachings of Islam reached this region

in the late 13th century, Persia was monotheistic,

inhabited by the followers of Zarathustra, Moses, and Jesus.

And like his predecessors, Prophet Mohammad believed

in one supreme god.

Allah.

(water trickling)

At the shrine we joined thousands of pilgrims

from across Islamic world who had come to ask forgiveness

and receive a blessing from the spirit of the young

female saint buried in the inner sanctuary.

For centuries people have believed in the healing power

of the saints to cure the sick in body, mind, and spirit.

Along with my male crew I waited for days under

the burning sun for permission to film the shrine.

I was not allowed to enter the men's chamber,

segregated from women under Islamic law.

Unexpectedly we were given five minutes to film inside

the women's chamber.

To my knowledge, we were the first film crew allowed

into the sanctuary.

(singing in foreign language)

Outside the women kiss and touch the gilded doorways,

a sign of respect offered to the spirit of the saint.

Inside, a pavilion of light explodes

into a seemingly infinite array of images

as colorful tiles dance off a multitude of mirrors.

Wall to wall hundreds of women wrapped in the black chador

gather to pray.

Some read from the Quran, seeking wisdom from the words.

Some whisper the name of god.

Others sit in silent meditation.

Surprisingly no one pays attention or objects

to the presence of camera or the male crew.

Most quietly cover their faces and continue their prayers.

Deep within the shrine is the gold and silver case

enclosing the body of Hazrat Masoumeh.

The young woman saint who died here of an illness

in the late 8th century.

We are caught in the crowd as hundreds of women press

forward to kiss and touch her mausoleum.

Some make offerings to the saint,

hoping to find relief from sufferings,

illness, and misfortune.

Others lift their children high to contact

the healing energy of the spirit within the chamber.

Believing the saint's power transcends even death.

But most have come simply for comfort, strength,

and the hope to carry on.

(gentle music)

In search of rites and rituals dating to an earlier time,

we travel deeper into central Iran.

As we journeyed, I saw layers of past civilizations

long-hidden within the desert cities.

In an earlier time Islam forbade representation

of deities and living beings in paintings and sculptures.

Artists were compelled to express their creativity

in other ways and an architectural Renaissance arose.

(singing in foreign language)

The city of Kashan, jewel of the desert,

bears witness to this artistic awakening.

From the narrow alleys and shapely domes

to ceilings filled with rays of light.

Even in the arched bazaars.

Everywhere I saw signs of a higher creativity

and boundless beauty.

Like many seekers who had come before us,

we entered the land of the ancient messenger, Zarathustra.

(dramatic music)

4,000 years ago, Zarathustra was born in the northernmost

area of Persia.

In an epoch of darkness and nonbelief, he spoke

of an intelligent force.

An unseen energy.

The god of light.

Deep in the womb of the Karkas Mountains

we reached the sanctuary of (speaking foreign language).

Hidden for centuries.

A holy place for Zoroastrians, it is another shrine

dedicated to a female saint.

It is believed that she escaped to the high mountains

to preserve the esoteric teachings of Zarathustra

during a time of religious persecution.

(peaceful music)

According to legend, an actual miracle took place

when the walls of the cave literally opened,

giving her protection from her enemies.

Every day women, men, and children colorfully dressed

in traditional clothing gather in the hidden sanctuary.

(singing in foreign language)

They come to read songs from the holy book Avesta

and to celebrate their lives on earth.

An ancient layer beneath the Islam,

the teachings of Zarathustra predates Jesus and even Moses.

(singing in foreign language)

(peaceful music)

Zarathustra proclaimed god the omnipotent Ahura Mazda

the creator of the universe and that the human soul

was created in the image of god.

Through his discoveries of the human soul

and mysteries of the universe, he came to believe

that two forces controlled the world.

Spenta Mainyu, the positive force of goodness

manifesting in the world as light

and Ahriman, the negative destructive force of evil

manifesting as darkness.

The dark force he believed was not an independent entity

but existed solely within the human mind.

Zarathustra proclaimed the only path to happiness

was to purify one's own thoughts

so that from the seeds of good thoughts

good words and good deeds would bloom.

As followers of this ancient messenger offer their prayers

to Ahura Mazda, they burn incense

and light candles to purify their spirits.

Zoroastrians built temples in the high mountains

where they still come to perform rituals around the fire.

This fire has been kept alive for thousands of years,

a symbolic reminder of the divine illumination

within the human soul.

The legacy of this most ancient messenger remains

one of joy and love.

(upbeat music)

I've heard the stories of the incredible men

known as dervishes living in the rugged distant mountains

of Kordestan.

We came at last to the remote village of Najjar

inhabited by farmers living a simple lifestyle.

Throughout history, the Kurdish people have practiced

mysticism as a way of life, even while continuing

their long fight for independence.

(singing in foreign language)

Inside the Sufi center we were welcomed by Sheik Nadur,

one of the spiritual leaders of the

(speaking foreign language) path.

The dervishes come from many different walks of life.

Young or old, educated or simple farmers,

they share a common belief.

All are equal here as they come before God.

(percussive music)

(singing in foreign language)

The Western world knows about the dervishes and

their whirling dance of Sama

through the 13th century Persian mystic

Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi.

Rumi, a poet and a scholar, reached a state of enlightenment

under the guidance of a wandering dervish

and practicing Sufi known as Shams-e Tabrizi.

Rumi expressed his enlightened state in his poems

and through them has been a messenger of love

and consciousness for over 700 years.

Though it is believed to have branched out of Islam,

the mystical apparition of dervishes

also has roots in the older Christian and Zoroastrian

teachings and rituals.

Dervishes are often depicted as wanderers,

pilgrims on a spiritual quest in search of mysteries

of the universe.

In their long journey in search of esoteric knowledge,

they carry a ball symbolizing their willingness

to receive that which comes from God.

Dervishes believe in the existence of two worlds.

The physical and the virtual.

The seen and the unseen.

In order to travel to the unseen world,

they believe it necessary

to reach the state of enlightenment

and from that state the chosen ones

will hear the voice of the universe.

Throughout history, many dervishes have been persecuted,

accused of blasphemy, and even killed for openly

revealing esoteric knowledge.

Forced underground, they kept a path open to devoted seekers

in order to hand down the mystic knowledge.

Their secret meetings take place in centers known

as Hanaga.

Many are still closed every day.

As Rumi said, Jesus reached the crucifixion

because of his message of love.

(percussive music)

(singing in foreign language)

Men from areas throughout Kordestan gather to perform

their sacred ritual known as Sama.

Sama means to hear or to listen

and it is during the ritual of Sama that the dervish

opens himself to hearing God.

It is traditionally taboo for women to enter

the men's circle, but out of respect for our long pilgrimage

Sheik Nadur allowed me to watch from a window.

Islam forbids music and dance in secular life,

but inside the Hanaga, the ritual of Sama begins

with the rhythm of the daf,

an ancient instrument like the shaman's drum,

the daf is sacred to these mystic men.

Like yogis, dervishes keep their hair long,

wrapping it beneath the turban.

As they start the ritual, the men let their long hair flow,

whipping back and forth with the rhythm of the dance.

(percussive music) (singing in foreign language)

As the beat of the drum speeds up,

they enter a state of trance.

Some meditate, some levitate, some whirl, some chant.

All in a state of ecstasy.

As the mystic poet Rumi described the Sama,

"Dancing is not rising to your feet painlessly

"like a speck of dust blown in the wind.

"Dancing is when you rise above both worlds,

"tearing your heart to pieces

"and giving up your soul."

(singing and chanting in foreign language)

The ritual lasted for hours.

But at last they returned to a normal state of awareness.

I saw men leave with a look of inner peace

and a certain smile on their face.

(upbeat music)

(percussive music)

(singing in foreign language)

While in the village of Najjar I discovered

the presence of women dervishes.

They'd gather to offer prayers to the spirit

of dervish saint Vaisa Kharan, buried within the mausoleum.

Khalifa Saneh, the spiritual leader of the group, is a woman

of modern wisdom and gave us permission to film the Sama

during their pilgrimage through this remote region.

(percussive music) (singing in foreign language)

Though women have been practicing the mystic knowledge

for centuries, their existence has been hidden

from public view.

It is forbidden for women to dance and sing in public,

but once again, the ritual of Sama begins

with the sound of the daf as the women whirl

and chant the name of Allah.

(chanting)

Dervishes practice Sama as a way to see further

beyond ordinary senses.

Beyond the material world.

To reach a higher state of consciousness.

Some have visions,

other chase away bad spirits.

But all experience the presence of God within their heart.

(percussive music)

The role of a spiritual leader guiding the Sama

is to watch over the dervishes while in the mystical realm.

Induced by the movement and sound,

their hypnotic trance state deepens,

and Khalifa Saneh helps the women back

to a normal state of consciousness.

(singing and chanting in foreign language)

Inside the mausoleum, all sit for a moment of joyful tears.

Whispering the name of the beloved god.

(speaking foreign language)

(singing in foreign language)

(peaceful music)

- [Narrator] A dervish gives the secret of the universe

in every breath for free.

Not the one who begs his daily bread,

but the one who flows with life as charity.

At lunch we join the women dervishes

as they sat beneath walnut trees to sup in the sun

and enjoy the company of family and friends.

Khalifa Saneh explained that to be a dervish

means to live a simple life.

Away from material attachments,

away from worldly desires and in the presence of god

at all times.

Fascinated by these dervish women, their spiritual state,

and their simple lifestyle, mountain to mountain

and village to village we followed them,

becoming wandering dervishes ourselves.

In the next village, we saw women dervishes preparing food

for the traveling pilgrims and the day's rituals.

(fire crackling)

(pounding)

We found Dervish Mehru among the group of women

baking bread in a primitive cavern.

Like many others, Mahru refuses to communicate

in front of the camera.

(women laughing)

(singing in foreign language)

When a woman begins to sing, this every day scene

suddenly transforms into a surreal moment.

As her companions keep working, Mahru begins to chant,

lament, and cry.

She is in another world.

In a personal trance state, she begins to rub her hand

on a burning piece of wood.

(chanting)

It is believed that in a state of trance

dervishes can transcend the physical senses,

achieving control of mind over the body.

(chanting)

As her trance intensifies, Dervish Mahru grabs a piece

of wood from the stove and swallows the fire

just as a woman crosses in front of the camera.

With every utterance of Allah and

(speaking foreign language), smoke comes out of her mouth.

According to the dervish women,

the fire eating was not something we were meant

to see or film.

Some believe the inner fire experienced during trance

is so intense it drives mystic to reach for the outer fire

to quench the burning within.

(drumming)

(singing in foreign language)

As Mahru moves deeper into a state of ecstasy,

she approaches the fire once more.

This time she begins to dance on the burning embers.

The women try to stop her, but only because of the camera.

Mahru told us later that it is customary for both

male and female dervishes, like yogis, to eat fire,

or cut their body and remain unharmed.

While it may appear to the outside viewer as a spectacle,

the goal of this practice is to weigh their mystic power

and will and to strengthen their faith.

The situation is getting out of hand and Dervish Mehru

is helped out of the cavern by her friends

and carried away to finish the cycle of Sama in privacy.

(birds chirping)

Everywhere the murmur of departure.

The stars like candles

thrust at us from behind blue veils

and, as if to make the invisible plain,

a wondrous people have come forth.

(drumming)

(singing in foreign language)

Back in their home in the city of Sanandaj,

the women gather with Khalifa Saneh

for their weekly ritual.

Dervishes believe the heart is the seat of cosmic knowledge

and the meditation, chanting, prayers, and Sama

are the means to open the heart.

(chanting)

All through meditation they chant a mystical mantra.

It is believed that the chanting of the words

clears the mind.

The sound of the music purifies the soul.

And the motion of the body ignites the state of bliss.

In the mystical world, this brings forth love.

(percussive music) (singing in foreign language)

It is common for dervish women to grow their hair

down to their knees.

Like the men, it flows freely during the ritual of Sama.

But because of the filming they covered themselves.

Though the mature women are restricted by their efforts

to keep their scarves on, with the rhythm of the music

they begin to forget our presence as they immerse

themselves in the dance.

A young dervish loses her scarf.

Freed in her movements, she enters fully into the trance

state with ease.

The cycle of Sama allows the dervish to transcend

the everyday self by transforming her state of awareness

through the power of the ritual.

Again the words of Rumi.

"If you could get rid of yourself once,

"the secret of secrets would open to you.

"The face of the unknown, hidden beyond the universe,

"would appear in the mirror of your perception."

They say love is the end of silence, the beginning is chaos,

but the end is tranquility.

(speaking foreign language)

(peaceful music)

- [Narrator] Modern man explores the universe

from the outside.

The mystic explores the universe from inside.

Both in search of God.

Nearing the end of our journey,

we join hundreds of women in the remote desert village

of Varsaneh.

Side by side, echoing a tradition of years of discipline,

they pray.

They pray with the belief that the sound of their prayers

offered with one voice transcends the material world

and moves onward to God.

And then they sit in silent meditation,

listening, waiting, knowing that God will answer in time.

A mystic's way to converse with God.

(gentle music)

Later we follow the women to the cemetery.

Every Friday the holy day of the week they gather

to pray the spirits of their loved ones.

Dressed in ghostly white chadors, they adorn the graves

with joyful colors,

offering rosewater, flowers, and sweets to the spirits.

These women view life on Earth as a caravan.

Moving across the celestial horizon,

passing through life, the soul settles briefly for the night

and at dawn it disappears into the infinite distance beyond.

Made of the earth, the human body returns to earth,

but the soul rises above the material world,

transcending all.

In the end, the soul is married once more to the beloved

God from whence it came.

Only love and freedom, the gifts of the spirit, remain.

(uplifting music)

My spiritual journey had taken me from the land

of Ahura Mazda to the realm of Allah.

I came to believe there is only one god.

The god of light and goodness and joy.

A god who abides not on the mountains or in the oceans,

nor the cities or the sanctuaries,

but in the human souls who worship them.

From the heart of the desert to the distant mountains

I searched for the incredible men and women

of legend and lore.

They showed me the secret of life that is goodness

radiating from the human heart

that holds the universe in harmony.

From the teachings of sages and wise men,

I discovered that the roots of hatred and destruction

emanate from the human mind and not from God.

Looking back on the long history of the people of this land,

I understood now that with the power of faith,

no force or tyrant can stop people from claiming

the freedom to follow their own hearts.

(peaceful music)

The legacy of Cyrus the Great will continue

to resonate here for generations to come.

Echoes from the past will live on.

(singing in foreign language)